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ONE YEAR LATER
“Luna! Your phone is ringing!” My ten-year-old sister’s voice calls from the kitchen. I figure it’s my best friend, Madeleine. She seemed to think a proposal from her boyfriend, Mason, was imminent. And she was right, because he Facetimed me when he was picking out her ring.
“It’s Madeleine!” Katy adds.
Yep. I was right.
“Go take it,” my dad says, sitting next to me on the couch. “Star Trek can wait.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I kiss him on the cheek and rush over to the kitchen, where I find Katy already on the phone with Madeleine.
“And then Jerry said he has a crush on me!” Katy tells Madeleine. “Can you believe it?”
“Give me that,” I say, taking my phone from her. Katy huffs, but sulks away to finish helping our mom make dinner.
“Hey, Madeleine,” I say. “Sorry about Katy.”
“It’s fine. You know I love her.”
“So, what’s up?”
“Oh, you know…” I swear I can hear her smile through the phone. “Mason proposed!”
“Ahh!” I squeal. While they had a little bit of a rocky start, their relationship blossomed into something beautiful. “Wait, did you say yes?” I tease.
“Oh, Luna.” She giggles. “I can’t stop staring at the ring. It’s so gorgeous.”
“I knew you’d like it.”
She gasps. “Did you help?”
“Of course I did! That boy is clueless.”
“I should have known.” She pauses a moment. “That’s actually why I’m calling.”
“What, you couldn’t just call your best friend to let her know you’re engaged?”
“Well, yeah. Of course I would. But…I have a proposition for you.”
That gets my attention. “What are you thinking?”
“I want you to come up here. To Brookhaven. Come help me plan my wedding.”
“Oh, Madeleine.” As flattered as I am, I can’t imagine uprooting again and moving to a brand new town.
“Listen, Luna. Brookhaven is like a fairy tale land. You’ll love it here.”
“But my family…”
She sighs. “You’ve done an amazing job living with your family for the last two years. And I know they’re super grateful that you stepped in after Ivy got married. But your dad can walk again. Katy is ten. Your parents have everything under control.” She pauses. “And I really think you need to do something for yourself for once.”
“I just…” But I cut myself off. Because she’s right. Four years after the car accident that completely changed my parents' lives, they’ve adjusted and moved on.
“Just think about it,” she says. “You don’t have to make a decision now.”
“Okay.” A million thoughts whirl through my mind. Where would I live? What would I do for work? But the truth of her words is starting to sink in, not to mention the excitement of living near my best friend again. “I’ll think about it.”
“Yay!” she cheers.
