𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 & 𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 ━ girl meets world²

6│A FAMILY EMERGENCY

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❛ ʟᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀ & ʟᴀᴄᴇ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐒𝐈𝐗 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴀ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ ꒱


❝ YOU KNOW YOUR
MOM'S GOING TO
KILL ME, RIGHT?  ❞

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The event (and day) finally arrived that would bring Juliet back to the U.S.. She supposed her return home was inevitable— that's where the majority of her friends and family lived, after all— but she'd tried to convince herself otherwise. Now, looking back, she really should've seen it coming. But, that's why they always say hindsight is 20/20.

It had all started back in the early 2000s when she had first moved to England. Her father apparently had an early mid-life crisis and had bought a motorcycle on a whim, much to her mother's dismay. Juliet had then been subject to endless complaining about it from Daly but thought nothing of it in general, often forgetting it even existed during the in-between of those conversations. Whenever her mom brought it up, she'd remember Mr. Turner and how safe he'd always been on his bike. And, despite his spur-of-the-moment purchase, her father also exercised the usual precautions that came with driving responsibly.

Barron was just as proud of his bike as her old English teacher was of his. Unlike when she talked to her mother about it, Barron regaled her with the joy rides he'd gone on and even his attempts at learning car mechanics to tinker on it. He never talked on the phone while driving, always wore his helmet, drove carefully in the rain and made sure to slow down on turns. None of his cautious behavior diminished the pure delight he felt when he was out on the open road or maneuvering through Philadelphia traffic.

But, regardless of how vigilant someone was while driving, there were always factors beyond their control. How other drivers behave and respond to the road is the most impactful, especially when a motorcycle offers even less protection than the four metal sides of a car do. Having to stay late into the night to finish up paperwork, thus resulting in fatigue and lack of visibility is another. And, finally, the location.

That was how Juliet found herself on a nonstop flight from England to America early in the morning at the beginning of October. While she normally slept with her phone on silent, she had all of her family listed as emergency contacts so she could hear the phone ring at any time. Normally, this wasn't a problem as they were all conscious of the time difference. So, when her phone started blowing up at four in the morning, she knew something was wrong.

A part of her had debated whether she should go at all. Although the reasoning made her feel shitty, 'critical condition' wasn't 'dead.' Moreover, her father had been absent for the first decade and a half of her life; why should she go to special lengths to be there for him when he hadn't been there for some of her most important milestones? Surely he'd understand her reluctance to return to the country where she'd gotten her heart broken several times (and all by the same person!)

But, the larger part of her rebuked that small, selfish voice that argued to protect herself. This was her father. Although the way his absence had made her feel when she was younger was valid, she had forgiven him. And, more than that, she loved him. He was her family. Now that she knew what it was like to see her parents every day, she missed it. She had no justifiable reason not to be there with her mom and uncles to support them in their hour of need. Besides, this was Philadelphia, not New York. Shawn would be hours away and she didn't need to worry about the possibility of seeing him again; there was no need for him to know she'd been in the States at all. She'd just go for as long as her father was in intensive care, then fly back to England and he'd be none the wiser.