HONEYMOON FADES, Rafe Cameron

homecoming

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THE DRIVE home was always the worst, Jude should have remembered this. It wasn't like the drive there, where her nerves were buzzing with excitement and anticipation, ready to return to school where there would be no parent telling her what she could and could not do. The feeling of freedom would never compare to anything else, and though she was happy to see her mother again, it wasn't the same bubble of joy she felt when she drove the beginning of the semester.

That term had meant everything to her, it meant getting away from her messy breakup, getting away from all of the drama that lingered in the Outerbanks, and most of all, it got her away from dad.

He was great, sometimes. Most times he was reminding her how important it was she stayed focused, to make sure she didn't stray from her task. After her twin sister had flunked out of school their first year, everything fell on Jude. She missed the time when her dad was her supporter, not an administrator.

The drive was long, three hours of her randomized playlist and stopping for snacks led her to return home around five, she would unpack her things tomorrow, for now all she could do was sit in the driveway and allow dread to gnaw at her chest.

Their house was on the outskirts of Figure 8, decently sized for four people, and it had a pool, which was all Jude really needed. She disliked the ocean and the mess brought along with it. Too much sand, and too many tourists.

She wasn't sure how much longer she was going to sit outside in her driveway, contemplating on how long it would take for her family to notice she hadn't arrived.

Finally, she switched off her car, watching the headlights fade as she made her way to the porch, hesitating by the door. Her gaze flickered to the cartons of flowers to her left, she could safely assume her mom had picked up a new hobby.

Her hands shook, and she turned the key, opening the front door. The house was quiet, which hadn't been what she was expecting, and she quickly toed her shoes off by the door, creeping inside. Maybe they were all in the backyard, she knew who was home by the cars in the driveway. Her sister's Jeep, her dad's work truck, and her mom's Toyota.

Slowly, she made her way through the house. The television was on in the living room, the fireplace crackled. As she turned to step into the kitchen, she flicked the lights on and jumped back as a series of shouts followed the action.

"WELCOME HOME!"

Her entire family was there, mom was grinning and edging forward to hug her—Shreya beat her to it. Jude and her sister looked exactly alike, other than one small detail: Jude had dimples. Shreya did not. They were the same height, same weight, they wore their hair the same way, they had the same taste in clothing. That was another refreshing thing about college, she got to be her own person there.

As Shreya pulled away, she spotted their cousin Kelce sitting at the counter, raising a hand to lazily wave at her. She nodded at him, allowing her parents to embrace her next. She sauntered over to him as they all asked about school, her mom declared she'd start dinner now that Jude was home.

"Awh, Kelce," she smiled, patting his back sarcastically. "Did you clear your agenda of fighting Pogues for me? You shouldn't have."

Kelce rolled his eyes. "A lot has changed since you've been gone, you know."

Jude did know, despite being so far away, she still kept up with the general Outerbanks gossip, even if she claimed she found it annoying. A group of Pogues had found El Dorado, though she had no clue what they'd done with the money, but Kelce scoffed.

Okay, keeping up with the Outerbanks gossip was a little bit of a stretch. She sort of knew these Pogues, or knew of them and knew one personally. She still followed Sarah Cameron on Instagram, and she'd found out through there. It was probably messy to keep tabs on your ex's little sister, but Sarah had always been a sweetheart. It was hard not to adore her.