I don’t usually get around to doing awards posts, but I got nominated by three people to do the Memory Lane Challenge and couldn’t resist 🙂 I got to relive my five favorite moments from this legacy (so far 😛 ) Feel free to check it out, if you’d like!

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Okay, that went WAY better than expected… And I’m so damn relieved it did!

After listening to mom and Papa beg for like, weeks, I finally gave in and let them invite Rylie and Devin over for dinner. I knew I couldn’t avoid it forever… But I was dreading it so, so much.

Part of me was worried about what my parents would think of them (obviously). But I think another part of me was afraid of the opposite. Like, that mom and Papa would be super annoying and lame, or they’d say something to make me look bad, or… I dunno. I was just scared. Which is totally stupid.

I should be WAY past the point of still trying to impress Rylie and Devin. But there are still times when I look at the two of them and I get all… nervous. Just like how I used to feel when we first started hanging out. It’s so dumb, but I just can’t help it!

Rylie was the one who finally got me to calm down about it. She’s really good at that, actually. It’s like she can make anything better without even trying. All she has to do is smile and tell me it’s gonna be okay (sometimes with a bunch of teasing and swearing thrown in for good measure, but it still works!).

And in the end, she was right. Everything was fine.

I mean, she and Devin helped a lot with that. They were really polite during dinner, and kinda quieter than usual too… They even wore jackets to cover up most of their tattoos. It was really weird to see them like that. But I know it helped them make a good impression on everybody.

I should probably give a little credit to Mom and Papa too though — they were on their best behavior too. I mean, Papa tried to make a couple of super lame jokes and mom did call me ‘Pumpkin’ at one point… But besides that, they were actually pretty cool.

I guess the only time it got a little awkward when they brought up school, and how great I’ve been doing in history class ever since our project…

Thank God Devin’s so quick on his feet. He told mom and Papa he’s been ‘helping me study’ (Which, y’know, is code for ‘doing my homework for me and letting me copy his answers on tests’…) But they totally bought it. Dev’s so damn smooth all the time. It’s incredible.

Anyway, after we got past that little bump, everything else was okay, I guess. Rylie and Devin gushed over Papa’s cooking. Oma asked Devin about some of his artwork (he was smart enough not to mention the graffiti, of course!). Mom shared some stories about when she used to live in San Myshuno. And Rylie and Devin spent most of dessert admiring Tante Clara’s tattoos.

I was really happy she was here with us tonight. I mean, if anybody can understand me and my friends, it’s gotta be her.

Still… What a freaking relief to be able to escape! As soon as we finished eating, we headed straight for the door. We didn’t really have a direction in mind or anything… we almost never do. I think we were all just so damn anxious to get out of there!

It felt so good to stop worrying about putting on a show for my parents and stuff. We could go back to just being ourselves. And it was so easy too. We ended up falling right into our normal routine once we made it out into the city.

First we stopped by the drugstore so I could use my “discount”, as Rylie likes to call it. I told them I wanted to buy some gum, but I really just needed a quick little fix.

It had been a few days since I was able to snag anything, so I was kinda itching for the chance to get my hands on something… It didn’t matter what it was, really. But saying I wanted gum was a lot easier to explain to Rylie and Devin.

I hate to say it, but I’m kinda starting to get the feeling they’re judging me for swiping stuff. It started out as a joke for the two of them… But I guess it’s become something more for me. And I don’t think they really get it.

Part of me keeps wanting to feel bad about taking stuff. And sometimes, I almost do. But I mean, it’s not like it’s anything that anyone would actually miss. It never is. That CD I took a few weeks ago is probably the most valuable thing I’ve ever taken. Now it’s just dumb shit like that little pack of gum (okay, and a few stupid bottles of nail polish too). And I don’t even wear nail polish! But… that’s not the point, obviously.

Anyway, I just threw them in my pocket, and it was no big deal. God, that rush though! I don’t think it’ll ever get old!

Rylie was kind of a buzzkill though. She rolled her eyes when she found out what I did, and called me a ‘klepto’. I know she was just teasing though. We were laughing about it all the way to the empty lot behind the bowling alley.

Devin had started a painting back there last week, and I guess he’s been dying to finish it. Luckily, no one had tried getting rid of it yet.

The three of us hung out together for a couple hours while he finished up. Rylie sang a couple of the new 12 Minutes to Jupiter songs. Devin went on a big rant about the plot holes in the new Alien spinoff. We bitched about the history essay Mr. Asche assigned us yesterday. I told them about the plans for the next chapter of my story. You get the idea.

Before we knew it, Devin was finally done. He got a good laugh when I offered to let him use the nail polish to add a few finishing touches to the mural. But he didn’t say no either. And in the end, it came out amazing. “A fucking masterpiece,” Rylie called it. Maybe the best thing he’s ever done. (Definitely thanks to the nail polish, of course… Ha!)

Speaking of which, I actually ended up keeping a few of the half empty bottles we had left over. A little ‘trophy’, Dev calls it (totally rolling my eyes at that one).

Anyway, I added them to the little collection of random knick knacks I have hanging out in one of my drawers. Other little stuff I’ve managed to swipe lately. I don’t even know why I keep any of that crap. It’s kinda pointless, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be better to like, destroy the evidence or something?

I dunno. I guess I just like holding on to them. It’s hard to really explain why though. Like… a way to remember the rush, maybe? Or a reminder that I’m not the perfect little princess my parents want me to be?

Shit. Dev’s right, huh?

They’re totally trophies.

Is that weird?

It’s weird, isn’t it?

But so what if it is? I think I’m finally figuring out that being normal is WAY overrated.