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

let's embrace the point of no return

"What the hell do you have in this suitcase? A dead body?" Este complained as she nearly broke her back grabbing Alana's suitcase out of the trunk of their mother's car. She loaded it on the luggage cart and stared at her sister.

"I don't know," Alana answered with a shrug. "Maybe. D packed for me."

Este glared. "Oh, it must be nice to be babied all the time."

Alana just smiled and skipped over to her mother, who was getting ready to leave.

"What?" Danielle asked innocently, looking up from her phone when she felt Este looking at her.

"You packed for her?!"

"She was just throwing clothes in!" Danielle argued, throwing her hands up in the air. "They would have been all wrinkled. It's like she didn't even care."

"You're a huge nerd."

Danielle rolled her eyes and pushed Este over to where their mother and Alana were standing. This was it. This was going to either be a successful goodbye, or a one that ended in a mess of tears (from Alana mostly).

"You girls behave," Donna warned playfully, eyeing her eldest daughter.

"Why are you looking at me?" Este said in offense. "I'm not the one you should be worrying about," she added in, tilting her head towards Danielle.

"Okay, okay. The three of you behave."

Alana pouted slightly and hugged her mother tightly. "Bye, mommy. Take good care of George!"

Danielle and Este braced themselves. They expected to have to pull their sister off their mother but were surprised when she pulled back herself.

"Bye, mommy," Danielle and Este chorused together teasingly, engulfing their mother in a tight hug while Alana stood to the side, still pouting.

"Call me when you land," Donna instructed, lowering her voice to whisper to her two older daughters when Alana wasn't paying attention. "Look after your sister. I know you will but please...don't push her too much."

Este and Danielle nodded and watched their mother drive off, on high alert in case Alana changed her mind at the last second and tried chasing their mother's car down because she didn't want to go to New York anymore.

Alana stayed put and looped her arm through Este's, resting her head against the eldest girl's shoulder. "Mock all you want. Mom upgraded me to first class."

"What the hell," Danielle immediately guffawed. "Why?"

Este rolled her eyes and playfully tickled Alana's sides. "Because she's her widdle baby. That's why."

"I want to be in first class!" Danielle whined.

"I'll send you pics."

Danielle scowled. "I won't look at them."

"Come on, children," Este broke in, guiding her two younger sisters inside the terminal. "Let's get a move on."

Check-in was a breeze. Este was still waiting for Alana to suddenly change her mind and have a breakdown in the middle of the airport, especially after they finally got through the long security line. Danielle waited for Alana to use the bathroom to bring it up.

"Why do you keep looking at Alana?

Este looked at Danielle in faux confusion. "I'm looking at you too, boo."

"She's fine," Danielle sighed, flipping through her magazine in disinterest. She closed it in frustration and stuffed it back in her bag. "I watched her take one pill this morning and I have all her stuff with me. It's fine."