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Chapter 5: Spaghetti

I finally went home sometime in the middle of March. It was Spring break. I didn't see anyone but my parents until Sunday morning at church. I needed time to myself and rest, lots of rest. School was kicking my butt and I hadn't been sleeping much because of how anxious I was about finishing my work. When I got to Sunday School, my friends had saved me a seat right in the middle of them. After church, I went home to pack a small bag for my last few weeks of school. I wouldn't be home again until after finals. I gathered what I needed and made my way back to Wagner.

The last few weeks of school flew by. When I finally got home at the end of May, I could only think of one thing: hanging out with Jordan and Greyson. My last final had ended on a Tuesday around five-thirty so that meant I got to be home in time for small group. The thought of going straight home to a house full of my best friends was exhilarating. I could feel the butterflies take off in my stomach as I got closer to my house. When I pulled in the driveway I lost control of my emotions and began smiling – alone, like an idiot- in my car.

I grabbed an armful of things from the trunk of my car and headed up the front steps of my porch. 

"INDIE!" I heard Katherine shriek through the glass door that divided us.

 Suddenly, there were six people at the door to greet me and help me carry the contents of my trunk inside. I couldn't stop smiling. No matter how hard I forced myself to, I couldn't stop. Even though we hadn't been as close as before, I couldn't contain myself from the joy that filled me at being with my favorite people again- and for a whole three months!

Once we finished throwing my things in my room, I made my way to the kitchen to grab a plate full of spaghetti and garlic bread.

"Careful, its slippery. If you don't carry it right, your spaghetti will fall off into the floor, right Miles?" My mom eyed him and his tomato stained shirt and laughed.

"Hey! I didn't know it'd be like a slip-n-slide if I tilted the plate just a little!"

"MILES! YOU'RE HERE!?" I put my plate down on the counter and ran to where he was sitting at the table and gave him a huge hug.

"Yeah, I'm here!" He said hugging back.

"You wanna tell her or should we?" Kat asked from her seat across the table.

"I should be the one to do it," he replied.. 

"What happened?" I asked. Suddenly the butterflies that were in my stomach turned to bricks and I was anxious for what was about to come.

"Aly called it off. Like, took the ring and ran, called it off."

"WHAT? You guys are over? She TOOK the ring? Where does she live? I'm going to get your ring! Who does she think she is?" I felt the entire spectrum of human emotions within seconds.

"It's alright. Well, it's alright except for the ring part. I'm still paying on that thing."

Once the news of his broken engagement fizzled out, I was able to sit at the table and eat with my friends and parents. When it was time for the lesson to begin, I took my place in the corner recliner on the other side of the living room. Its placement was odd but in the corner, I could see everyone. The closest description to the emotion I was feeling is that of a grandmother when all of her children and grandchildren are in one room.

"I love you guys," I said from my rocker with a smile.

"We're happy you're home, Ind," Jordan said from his corner spot on the L-shaped couch.

When small group was over, most of the people not in our inner circle left. There had been around twenty of us there but now it was just seven of us and my parents. There was me, Miles, Mia, Katherine, Jordan, Adrian, Greyson, and Gabbi. We broke out several board games and waited as my mom made us fresh chocolate chip cookies.

"I don't know what it is, but I feel like something good is coming this way. Like this summer is going to be the best we've had in a long, long time," I said as I dug out Uno from our game shelf.

"I feel it too. There's just something different." Miles said from across the small coffee table.

"Well, here's to a great summer!" Katherine said, holding up a cup of sweet tea.

"Here, here!" Jordan said.

We all laughed and cheers our sweet tea, water, and Mountain Dew to whatever the summer had in store for us.  

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