by Ana Huang
“Oh no! It’s almost time!” Venice pouted, looking like she was about to cry. She picked up Mickey’s paw and waved at Maya and Roman. “Say bye-bye to your mommy and daddy, Mickey.”
Mickey whined sadly and pawed at the air, stretching out towards his owners.
“Oh, baby, we’ll be back soon.” Maya took Mickey from Venice and hugged him close to her chest, planting a kiss on his head. “And we’ll buy lots of doggie treats for you.”
“No we won’t. Like we haven’t bought him enough,” Roman said grumpily, but Adriana could tell it was mostly just for show. He would probably rather die than admit it, but Roman definitely had a soft spot for the dog.
“I hope you have a safe flight, and definitely keep in touch, ok?” Carlo stepped up to slap hands with his childhood best friend and to give Maya a hug.
His flight for Sydney was going to leave in a few hours, and Adriana couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness. The Scions had never been separated for more than a few weeks at a time, but even though they were growing up and parting ways, she knew they would always remain the closest of friends. Besides, she was happy Carlo was taking the gap year in Australia. He was such a good guy, and he deserved the love everyone else already found.
Everyone said their final good-byes, and a suspiciously bright-eyed Maya and Roman started to make their way onto the plane. Still, their conversation floated into Adri’s ears.
“…I can’t believe I’m flying freakin’ commercial. Why the hell did our jets have to be in maintenance today of all days?”
“Stop being so spoiled, Rome, we’re in first class. It’s not going to kill you.”
“I’m not spoiled! Only sissies are spoiled!”
“Well, if the shoe fits…”
“Are you calling me a sissy?!”
Parker chuckled, slipping his arm around Adriana’s waist. “Those two are something else.”
“They most definitely are,” she agreed.
Carlo laughed, shaking his head. “I’m going to miss all this craziness,” he said fondly. “But I guess nothing stays the same forever.”
“Oh my god, puppy!” Venice interrupted, breaking the slightly somber mood and shoving Mickey into Carlo’s arms before she raced after a small golden retriever, Zack hot on her heels.
“Venice! Watch out for the pole—oh. Too late.”
Adriana, Parker, and Carlo cracked up, and in that moment, a bubble of joy rose up inside her. Even though they would all be off to different colleges in the fall, even though they needed to start being more grown-up and start making more adult decisions, Adriana instinctively knew, deep down inside, that the most important thing would never change: friendship. In their case, it was definitely thicker than blood. The Scions, Adri, Maya, and Venice had become a family, and they would always be a family—albeit a highly dysfunctional one—no matter what.
“Come on, guys, let’s go.” Adriana grabbed Parker’s hand and beckoned for the others to follow her, and, with Maya and Roman’s presences right beside them, they slowly moved away from the closed gate.
The future awaits.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ana Huang primarily writes Young Adult and Romance fiction. She started writing All I’ve Never Wanted when she was sixteen and originally posted it on Wattpad, a social reading platform, where it has over 17 million views. Besides reading and writing, she also enjoys traveling, Sunday brunch with friends, and shopping for shoes.
To read more of Ana’s stories and works and progress, please visit her Wattpad profile at www.wattpad.com/user/ACRL37.
You can also connect with her on her official Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Acrl37/121915021225305