Chicago Fire FanFic (English)

Chapter 74

The next morning, Andrew, Caleb and Julian were awake very early. "Good morning, boys. Why are you awake already?" Matt asked. "Because we have a lot to do today." Andrew said. "Good. Then we hope you have fun and see you tomorrow." Sylvie said. "See you tomorrow and take care." Julian said. After breakfast, Aiko drove the three boys to the shopping center. "Should I come with you or just pick you up again in a few hours?" Aiko asked. "Maybe two extra hands would be a good idea. Depending on what we find." Caleb said. "Good. Then let's look for a parking space." Aiko said. "What else did you think you would need?" Aiko asked. "I ONLY need summer clothes. In Dubai it never gets colder than 24 or 25 degrees." Caleb said. "But then you might need a couple of thin long-sleeved shirts and long pants." Aiko said. "Yes, maybe. Let's see what we can find." Caleb said. "How are you?" Aiko asked as they looked around. "The nervousness is slowly setting in. But also, the anticipation." Caleb said. "Caleb. What do you think of the three T-shirts?" Andrew asked and showed him three different colored shirts. "Yes. They look great. Is the size right?" Caleb asked and checked the size. "Yes, it fits." Caleb said and put them in the shopping cart. "Don't you want to try them on?" Aiko asked. "With T-shirts, sweaters and things like that, the size is no problem. I always try on pants and shoes." Caleb said. After an hour they had found everything they were looking for and drove back home.

Back home, Caleb got a suitcase from the garage and went to his room with Andrew and Julian. "So, what are we packing now?" Julian asked. "Everything. I want to finish packing today so that I can enjoy the rest of the weeks and don't have to think about what I still have to pack or get now." Caleb said. "Good. Let's get started then." Andrew said. The boys spent the morning packing, tidying up and preparing for the trip. "Boys! Lunch is ready." Elyas called upstairs. They gathered in the garden and ate lunch together. "Well? How far are you?" Elyas asked. "Almost done." Caleb said and poured himself a Coke. "What's missing?" Aiko asked. "Actually, just the technical stuff, like the laptop, e-reader, etc.," Caleb said. "Do you need to set up anything on your laptop and e-reader?" Aiko asked. "Yes, but first I'll charge the batteries fully." Caleb said, putting his dishes in the sink. Caleb spent the afternoon with friends in downtown Chicago.

"Now, honestly, Caleb. From 1 to 10, how nervous are you?" Mila asked. "On the outside, not at all. Inside, I'm freaking out. I have no idea what to do with all my feelings." Caleb said. "But not that you'll fall back into old patterns and shut down completely." Zane said. "That's what scares me more right now than moving to Dubai." Caleb said. "Do you want to call it a day and go home?" Tiffany asked. "Yes. We would totally understand." Liam said. "Nonsense. We're here now. Let's just get an ice cream, sit down somewhere and change the subject." Caleb said. "That's what I call a good plan." Nigel said. The teenagers got an ice cream from their regular ice cream parlor and sat down at a free picnic table in the park. "So, what are you doing in the last two weeks of summer vacation?" Caleb asked. "Spend as much time with you as possible. Otherwise, not much else." Nigel said and the others nodded. "In 2 weeks we'll be high school students. How does that sound to you?" Blake asked. "Hard to believe. It seems like yesterday that we first met in kindergarten." Annabelle said. "Now you're exaggerating. Let's say the day before yesterday." Caleb said and everyone laughed. "Yeah, it's crazy. Another 4 years and then our paths will part, maybe forever." Bailey said thoughtfully. For a brief moment it was quiet and everyone looked at each other. "Hey. Listen. We can't think like that now. We'll be friends forever. Even if we're scattered all over the world. Let's promise one thing. We'll always stay in touch, no matter where we live in the future." Liam said and held out his hand. The others put their hands into Liam's. "Caleb?" Annabelle asked. "And I'll get you tickets to my games if we can't always meet up." Caleb said, and also agreed. "Deal." Blake said. "Let's take a few more photos." Mila said. The kids visited their favorite places and spent the whole afternoon together. "Oh crap. It's already 6:30 p.m. We're eating at 7 p.m." Caleb said. "Ok. Do you have time tomorrow?" Blake asked. "I don't know. I don't know what my parents have planned for me yet. But I'll write to you." Caleb said and said goodbye to his friends.