Hey Monday

e n d i n g

(A/N): ok an author's note before my chapter is super weird i'm sorry
but this is the last chapter of Hey Monday :((( this will be one of my first novels that I've ever written start to finish so it's pretty special to me. the epilogue will be up very, very soon so don't delete this from your library yet! 

"Welcome to Monday!" Noah whooped as we entered the town for the first time.

I stuck my face out of a window, taking in the crisp Maine air. Everything about this place was beautiful- simple and quaint, with brick buildings all crammed together on a street and strangers smiling at each other when they passed. I instantly knew that I was in the right place.

I turned to Logan and gave him a hug, oozing happiness. "Welcome home," I whispered into his ear.

Evelyn was looking out a window, too. "I've never seen anything like this before," she murmured in awe. "It seems so friendly."

Morgan was bouncing on her toes, something I noticed her to do when excited. I ran up and gave her a hug, too; and Evelyn soon joined in.

"I can't believe it," I laughed, shaking my head. "I've dreamed about doing this for so long, and I did it. I'm here. I'm home."

Then, in a spur-of-the-moment decision, I whipped out my phone and dialed a number that I promised myself I'd never have to use again.

My mother.

I couldn't wait to see the look on her face- or rather, tone in her voice- when she heard that I'd actually done this successfully.

I placed the phone on a coffee table and set it to speaker, so that all of my friends could hear the ordeal that was about to go down. Everyone was silent as we waited for my mom to pick up. You could've cut the tension with a knife.

After four rings, someone answered. "Hello? Ellen?"

I recognized the voice instantly and my heart swelled with reminiscence. It wasn't my mom, but my younger brother of ten years, Joey.

"Hey, Joey!" I called happily. "How've you been?"

"Ellen!" he cried. "We were so worried about you!"

I exchanged a glance with Noah, who was looking at me through the rearview mirror.

"Worried?" I asked in disbelief. "Why would you be worried, bud?"

Joey sighed through the phone and took a moment to respond. "Well, Ellen, even though mom doesn't show it, she loves you a lot. After you left, she shut herself in her room and didn't talk to anyone but dad for days."

"Oh," I replied, trying to keep the tone of guilt out of my voice. "I... didn't mean to do that."

"Yeah, well, you did it anyway," Joey replied with a slight tinge of annoyance. "I had to make dinner for the three of us for almost a month. Sometimes I just nibbled on a piece of bread."

"I'm sorry, Joey," I said. "Really. But are you maybe being a bit dramatic with the bread?"

"Okay, maybe a little," he admitted. I could hear him smiling through the phone. "But it still was not cool, Ellen."

"I know. Can you put mom on the phone?"

"We're out to eat right now, she's in the bathroom. Do you wanna talk to dad?"

"Sure."

I heard a rustling sound as my mother's phone was passed from Joey to my father. After a moment, a gruff voice said, "Hello?"