42

My British soul is happy.

The cold weather the biscuits, not cookies, and the suffering screams of the birds that didn't make it in time to leave this hell land before the winter and were slowly but surely dying.

The plane part was terrible obviously but once I landed it was all worth it, the only down part is that I'll miss Daniella, and maybe Soph.

But Daniella and I have been exchanging a few messages, she was just as sadistic writing as she was talking, also she was a slow typer which I'm not surprised, she was merely 27 but her technology knowledge was similar to a 60-year-old lady's.

It's been a little over two weeks since I landed and things have been fine around here, uncle Fatberry is just as funny and fat as last year, I think fatter even, which makes his name funnier even though it's not his real name, something I'm yet to discover.

And so I still have a few days till I have to go back to school which sucks but at least I'll be able to see Daniella.

Also, I received a few messages from the hospital Ed is at, and he seems to be getting better day by day and I'm really excited to see him when I get back, I've been looking for a few souvenirs to take home, for Soph a bag of pork scratchings as I do every year, she likes it and it's disgusting but I'm not judging.

For Daniella I bought a keychain that said "World's Best Teacher" with a Big Ben building, I'll definitely get a laugh out of her reaction.

And as for Ed, I'm looking for something as funny but more sentimental. I still have to look for it.

Today is the last day of Hanukkah and tomorrow is the last day of the year and I still don't know how I'll celebrate it, my dad is a buffer and will fall asleep before midnight, my cousins are going out to drink and party, which I'm not slightly interested in.

I'll probably just stay in with uncle Fatberry watching the fireworks going on around the world and eat chocolate, we did that last year and I actually really enjoy being with him, he was like Ed but douchy, he was funny and had pretty cool stories to tell, he would do a great grandad, even though he always says he hates the idea of having kids because he doesn't them, which is a lie... I'm pretty much a kid and he loves me.

"You going with the kids out tomorrow?" Uncle Fatberry asks as I approach him in the kitchen with his almost empty cuppa in hands, as always.

"I don't think so, I'd rather stay home, it's not really my cuppa," I say pointing to his hands in a miserable attempt to make a joke.

"I'm the uncle, and still you're the one with the uncle jokes, Anna you have to work on that hun or you ain't getting the girls," he says amusedly preparing yet another cuppa. "Also, I think you should go and give me a break."

"Well you seem fine, I don't think you need a break, I'll not give you a break," I say winking at him as I went to the living room with my sandwich.

"Ugh, annoying brat."

He loves me.

The rest of the day went by fast, I went to the mall to get Ed's souvenir and I actually was able to find something really cute and funny, I think he'll like it.

It was almost midnight when I got a text from Daniella, it was still 4 pm back at Arizona.

"I just came from the hospital, Edward is awake and well, he sends you kisses."

That text alone warmed my heart to no extent, not only because Ed is fine but because Daniella went all the way to check on him for me.

"That's great! Can't wait to see him, can't wait to see you too."

I don't know why but when I text Daniella I always make sure I write everything really neatly with periods and commas, just so I look less stupid even though she knows I am anyway. At the same time, I would be writing Soph a message saying something like 'gurl we gon get them chicnugs when I get bak.'

She didn't answer for a while, she always found a way to let me hanging so I threw my best card, cringy boldness.

"I wish you would send me kisses too."

"I think you've had enough."

"It's never enough."

And once again she left me hanging making me let out a loud groan, it's harder to get under her skin on text, she can just ignore me, in real life she doesn't really have a choice, which is great.

When I least expected my phone buzzed, she sent me a picture followed by a text.

In the picture was a sleepy Slippers laid on a black sofa, I could partially see her leg also, nice.

"Slippers would be more than happy to do that for you, he has endless kisses to give."

"I'll take it but he might need your help, I'm really kissy."

It was almost 1 am when I sent that text and I was starting to feel my eyelids heavy and soon enough I was in a deep sleep.

After that, the days went like a flash. New years was fun, Uncle and I forced dad to stay awake until midnight, we made cool looking drinks that tasted terrible and played stupidly made up games. But what really made it special was Daniella's call, it was short, she just wanted to wish me a happy new year but it made me really happy.

And so my days of freedom were getting to an end and before I knew it I was already in a plane back home, school would start in the morning after and I was not ready to face it yet, but the thought of seeing Daniella kept me strong.

