Of course, this has only just hit me now as I�m pulling into my driveway.
�Hey,� I thought suddenly. �This is the first time I didn�t take the long way home.�
A Month Later:
I can now say that I�m not looking forward to leaving home for university as much as I used to and that dinner is a much more commonly enjoyed experience at my house.
Ashley is now welcome at my home. Quite a change from the last time she was here.
Although we�re not best friends, my mom and I get along a lot better than we used to. She�s accepted me for who I am and I�ve forgiven her for discriminating. Everyone makes mistakes. We kind of have to get along, as we�re usually the only ones at home. Dad works late more and more often and Josh, well, he�s in a juvenile detention center, and he will be for a long, long time. Come to think of it, I don�t think Dad really knows what happened with Josh and his friends. Whatever, we�re happy.
I guess this is the happy ending that I used to think only happened in fairy tales.
As far as I�m concerned, it�s a great ending.
The wind is whipping through my hair, Ashley is by my side and I�m driving on that wonderful road I discovered a month ago.
And I don�t plan on taking the long way home.