Independence Day: Part Two

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I sternly asked Moose on the side of my house where I practically pulled him against his will.

"What?" He innocently asked. That just drove me more crazy.

"You're being a dick," I blatantly responded. I didn't feel the need to explain any more than that.

"Oh, come on," he said with an eye roll. "I'm kidding around. Scott doesn't care."

"I care," I responded. "And he probably doesn't like it either. You know he's not going to say anything."

"Caroline, don't pick a fight right before you leave."

"You shouldn't be acting like a big douche right before I leave!"

"I'm sorry," he replied with a huff. "I didn't mean to be a dick. I mean, I don't mean to be a dick, but sometimes I can't help it, I guess."

I usually like to get closure on things. I didn't want to leave New York and be in a fight with any of my friends. I like things to be settled. I like to just forgive and forget in a way. If someone apologizes, I tend to accept it so everyone can just move on. But something about today was different. I hit a breaking point and it wasn't like I was about to punch Moose in the stomach or anything, but I just didn't care enough to let him off the hook for this.

"Whatever," I said as I went to walk past him.

"No, not whatever," he said stopping me.

"Excuse me?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I said I was sorry. You're being too sensitive about it."

"I'm being too sensitive?" Moose began shushing me at this point but I didn't even care. It's not like any of my friends didn't know how stupid Moose had been. "Moose, you can't be a dick all the time only to apologize and then be a dick again."

"Okay, I get it," he responded with a sigh. "What's the big fucking deal anyway? It was a game."

"I'm over it," I responded in a way that demonstrated I clearly was not but I refused to talk about it anymore. "I want to enjoy the rest of my night."

This time, as I shoved past Moose, he didn't stop me. He barely talked to me for the rest of the party but I noticed him getting drunker and drunker. Moose made a good call not trying to rectify anything for the rest of the night because I was not having his bull shit anymore. And I realistically knew that I'd get over it at some point. Moose acted out a lot, but I know deep down, he's a nice guy. I was still unclear on what happened with Beth, so I decided I wouldn't bring up this evening again if he didn't.

We ended the night sitting on lawn chairs watching fireworks that my neighbors were setting off. I was happy with my last night on Long Island, Moose's outbursts aside.

Scott slept over that night. He had actually never spent the night at my house, considering my parents were still slightly old fashioned. My sister and I were never allowed to have guys sleep over, even though my brother got away with having girls in the basement where he slept. Whatever. I guess since I was moving out anyway, my parents turned a blind eye.

Besides, we were all going to breakfast the next morning before I headed to the airport with Scott. When I woke up Sunday morning, wrapped in Scott's arms, I couldn't believe that it was the day of my departure and we still hadn't discussed what we were going to do. I thought of it as a good sign, though. I didn't know if Scott and I were going to work, but my feelings for him only got stronger over the last few weeks. So, even though long distance doesn't always work, I was willing to at least try. Then, if we didn't work, we didn't work. 

Why stand at the starting line of a race and not move because you don't think you'll finish? Isn't it better to attempt the race and see how far you get?

So we cuddled for about an hour that morning before getting out of bed and getting ready to go to a nearby diner that made the best stuffed waffles I've ever had in my life. I almost cried as my parents told me how much they were going to miss me.

"So, Scott," my mother began saying in between bites of her omelette. "Do you have a trip planned out yet?"

Scott was taking a sip of his coffee as I caught his eyes widen a little bit, but he quickly recovered. I don't think my parents picked up on it. "Um, not yet," he replied.

"I'm not even there yet," I quickly added in an attempt to save this conversation from taking a turn towards Awkward Town.

"Well, I'm figuring you guys have discussed some sort of system," she continued. I wanted to kick her under the table, but it was a fair conclusion. Of course, any reasonable couple would've figured things out at least 24 hours before the plane was going to depart.

"I don't know, " I responded before changing the subject. "I know you're a planner, Mom. When are you going to start redoing my bedroom?"

My father laughed and started telling me about her home office ideas. I rolled my eyes. She didn't need a home office, but apparently she was planning on keeping my bed in there so that I could sleep there when I came home.

It was really hard to say goodbye to my parents, but I tried to remind myself that I'd still talk to them all the time. We'd probably talk more now that I wasn't actually living at home. It was just a big adjustment.

Then, it was just Scott and I. We avoided this talk long enough.