Let's Be Birds (OLD VERSION)

☀29☀

There's something comforting about the increasingly humid and stupidly warm air as we get closer and closer to Florida. Hannah seems to get a little more and more excited the closer we get to Tampa and I relate. I don't even know what I'm more excited about seeing: my mom or my bed.

"It's gonna be weird." I say when we hit Ocala. "It's gonna be weird waking up in the morning."

"Without me?" She flips her hair over her shoulder and purses her lips until she makes a kissy face. "Wow, Halfie, I knew you were in love with me."

"No, doofus." I chuckle. "Waking up at home. With central heating. Without a cat's ass in my face."

"You know you're taking Clem, right?"

I almost lose control of the van. "No. That's your cat."

She shrugs. "My sister is allergic to cat hair."

"But - Clem hates me!"

"She really doesn't."

"Hannah!"

We reach my house about an hour and a half later. I'm slightly sticky with sweat and bitter about the fact that I have to keep the demon kitty. Sure Clem's warmed up to me a little but when I tried to feed her this morning, she yowled at me and bared her claws. Hannah had to feed her instead.

Speaking of, Hannah seems a little off when I say goodbye Even so, she squeezes me tightly into a hug that I try my best to reciprocate.

"It is gonna be weird waking up tomorrow without your high school musical alarm." I mutter. "Without you."

"Why does this sound like a love confession?" She asks, grinning. I roll my eyes and she laughs. "Listen, can we hang out tomorrow? Or the day after?"

"Well duh. Your house or mine?"

"Mine, late afternoon? I imagine your mom wants to feed you breakfast and lunch before you're even allowed outside again."

"You betcha, Valley Girl."

I give her one last hug and herd her into the van. When she's driven down the road and turned the corner, I heave a sigh. And then I face my house.

We've been away for exactly a month and everything still looks the same. Sure, some of the bushes are now covered in pink and purple hibiscuses, the orange tree is blooming and the grass is significantly greener but it's still the same Tampa that I grew up in.

At first, this relaxes me. Nothing's changed and I'm glad I can return to a life of normalcy after my summer of weird and simple adventures. But then I remember that I've changed and if nothing else has, will I still fit in here?

Nobody greets me when I get in and I realise I failed to call one of my parents to tell them I was coming today. It's almost five in the afternoon which means that my dad would probably be having a cigarette in the backyard and my mom would be on her way back from work. The faint bass of heavy metal music tells me Tanner's working out so I shouldn't disturb him. I head to my room and dump my bag, guitar and Clementine, watching her get acquainted with my bed.

"Well, here's home." I say to nobody in particular. Clem mews and sits on my desk, tentatively pawing at my family pictures and paperweights. Once I make sure she's not going to do any damage, I go and take a shower.

Exhaustion hits me with full force when I get back to my room. I crawl into my bed and sigh, wondering why everything feels so normal now. It's odd because I wanna do now is tell Hannah a corny joke I thought up about peanut butter eggs or play my guitar but it's not the same texting her that joke or playing in my room. 

I wake up about an hour and a half later, my stomach grumbling and the soft smell of a home cooked meal filling the room. Clem is asleep on my desk and I poke her awake a few times, figuring I've gotta explain to my parents what she's doing here.

My family is eating in the dining room and when I walk in, rubbing my eyes, my mom drops her spoon and screams. Tanner gasps and my dad barely looks up from his newspaper as she jumps out of her chair and attacks me with a hug.

"Nathaniel! When did you get home?!"

"Around five." I say, hugging her back. Clem mews by my feet, obviously unimpressed. "Um, this is my kitten."

To my surprise, my mom bends down and stretches her hand in front of clementine, who licks it happily and snuggles into my legs.

"Whaddup bro!" Tanner stands up and slaps my back. It's a hard hit but it doesn't hurt that much. I smirk and punch his shoulder back, fond of this new brotherly love. He pulls me in for a tight hug. "Missed you, man."

"You did?"

"Duh? How's Chloe?"

I shrug and he raises an eyebrow. "I last spoke to her about a week and a half ago."

"She break your heart or something?"

Both my parents are listening. I laugh his question off and go to sit at my space around the table. It's cold. And it's weird to be back here. I remember at the beginning of the summer when Tanner spat a cherry seed at me in this very seat.

Just like clockwork, he throws an apple at me. I catch it instead of dodging and take a bite while he looks on impressed. My mom hurries to the kitchen and comes back with a plate filled with food.

"Is that Moussaka?" I gasp and pick up a fork. "Thanks mom, I'm starving."

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming today?" She asks as I dig in.

"Oh let the boy eat, Toula. We can bombard him later." My dad interrupts. He hasn't said a thing since I got here but now he smiles at me from across the table. "It's nice to have you back, Nate."

After dinner, I gather my family around and give them their gifts. Tanner loves the muscle t shirts I got for him and my mom's super happy with all the cups and magnets I've compiled over the past month. My dad even takes a selfie with his helicopter hat and Duck Beach sunglasses on and then gets my mom to take a body length shot with his matching Duck Beach t shirt.

"The White House is pretty amazing, I swear I saw Obama through one of the windows! And the Washington monument, it's huge. Oh, and The Statue of Liberty is so pretty, even though she's green. Hannah and I took an egg shot by her-"

"You downed an egg? Without me?" Tanner asks.

"No, an egg shot is when you take a picture of your eyes and forehead." He goes ahh and I chuckle. "Oh, and when we were –"

"How's Chloe?" My mom interrupts.

"Chloe? She's good. I guess. She's working hard in the Big Apple."

"Is she eating well?"

I think of all the takeaway we had while at her house. "Sorta."

"You tell her you were in love with her?" Tanner asks, bluntly. I shake my head. "Why not?"

"I'm not in love with her."

He stares at me for a while before his eyes widen with disbelief. "Well stick a feather in my hat and call me Yankee Doodle. You're not?"

I shake my head and my brother groans. My dad holds his hand out towards Tanner and waits until he hands him a bunch of dollar notes. "You guys bet on me?"

"I had faith you'd get over her, kiddo." Dad holds a twenty up to the light and then tucks it into his front pocket with a grin. "Shall we get pizza tomorrow? Tanner's buying."

I smile at one of the many keychains I brought back as my dad's statement is met with mixed reviews. It's good to be home.