Soph was going to meet me at the airport because we're obviously seizing the opportunity we're in Tucson to go shopping and then we're going straight to her house so we can catch up and just chill together overall, basically doing nothing, something we could do alone but we choose to do together, that's basically how we spend all of our summers.

A loud "heyooooo," is the first thing I hear the moment I set foot outside the airport, it was around 9 am, Soph was still inside her beat-up car parked at the pickup and drop off area waving wildly at me.

"I thought you'd meet me inside," I say approaching her after bidding goodbye to pops.

"And pay for parking? No way! I drove 2 hours to get here, I had to wake up early, and worse, 2 freaking hours, do you know how much gas is that? You're the one paying for food today."

"Fine," I chuckle getting inside her car and the moment I do she speeds up to the exit. "Calm down cowboy."

"The heck not, I'm paying for being in here too, less but still paying."

We went shopping... Correction, Soph went shopping and I went suffering for hours, I did end up buying a new shirt I've been wanting to get but Soph went all her way in and basically wasted almost all the money she earned on Christmas on shoes and dresses, we ate, I paid and I cried. At the end of the day, we were splashed in her bed with barely moving arms and legs.

"Do you wanna sleepover?"

"Will you wake up earlier to get me home so I can shower and get changed?" I ask already knowing the answer.

"Uhm not really."

"That's what I thought," I chuckle throwing a pillow at her.

"So, tell me," she says amusedly after dodging the pillow I threw. "Have you been talking to Jenny?"

"No, not really," I roll my eyes already knowing where this conversation was going.

"I thought you liked her," she says genuinely confused.

"I do but not that way, I don't think we match very well, we've talked about this."

"Yeah but how come? She's really pretty."

"That's not all that matters." Yeah, I said that but I was the one falling for a beautiful person with a questionable personality aka Daniella Evans aka miss bootylicious.

"That doesn't sound much like you," she says amusedly with that expression that tells me she knows I'm telling porkies, she knows me so well, kinda.

"I'm a changed person."

"Yeah, sure," she says throwing the same pillow I had thrown earlier at her.

I really cherished the moments I had with Soph and her mom was great too, her homemade food was to die for, I remember when we were younger we would try to make our parents date, her mom is divorced so it would be perfect, Soph and I would be siblings and we would live together but turns ou her mom is not really into weirdos which I don't judge at all.

"I think I should go, I have to get stuff ready for tomorrow," I say letting out a loud groan.

"Ok," Soph says simply throwing me her car keys. "I'm too lazy, come get me at 8."

"What? I can't even turn on that old sardines can."

"Yes you can, have faith in yourself, now shoo," she says basically shooing me off of her house. "I need a shower and my beauty sleep, see you tomorrow," she finishes basically closing her door in my face.

I looked at it and it looked at me.

"Remember all the stupid stuff I told you? I was just kidding, you know damn well I love you," I say as I sat at the driver's seat. "Now won't you turn on for me?"

I put the key in the ignition and turned, nothing, again and nothing, I gave up at the 10th try.

"Well, I lied, I don't fucking love you, you old tin," I say getting out of the car and kicking one of its wheels. "Ouch!"

And that's when I hear a muffled laugh behind me, one I know too well.

"How long have you been there?" I ask amusedly as I turn around meeting her grey eyes, she was holding slippers leash but he was nowhere to be found.

"Enough," she says in a chuckle. "So you can't turn a car on, that's interesting."

"Have you looked at this?" I say pointing towards the car. "This car is a time bomb, it'll legit explode someday, the poor thing is so neglected it doesn't even have an air freshener, it runs on intoxicating fruity perfume," I say making her laugh cutely. "Where's Slippers?"

"He ran off as always."

"Let's make a deal then, I help you find him and you give me ride home, how about that?"

"I'll only accept your offer with ulterior motives because you always seem to find him, and I just want to get home."

"I don't have ulterior motives," I say defensively, she got me. "And that's because slippers likes me more, I bet I'll find him in no time."

"Sure, whatever."

I chuckle leaving Soph's keys hidden inside her car as we used to do, it's not like anyone would try to steal it anyways

We walked a little more down the street and fair enough there he was playing with a stick he found, the moment he saw us he started running in our direction.

"Did you miss me, old boy?" I say as he approaches me with his tail going crazy. "Was mommy good to you?"

"What do you mean by that? I'm a great mom to him," she says amusedly as she slides his leash back on.

"Are you sure? He seems to run away from you quite frequently," I say making her roll her eyes. "Now it's time to pay up, take me home fine lady."