ETHEREAL

03

The three of us came home safely at 5 AM today. It was 12 PM once I woke up. I still feel some of the alcohol in my body. Unfortunately, I didn't forget anything that happened and it chased my mind the entire night. Lexi went home once we arrived at my house. She knew I wanted to spend the last few hours only with my family. Even though I would have loved her being with me today, she's like a sister to me anyway. But she told me and my brother had to be somewhere today. I am wondering where she had to be, to be honest.

I get out of bed, I have only 4 hours left before I have to leave for the airport in Atlanta. I stretch my entire body while walking up to my ensuite bathroom. I turn on my shower. My hair smells like cigarettes and my skin feels sticky from the alcohol. When I see the damp of the hot water filling my bathroom, I take off my pyjamas and step into the shower. Once the hot waterdrops touch my skin, I feel all my muscles relax.

I just love this feeling, it's like the water drains everything with him away. All the stress of the past few days just flows away with the hot water. I can't deny that the stress is still present, after all, I am leaving today. I take the shampoo and wash my thin blond hair, hoping the smell of cigarettes will leave with it. After I rinse it, I use the conditioner. If I don't use it, there is no way I can untangle my hair, that's what I hated the most about it. After I washed my hair, I take the soap and wash my body with it. Once all done, I step out of the shower and dry myself. I walk into my bedroom again and take my jeans and a white crop top, I put them on and go downstairs.

My parents took a day off today, they wanted to be here before I would definitely leave. I greet them and hear my brother coming out of his room also. The good thing is that I already packed everything and that I only have to bring my luggage's down.

"Hi darling! Did you have fun yesterday?" my father asks. "Hi dad, yes I did!" I smile at him. My mom smiles as well while putting some pancakes in front of me.

"What are your plans for the last few hours here in Helen?" my brothers asks while entering the kitchen. I startled a bit, surprised by his presence all of the sudden. I thought he was still upstairs.

"Good morning to you too!" I say looking up at him. "I actually wanted to go see Anna..." I say silently looking down at my plate. I pick the strawberry from the top of my pancakes and put it in my mouth. Strawberries are one of my favourite fruits so my mom put plenty of it on my plate.

"That's a good idea, sweetheart." My mom smiles at me, my father nods still keeping his attention on his newspaper and my brother is avoiding me and goes back upstairs. I give my mom a questionable look and she shrugs.

I finish my plate, put it in the dishwasher and go back upstairs. I bring all my luggage's downstairs so we don't need to rush once I am home from my sister. It's already 2 PM when I put my sneakers on and leave my house to walk over to my sister. While walking, I think back at the terrible moment that changed all of our lives, and I think back at Louis who I met last night. I am so stupid not asking for his number. I would have loved to know what my sister had in mind with him and how he experienced being with my sister...

//Throwback

Anna and I walk out of the hospital with a huge smile on our faces. We were both happy! After three years we finally received the confirmation she is in remission. She is healing, she won her battle with cancer. Our parents are walking behind us also very blessed with this good news. Ace was at practice so he couldn't be here.

"Oh my god, Ali! We have to go out tonight to celebrate! I am feeling so alive!" Anna starts to jump around in excitement. She is so happy, even when she was in treatment she was always positive about her situation. She always said 'there are people dealing with worse things in life than me'.