Marching Band: The Journey [EDITING]

23 - They. Are. Heaven.

"Why, oh why, does our sudden snow-day break have to end so soon?" I exclaim, resting my hand on my forehead to be over-dramatic.

"We had seven days off school, plus the weekend. It was long enough." Em replied with a roll of her eyes, resting her head back on Carson's shoulder. They were sitting in the backseat while Tony was driving us back towards home.

The break was very long and very fun. Most of the time, after the impromptu snowball fight, was filled with nights by the fire under blankets. We went sledding down the tall mountain a few times. There was a day when Tony and Carson went snowboarding, but Em and I spent the day baking. Now we're on our way back on Thursday just to go to school for one day before the weekend. Stupid, I know. But Em refused to miss anymore school time. Nerd.

"If it makes you feel any better, babe, it's closer to Valentine's day." Tony mentions as he gathers my hand in his. He brushes his lips against my knuckles before letting our interlocked hands fall to my knee.

I smile at him, very tempted to lean over and kiss his cheek. "Yes, I have to go through the torturous span of a month before a very romantic date with my boyfriend!"

Everyone in the car chuckles at my theatrics, even Em. She's been really drained this past week. No matter how much pushing was inflicted, she wouldn't tell me anything. I suspect it has something to due with Carson that she can't tell me, but I'm really worried. My attention turns back to the road as we turn onto Em's street. The oh-so familiar gray house looms over us as Tony pulls the truck into park. Carson helps her with her bags and kisses her on her doorstep before returning to the truck.

We head towards my house since Carson lives near Tony. When we arrive at my house, I lean over and kiss Tony on the cheek before climbing out. I quickly grab my stuff from the bed of his truck and go inside to escape the cold. The familiar sound of his engine slowly disappears until I'm left in the house alone. It's only one in the afternoon, so I decided to take my bags upstairs.

After putting dirty laundry from the trip in the washing machine, I grab my bath towel for a shower. The water is warm as it cascades over my skin in waves. When I get out, I quickly rush to my room to throw on some sweatpants and a fluffy sweater. I towel dry my hair before brushing it and braiding it at the top of my head. Once it's wrapped into a bun, I transfer the washed clothes to the dryer before heading downstairs.

My phone pings with a message from my mom.

Spawn: Not gonna make it home tonight. Hope you had fun on trip, and get to school tomorrow. You're on your own for dinner!

I chuckle at her before going to the fridge. On our way back, we stopped at this cute restaurant so I'm not hungry right now. I make some black cherry tea to warm myself up. After I pour it into my large mug, I turn on the gas fireplace before curling up on the couch. I flick on the TV for some music as I tap in the password for my iPad. With the soft music in the background, I go through Instagram. A lot of my friends have posted pictures of the melted snow or creations they've made over the impromptu break. When every possible picture has been liked, I switch to YouTube.

Most of the YouTubers I watch live in LA so they don't have any snow. The videos I watch are a maximum of fifteen minutes long, and only takes an hour and a half to watch all of them. Before going to text Tony, I quickly check Snapchat. To say I'm surprised to find a post from Em would be an understatement. She rarely uses the app, and when she does, it's when there's road trips or fun family vacations. I watch her only snap and laugh when it's a selfie video of her flopping back onto the couch with a sigh.

AngSax: What's with the snap? extremely bored or happy to be home?

She replies a minute later.