Updating the family.

That night, all the girls went to their own rooms. Tomorrow was a big day for all of us and we all wanted proper rest. At least, that was the excuse. We all knew we were lying, but no one felt like talking about it.

We were all nervous and anxious.

We’d be officially starting a new chapter of our lives. University wasn’t like high school, or so we had always been told. We’d all heard so many stories that we didn’t know what to even believe. Not to mention that for some of the girls, going to this university meant going against their families’ wishes. I had to add to the pressure.

I almost suggested we all sleep together again, but there really are times when you need to be alone. This was one of those times. We had pushed these thoughts away for long enough. It was time to face them.

When I was in my room, undressing to get in bed, my phone rang with the sound of a text message. Cake jumped on the night stand to inspect it, then jumped back on the bed when I picked it up.

It was a text from Fernanda.

-Fern: Hey, thanks again for today. I had an amazing time. But I just wanted to wish you luck for tomorrow. I don’t know how they’ll do things at your university, but the entrance ceremony is usually nothing too bad, and that’s coming from me.

I chuckled.

-Oliver: I had an amazing time, too. And thank you. You’re also starting again tomorrow, aren’t you?

-Fern: Yeah. Not looking forward to it. I’d be bummed that most of my old classmates are half a year ahead of me now, but it’s not like I knew them very well. I… think it’s best to see this as a new start.

-Oliver: You’ll do great. Just remember, one thing at a time.

-Fern: I texted to cheer you up, not the other way around >:(

-Oliver: And I appreciate it a lot. Good night, Fern. Sleep well.

-Fern: You too.

I sat on the bed, wearing only my boxers. I plugged my phone to my charger and set up the alarm for 6:30 am. Cake pushed her head against my arm and began to purr while rubbing herself on me.

I smiled and picked her up in my arms. “You’ll be alone here tomorrow. I’m sorry. But you’re a big girl now, aren’t you?”

Cake gave a short meow back, eyes on me. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to reassure me or complaining. Sometimes I can sort of tell, others not so much.

I sighed. It’s moments like this one that made me hesitate in adopting Cake. Leaving her alone in a completely new environment felt wrong, but there was little else I could do. We all had to leave.

“I’ll bring you treats, okay?” I kissed the top of her head, and again she rubbed her head against my cheek, purring. “Hey, should we call your grandma?”

Her ears stood up and she jumped out of my arms at that word. I put on a T-shirt and started a video call with mom, keeping the camera on Cake.

“Hello?” mom said as she answered. “Well, look who it is. How’s she holding up?” mom asked me.

Cake meowed loudly, either happy to see his grandma or answering the question herself. Still, she seemed gleefully restless.

“Well enough. She’s exploring at her pace but mostly staying in my bedroom because the boxes smell like me, I suppose. Today she played with Diana’s dog, though.”

“Don’t worry, she’ll settle down soon. She’s not even a year old. She’ll adapt quickly.” I could see mom walking down the hallway as she talked. She knocked on Isabelle’s door and said, “Your brother is calling.”

“Please tell me he’s wearing a shirt!” Isabelle said as she answered the door.

“He had the decency to put one on, yes.”

I’m… going to ignore the accuracy of them guessing that I didn’t have one on before calling.

“Hey, brother! How’s Cake doing?” Isabelle asked.

“She’s doing fine. How are Mint and Chip? Everything okay?”

“Ugh, don’t even start…” mom groaned.

“W-What happened?”

“Um… Chip is kind of, sort of… learning to howl,” Isabelle said, grimacing at the camera.

“Oh, no…”

“And his sister is trying to imitate him,” mom said. “It’s cute for now, since they’re young and only just learning, but soon…”

“Yep. I left at the right time.”

“Coward,” Isabelle told me.

Mom then chuckled, shook her head and looked at the camera with a gentle smile. “And how are YOU doing? Feeling alright?”

“Yeah, mostly. The house still doesn’t truly feel like home, but it’s getting there. It might be too big, actually.”

“It’ll get there. And what about tomorrow? Ready for the entrance ceremony?”

I let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know. I don’t want to go, if I’m being honest. I don’t want this… whole thing to start. But there’s no stopping it, so… Better put my best foot forward.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

“I’ll see you guys there tomorrow,” Isabelle said. “Wait for me, okay?”

“Sure. We should be there at around 8:30 am or so. We’ll wait for you at the bottom of the entrance stairs.”

“Got it.”

“Now, go to sleep,” mom told me. “I won’t be there to wake you up if you oversleep.”

I chuckled. “You haven’t needed to do that in years, though. Besides, Cake has my back. She’ll bite my nose if she has to, all so that I turn off the alarm. Won’t you, girl?”

Cake answered with another short meow. Mom and Isabelle laughed.

We said good night and I got ready for bed, having already brushed my teeth. I got in the huge bed alone, with only Cake beside me. I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep… and failed for the longest time.

My chest would tighten every other moment as I pictured the things that could happen tomorrow. Or maybe even what wouldn’t happen. I remembered my high school days, and how the only reason I began to have a social life was thanks to Thomas and the girls, and that happened in my senior year.

But I’m not the same person I used to be. I’ve grown and continue growing. I can handle myself now. I can talk now. Meeting new people is still as scary as it used to be, but I don’t freeze up anymore. And even if everything that could go wrong does go wrong, well… I’m not alone like I used to be. I can handle it.

That’s what I kept telling myself over and over until I finally fell asleep at like 2:00 am.

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