Page 112 of Rewriting the Story

“And we’re proud you were brave enough to change it, despite us not trusting you knew what was best for you,” my mom tells me. “Steven even has them all on his shelf in his office at the hospital. We bought two of each so he could read them too.”

“I don’t know what to say.” I smile through my tears. Growing up, I always saw my parents one way, but now, I’m seeing them through an entirely different lens. They are right—I do like to sort through my own feelings, but I’m also trying to get better at being more open with the people I love. I can’t keep picking myself back up all the time. I need to rely on the people who love me to take some of the weight and vice versa.

Maybe the same goes with my parents. It is their first time living on this planet too, and we’re all just trying to be the best we can be with the short time we have. We’re all growing up. Every day, each person on the planet gets older, and we’re all just trying to be good people.

Existing is difficult sometimes, and the fact that my parents and I are both seeing someone and trying to do better is proof we can always evolve, we can always grow, and it’s never too late to rewire your brain.

“Maybe you can come to dinner next weekend? We can even call your brother and see if he’s available?”

“A family dinner?” I ask my father, wondering if I heard him right. “Like we used to back when I was a child?”

“If that’s okay?” my mother asks, and I can tell she’s worried about my answer.

“It’s perfect,” I say. “Can I bring Henry?”

“Henry? The boy from college?” my father asks.

I nod. “There’s a lot to catch you guys up on.”

“We want to hear it all, honey.” My mother refills my coffee for me. “If you want to share it, that is.”

“I do,” I tell them, and for the rest of the afternoon, I sit around the kitchen table and talk with my parents about the life I’ve been living the past few years. Tears are shed, laughs are traded, and for the first time in my life, I feel like I have a family who understands me. It’s the opposite of my childhood, where I used to sit around the table quietly and wish for a time when someone would understand me.

I thought I would only experience a close knit family unit in another life, but this timeline is the only one I want to be present in, because I’m somehow lucky enough to have two close family units.

43

A Few Weeks Later

Ribs by Lorde

“Guys,didanyonewriteon the banner I bought?” I ask my apartment full of my friends. Nobody says a word. “I’m going to assume that’s a no.”

“Come to think of it, I was wondering why we were going to hang up a blank sign,” Grant says, and Hads smacks his hand as he tries to blow up a balloon.

“I can write on it, babes,” Ella says as she grabs the roll of light blue paper from me. “What did you wantit to say again?”

Ella has the best handwriting of us all, and I sigh with relief that they all came over to help me. It was a little last minute, but thankfully, everyone was able to make it over to my place.

Tonight, I’m throwing an impromptu party to celebrate Henry turning in his book. I know how much he struggled with this story, and finishing it is a huge deal, so I wanted to throw him a little something to celebrate.

I am so fucking proud of him.

“Something about him finishing his third book?” I state.

“Well, we know who the author is here,” Oliver jokes as I shoot him a dirty look.

“Don’t make me call the cops on you,” I threaten.

“Don’t make me—”

Hads cuts off our bickering. “I’m going to get my fucking ruler if you two don’t stop arguing all the damn time.”

“I don't understand the animosity between you two,” Leo says as everyone murmurs in agreement. “It doesn't make any bloody sense.”

“Can we just finish decorating before he gets here?”

“Where is he coming from again?” Paige asks as she hangs streamers from all the doorframes in my apartment.

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