Black Raven | Wattys 2018

Chapter Ten

Happiness comes in the weirdest of ways, but it doesn't matter how it comes, all it matters is we get to enjoy it. When it knocks on your door, open it; it's going to change your life for the better. It will make you rich; rich in smiles, in laughs, in love, in long, everlasting moments.

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A week after Lucas's accident, I finally returned to work again. Spring Break had started, so we all had more free time. I left Nick in charge of the kids. I had been hanging out with Dylan. One day, after I got out of school, I found him wandering around in the street, so I went up to him and we talked for a while. I always found him in the most random places. I didn't know then that our encounters weren't that random. I saw him again the following days. We had gotten to know each other pretty well. He had me smitten. There was something about him, I think it was his mysteriousness, that had me infatuated with him. That night, after I got out of work, I found him on the beach. It was a beautiful night. Stars shone brightly in the dark-blue sky and the waves splashed gently on the shore. "What are you doing?"-I startled him.

He gave me his award-winning smile and said, "I was waiting for you to get out of work".

I grinned widely and asked, "Yeah?? What for?"

"I just wanted to see you."-He answered. I flushed crimson. "...And I wanted you to see something."-He added smiling.

I smiled back at him. "What?"

"Come."-He simply said. I didn't hesitate; I followed him. It was a long walk, but it was worth it. There was a turtles' nest and the eggs were hatching. The baby turtles were moving crazily, trying to find their way to the water. I turned my cell phone's flashlight on and with the light guided them to the ocean. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life. My eyes even watered. I looked at Dylan; he was smiling widely, watching the turtles get in the water. I admired him for a while. I thought he was dazzling. His sandy-colored hair moved crazily in the air and his big, caramel-brown eyes and his perfect, white teeth shined radiantly under the moonlight and the starry sky. He turned to look at me and we stared at each other for a while. Right then, I really thought I had fallen for him. It wasn't until I experienced real love, that I realized I wasn't really in love him.

He walked me home that night. I wanted to kiss him, but I didn't dare to; so I just waved at him and told him "good night". I closed the door behind me and rested my back against it. I smiled and bit my lower lip; being in love makes you a little dreamy. The boys were all in the living room watching T.V. and playing board games. Scott looked confusedly at me and asked, "What's with your face?"

Smiling, I answered, "Nothing".

Nick looked at me in the same way as Scott and asked, "Why are you so happy?"

"I'm not happy."-Again, I answered smiling. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. It was the first time I felt really happy since my parents' death.

Scott and Nick looked at each other with confused faces and Scott asked, "Were you with a guy?"

Trying to hide my smile, I replied, "No".

Nick jumped from the couch and screamed, "Oh My God!!!!!!!! You were!!!"

I grinned and flushed. I turned around and yelled softly, "I'm going to my room! Good night!".

Both Scott and Nick ran towards me and stopped me from going up the stairs. "No way you're leaving just like that. Come on. We're going to talk."-Nick said grinning. They both held me by my arms and sat me down on the couch. "Spill it."-Scott said. Everyone's eyes stared intensely back at me. Even Kyle, Connor, and Lucas sat on the floor waiting anxiously for my response.

"Uhhhhh... Well, there's not much to say. I met this guy at work, and I really like him."-I answered.

"That's it?? Come on!! We want to know more. You liking a guy is really big news."-Nick acknowledged.

"What's his name?"-Ian asked.

"His name's Dylan."

"Dylan what?"-Logan asked.

"Well, I don't really know his last name."-I responded.

"I haven't met any Dylan's at school."-Scott said thoughtfully.

"He doesn't go to our school, I think."- I told him.

"You think? What school does he go to?"-Nick asked.

"I don't know."-I shrugged.

"How old is he?"-Scott asked seriously.

"I don't know. He's around our age, I guess. Maybe, one or two years older than us??"-I replied questioningly.

"Where does he live?"-Logan asked.

I shrugged again, "I don't know". My brothers made me realized I didn't know much about him.

"So... Let me get this straight. You met this guy at work. You now his name is Dylan, and... You really like him, but that's all you know about him?"-Scott asked. "I mean, come on. Even I'm not that clueless of the girls I sleep around with."

They made my smile go away with all their questions. I didn't know basic stuff about him, like his last name. I tried to make things better by saying the things I did know about him. "I know his siblings' name. I know his favorite color is blue and I know he surfs. His favorite Disney cartoon is Stitch and he likes strawberry milkshakes."

"That's all you know about him?"-Nick asked surprised.

"Well, yeah!"-I responded. They looked at me disappointedly, so I added firmly, "I know he's kind, and he is sweet, and caring, and he makes me smile."

"We want to meet him."-Scott said seriously. "The next time you go out with him, we want to meet him."

"That's right."-Nick agreed with Scott.

"Fine."-I said deadpan. "Can I go now?"

"Yes."-Nick answered smiling at me and messing up my hair. I slept like a baby that night.

I picked up the mail. In between the garbage mail, there were two NYU letters and one from Columbia. That was it. One of those letters contained one of the most important answers of my life. I ran inside the house and yelled loudly, "Niiiiiick!!!!" He came down running quickly. He thought something had happened to me. I showed him the envelopes; he took his, and sighed, "Oh My God!" Scott and the others came down running too; my scream had scared them. "Are those the letters?"-Scott asked excitedly. I handed him his, and said, "yes". We three stared at our envelopes for a while. "Are we gonna open them?"-Scott asked. I looked at him and said, "I'm nervous". "Let's open one at a time, agreed?"-Nick suggested. "Fine."-Scott and I answered in unison.  "I'll go first."-Nick offered. Scott and I stood by his side and read the letter with him. Ian, Logan, Lucas, Kyle, and Connor were staring intensely at us waiting for our reactions. When we screamed happily and started jumping up and down, they knew he had gotten in, so they joined us. Nick had been accepted into a med program at NYU; he wanted to be a neurosurgeon. We stopped jumping to open the next letter. "I'll go next."-Scott said. Nick and I stood beside him and read the letter silently. "So, did you get in?"-Logan asked intrigued. Scott, Nick, and I smiled widely and Scott answered him, "I got in". Scott had gotten into NYU too. He was accepted into a Sports Business Program; he wanted to be a Sports Agent. This time, the little ones started jumping first and we followed them. "It's your turn."-Nick acknowledged looking at me. We all stopped celebrating for a minute so that I could open my letter. There was complete silence, I held my breath, stared at the white envelope in my hands, and silently prayed to God. I sighed profoundly, opened the letter, and read aloud, "Dear Miss Emma Taylor: I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Creative Writing Program for the fall 2017 semester. " I didn't jump right away; I stood frozen looking down at the piece of paper. I couldn't believe I had gotten in. My brothers hugged me and we started jumping happily. I stopped and stared at my happy, carefree siblings, which were still jumping up and down cheerfully. I was blessed with amazing siblings. Even though our lives were not easy, we made the best of it; we had one another. I treasured that moment like Dylan had advised me. Little did I know, that was going to be my last normal day.