W o n d e r l a n d. [ 5SOS ]

[ Welcome Home (ii) ]

"Girls!" Margot's father called to the trio, a wide grin spread across his face, "welcome home! How was England?"

"You say this as if we hadn't been to England before," Margot mused, playfully elbowing her dad, "It was the same as usual. It wasn't too hot, and we even had a few sunny days."

"A few sunny days? That's quite the treat, I guess," the man emit a soft laugh, though he had never been to England before, "But, we all missed you here at home, and we're glad to have you girls back."

"I'm glad we're back, Mr. Emerson," Hanna began softly, flashing a warm smile towards her friend's dad, "I was starting to get a little homesick."

"Yeah, so was I, and if I'm feeling homesick after two weeks, then this tour might just be a little more challenging than I thought," Haley admitted coolly, the response receiving glances from the others, "...What?"

"Of all people, I just felt like you'd be able to handle homesickness. You're always up for visiting new places and going on adventures," Margot responded, beginning to follow behind her father as he led them to his car.

"It's not like that, no," Haley chuckled, shaking her head as she started along behind the drummer, "I do love adventure and traveling, you've got that right, but no matter how beautiful a place is, it'll never replace my family. I mean, I know my family isn't that big, it's just me, and it's my mom, Erik, and even his ferret, Spock, sometimes, but with them, I just kinda feel... God, I can't put it into words. My family, we're okay, and I like that."

"Consider your family just a little bit bigger," Hanna paused, huffing softly as she attempted to shift the weight of her duffel bag in order to relieve the discomfort caused by the straining of her muscles under the bag, "You've got me, Margot, and Emily."

"And me," Margot's dad piped up as the group approached the car, "We've got your back, kid."

Unable to find a proper response, the silver-haired teenager only managed a wide grin, and as she placed her luggage in the trunk with Margot and Hanna's, she couldn't help but feel a wave of positivity wash over her. There were times, like all people on the planet, that she felt utterly alone, but it were times like these in which she felt loved and needed, and she would never be able to thank the people who supported her enough for making her feel that way.

"I think we're a pretty solid team, and anybody would agree with that. Consider us like your extended family," Hanna concluded with a nod, settling herself into the back seat of the car.

"That sounds like a good way to put it. Yeah, my extended family...I like that."

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"Thank you for the ride, Mr. Emerson! I really appreciate it!" Hanna called once her belongings were gathered on the sidewalk before her home, "See you at school tomorrow, guys!"

"Ew, don't mention it!" Haley snapped from inside of the car, narrowing her eyes at the slightly taller brunette.

"Yeah, Han, I was in a perfectly good mood before you mentioned that hell hole," the oldest of the band backed up Haley.

"It's not terrible. I mean, we'll probably spend all class answering questions about the tour or whatever. It's getting close to the end of the school year, the last thing that teachers want to do is teach."

"Yeah, yeah, just keep saying that, you nerd," Margot teased, poking her tongue out at the guitarist.

"I'm not a nerd! I just take pride in my studies."

"Fuckin' nerd," Haley mouthed from the back seat.

"Mr. Emerson, am I a nerd?"

"I dunno, kid. You sound like quite the nerd, to me."