"I miss you"
"It hurts on both ends"

I feel a tear run down my face as I read the message.
"Lana dear, you can't just stare at that phone and not talk to us the entire ride," my mother says, glancing back at me in the rear view mirror.
I take an ear bud out of my ear and brush a strand of my red-orange hair from my face, "Why not? Becca is Reading and Kelly is staring out the window, they're not talking," I look up from my phone, "I'm talking to my friends, I don't know if you know it or not but you're the only one happy with this move."
"Lana," my father says sharply, "this has been your mothers dream since she was your age, could you at least try support her?"
"Why couldn't she have dreamt of something at home?" I mutter.
"Momma?" Kelly pulls her eyes away from the window.
"Yes sweetheart?" Our mother responds softly.
"How long until we're to the airport?" Kelly asks.
"We'll be there in just under an hour," my mother becomes angry, "if this traffic would ever clear!"
She beats on the steering wheel, making the horn go off twice.
"Honey, calm down," our father says, his hand reaching to touch her shoulder lightly, "we'll get there in time."
"I knew we should've left earlier," Mother shakes her head.
"Can I let the kittens out of their cage? They don't like it in there," Becca asks quietly.
"No," Father says, "they have to stay in there."
"Do you think we'll ever come back?" I ask.
"Is that all you're going to think about? Coming back?" Mother asks, "You would think you would be excited to get away from here, start fresh."
"I was hoping to get to graduate with my friends," I say, "Ash, Zack, and Jake will graduate without me. Probably before me too, the time zone is different in California, we'll be two hours behind them."
"I'm glad you've done your research Lana," Father says, "yes, you probably will graduate after them, but think, you'll get to stay up later than them every night, wake up later, it'll be cool."
Cool, cool? Really? I don't think so. That means I'll be sitting around bored for hours once they're all asleep. all I respond with is a sigh.
I put my earbuds back in and open YouTube music. I hit play on a song; Dean Lewis Be Alright. It starts to play and I feel the emotion wash over me and look up to the ceiling for a moment.
When look back down at my phone, Zack and Ash had both messaged me.

Ash: Lana?
Me: Yeah?
Ash: When are you coming home?
Me: As soon as I can

Zack: I wanted to tell you something before you left

Eyes wide, I just stare at the screen for a moment.

Me: Hm?
Zack: I was going to say I want you to take pics of Disneyland but your probably to poor to go there soooooo...
Me: 😝 jerk
Zack: Always

"You're awful quiet Jen," mother comments, glancing in the mirror again.
Jen is my mothers best friend who has been sitting silently in the back row of the car.
"She's asleep mom," I say, peeking back to check.
My mother sold our car to Jen but she was nice enough to let her drive it to the airport then she could drive it back to her home afterwards.
I set my phone on my lap and look at Kelly who is sitting in between Becca and I, she's now got a notebook out and is coloring.
I lean my head against the door to the car with a sigh. I want to go home...
Suddenly a breeze is flowing through the car. I look over to see that Becca had leaned onto the button and opened the window.
"Becca," I say.
"Hm?" Becca doesn't look up from her book.
"Could you close the window that you just opened?"
"Oh, woops, I didn't even notice that, I was so into my book," Becca holds the button to close the window.
I pull the blanket up my lap farther and try to relax, its all just a bad dream, right?