Semester Abroad

ch 3

I woke up right before noon the next day. I walked downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Uncle Chad said as he heard my footsteps. He pulled me into a side hug as I entered the room. Just as I reached him, I noticed something was different about the setting. Only feet away, three men sat at the barstools set against the kitchen island. I recognized them almost immediately.

"Chickpea!!" Flea shouted as he walked over to me. Chickpea was the nickname he gave me when I first met him nearly a decade ago. He gave me a great bear hug, and Anthony followed. Last, I walked up to John. I had seen Flea and Anthony every other year or so for the past 10 years, but I hadn't seen John in such a long time. I must've been 15 the last time I saw him; I wasn't sure he would recognize me after so long. I was overwhelmed and embarrassed, frankly. I had just woken up and wasn't expecting anyone, let alone three people. I hadn't brushed my hair or teeth and I was still in my pajamas.

"Hi, I'm Cassie. I don't know if you remember-" John cut me off.

"Of course I remember you, Cass." He pulled me into a hug as well. I was so relieved. I had really missed seeing John.

I stepped back next to Uncle Chad. "Sorry I forgot to tell you the guys were coming over, Cass," he announced. I shrugged, letting his remark go and walked behind the kitchen counter to pop some waffles in the toaster. "We were just about to head over to the studio, you wanna come along? No rush, we can let you get ready first." he said.

"Sure, I'd love to," I responded. I was excited to get to spend some time with the guys, especially John. We had both changed so much and needed to do some catching up. He had long, curly hair now, and I was no longer a hormonal teenager. I ran upstairs to get dressed while I waited for my waffles.

**********

Along with Uncle Chad and John, I hopped in the backseat of the van I assumed Flea, Anthony, and John drove over in. Anthony sat in the drivers seat, and Flea joined him up front in the passenger seat. We drove down to Sunset Boulevard and got out at Cello Studios. The guys mostly spent the day recording and practicing alone while I sat there and watched, making conversation with the ones who weren't busy at the time. I didn't get to speak with John as much as I had wanted to; he was focused on his music the whole day, with few distractions. I wasn't too surprised; this was one of the few things that never changed about John.

During one of his free periods, I called Flea over. "Flea!" I whispered, motioning with my hands for him to come in my direction.

"Hey, Cassie, what's up?" he asked optimistically.

"How long has John been back?" I asked, trying to keep my voice low.

"He rejoined some time last year. Man, it's been great to have him back and healthy. We're all so thankful," he replied. I nodded in agreement and Flea and I stood in silence for a bit watching the other band members.

There were barely any interactions between John and I for the rest of the day, and it left me with a strange feeling. It seemed like he was almost avoiding me.

After we got home, I went straight to my room. I decided it was best to keep my distance. I didn't want to do anything that would make John want to be around me even less.

**********

After all the guys finally left late at night, I walked into Uncle Chad's room across the hall. I stood in the doorway and asked, "Has John been acting weird recently with you?"

"No, not at all. Why?" he asked.

"No reason, I just thought he seemed a little off today. Never mind." I walked back into my room. I was honestly disappointed; I had just been wanting to spend some time with him. Who knows? Maybe something was going on with him that I had no business getting involved with. I tried to push all my thoughts away and got in bed to get some sleep.