you're just as far in as you'll ever be out

laughing as we're falling down

this is honestly kind of uneventful and I apologize. :( I'll go back to the drama soon

--

"Do you see them anywhere? What time is their flight supposed to get in? Oh my god, do you think they missed it? What if they missed their flight?"

Lucy took several deep breaths and grabbed Alana's forearms, squeezing them gently in attempt to silence her. "Alana," she began sweetly. "Shut the fuck up."

"Rude," Alana scowled playfully. "Where are theyyyyy?"

"God, don't whine. That's worse," Lucy pleaded as she rubbed her temples. "It takes forever to get through customs. I told you we didn't have to be here an hour early."

Alana rolled her eyes and made sure to stay close to her sister's best friend when the crowd at LAX began to disperse. She had done so well staying under the radar the past month. Granted, she never really left the house but no one even batted an eyelash when she did take the chance to rush to the grocery store or to get coffee.

She was beginning to feel like her old self again. Sort of. They were moments where she had random freakouts and breakdowns, but they were diminishing by the day. It felt relieving to not be attached to Haim for the time being.

"I'm excited to get you the hell away from me," Lucy said jokingly, patting Alana's back to make sure the younger girl knew she was kidding. "Convenient your parents take off on some cruise as soon as you come home..."

Alana bit her lip at the slight bitterness in Lucy's voice. "Well, they didn't think I'd be coming home so soon..."

"I know," Lucy sighed. She decided to drop the subject altogether and glanced at her phone again. It was almost nine. Este and Danielle's flight got in almost an hour ago. What was taking them so long?

"Oh! There they are!" Alana grabbed Lucy's arm excitedly and tugged at it. "I see them."

"Go get them, kid."

But Alana didn't move. Instead, she shook her head timidly. She couldn't do it. She couldn't run into a crowd without freaking herself out. "I'll just wait."

As soon as Danielle and Este were a few feet away, Alana let go of Lucy's arm and rushed over to her sisters with a squeal. She launched herself into Este's unsuspecting arms and held her tight.

"Fuck, Lans," Este laughed, putting down her carry on bag to keep Alana steady as she practically climbed up her body. "Hi."

"I missed you guys!" Alana was close to bursting into tears but she held it together. She used her left arm to pull Danielle in for a hug and smiled so widely when both her sisters engulfed her tightly.

"We missed you too," Este whispered, giving Alana one last squeeze before easing her back down to the ground. She suppressed a yawn and nodded toward Lucy, who was lingering back until their moment was over.

"How's everything?" Danielle asked. Her voice was so raspy that Alana could barely understand her.

"Okay," Alana said with a shrug. She noticed her two sisters were not really interacting. "I missed you guys," she repeated shyly.

Este smiled and slung her arm around Alana's shoulders. "Come help me with the luggage."

Danielle waited until her sisters were out of earshot to sigh and petulantly pout at her best friend. "Hi."

"You sound like you have emphysema," Lucy laughed, wrapping Danielle in a tight hug and rubbing her back.

"My voice is gone," Danielle admitted in a whisper. "It has been for like a week."