The last time I had seen my grandparents was at my mother's funeral. They had flown in the day after she passed and stayed until the day after the funeral, which took place two weeks later, so my dad and I wouldn't be alone. They had cried almost nonstop, even though it hadn't even been their daughter. My mom's mother was like Mrs. Coleman, a cold-hearted bitch. Unless it was about my aunt and her perfect triplets, then the ice melted and only the bitch remained. All the more reason I was excited to visit my dad's parents.

They greeted us at the airport with tight hugs and kisses on both cheeks. My grandma, a full head shorter than me, linked her arm through mine as we walked and started bombarding me with questions. "How's school? Is anyone bothering you? Do I need to come by with my baseball bat? What about your ex, can I finally beat him up?" Oh, how much I loved her.

When my mom got sick two years ago, I was still dating my older boyfriend, Brandon Miller. He'd been really sweet in the beginning, treated me well, took me on dates, all that typical relationship stuff. But after the diagnosis, when I had less time for him because I wanted to support my parents, he got weird. He'd get annoyed or moody quickly, leave me alone for ages at parties or car meetups with his friends, and his whole attitude changed when we were with them. When I realized my mother was nearing her end, I turned down every invitation because I wanted to be there when it happened, and after her death, he completely lost it. One day, he picked me up after school, drove me to his meetup spot and screamed at me about what a terrible girlfriend I was, how I always left him alone, how I didn't care about him. Of course, I yelled back because I wasn't going to take that crap, especially not during the worst time of my life. I broke up with him and walked home where I told my grandma, who was still staying with us, everything. Ever since, she's hated him and I even had to hide her baseball bat in the attic so she wouldn't commit murder.

My grandpa was the quiet one of the two, just like my dad who might as well be his clone. That also counted for their appearance since both were tall and broad, blond and blue-eyed. My grandpa often told me that people sometimes shied away from him because of his size, even though he was the kindest man I knew. He loved puzzles, and once I finished unpacking, he showed me all the new ones he'd bought over the past three months. I was surprised to see that three out of the nine featured Disney movies.

"When I was a boy," he said when I asked him about it, "I used to love those cartoons. We saw one of the newer ones on TV the other day, Tangled, and I just had to get the puzzle. The colors are so vibrant and that lantern scene is my favorite part anyway."

"And where did Cinderella and Pocahontas come from?" I asked with a smile.

"Oh, they were sitting right next to it, shouting 'Take us too!' I couldn't just ignore them."

"Of course not," I said and hugged him. I hoped he'd still be sitting at his table putting puzzles together at a hundred years old.

After my grandma served us her special casserole, the one she always made on the first day of our visit, my grandpa and I went to the game room, opened the Tangled puzzle, and spent the next two hours sorting the edge pieces and putting them together. Later, my dad called us into the living room so we could all watch the first episode of Stranger Things together. My grandparents loved sci-fi but hadn't heard of the series until season four was about to drop. They'd seen the trailer on TV and got totally hyped, so there was popcorn, chips, and gum drops spread across the entire coffee table. I'd already seen the first two seasons, but I was excited to rewatch it with them nevertheless.

And so the three weeks flew by. Every night, we watched at least one episode and ate something with it, whether it was popcorn, a slice of cake, or some cookies. My grandpa and I finished all the Disney puzzles and even started a fourth one, this time Star Wars-themed. We went to the beach, shopped downtown, and hiked in the mountains. We tried to clear our minds and accept that it was just the four of us now. One time, I accidentally triggered a full-blown crying session where we all mourned Mom and shared our favorite memories of her. No matter how much time passed, she would always be missing.

On the last day, my grandparents took us to their favorite pizzeria. It was in the older part of town and run by an Italian couple who greeted us warmly as we entered. From my seat by the brick wall, I could peek into the kitchen and saw one of their daughters spinning pizza dough in the air.

"You've gotten such a lovely tan," my grandma said, gently touching my cheek. "It really suits you, sweetie. Makes you look healthier."

I smiled at her. "Thanks. Maybe now people won't run from me because I look like a walking ghost."

Alfredo, the owner, brought our drinks and a wooden board with bruschetta before my grandpa responded. "I think it has more to do with your, what do they call it these days? Resting bitch face? Was that it?"

"Wow, Grandpa," I said stunned, holding a piece of bruschetta. "Where did you learn words like that?"

"From this social media. TikTok, where everyone's always singing and dancing."

My dad burst out laughing, and so did my grandma and I. "Oh, right, he downloaded that app a few weeks ago. Wanted to keep up with the latest trends."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with wanting to stay modern," my grandpa said proudly.

She patted his cheek. "Of course not, honey."

Shortly after, our pizzas arrived, looking absolutely delicious. They used mozzarella instead of shredded cheese, which gave the whole thing a richer flavor. My grandparents told us they always bought fresh ingredients from the local market so their guests only got the best. They definitely delivered, it tasted incredible.

While we ate, the conversation shifted back to school and eventually to my grades. They knew I'd been slipping and just like my dad, they'd tried to motivate me to study, not very successfully. So I told them about the tutoring that was set to start next week.

"Oh, a young man is going to help you, huh?" my grandma said with a mischievous grin on her lips and a sparkle in her eyes.

"Yes, Grandma, a classmate who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," I said, making it clear that he was only chosen by chance.

"Hopefully he doesn't run away from you," my grandpa added.

"With that lovely tan? I wouldn't be surprised if he asks her out on a rendezvous soon."

"Oh my god, Grandma, please," I groaned. "First of all, this tutoring is strictly for improving my grades. Second, he's not my type. Third, he has a girlfriend."

She just kept grinning. "Girlfriends can disappear quickly, you know."

"Mom," my dad finally chimed in, trying and failing to hide his amused smile. "Let Astrid manage her love life on her own."

"I did, and look where it got us." She took a sip of her coke with a knowing look on her face.

I rolled my eyes. "It was a mistake not breaking up with Brandon sooner, I know that. But he was also an exception."

"I hope so," said my grandma, picking up her last slice of pizza. "Next time, someone ends up buried underground. Or tossed into the sea, I'll decide on the spot." My grandpa burst out laughing, and I thought that I really do have the craziest family in the world.

❁

They hugged us goodbye as tightly as they had when we arrived. We got kisses on the cheeks again and my grandpa told us a hundred times to keep an eye on our luggage.

"And tell that tutor of yours," my grandma said to me, "he better treat you right, otherwise I will come over and whack him on his head."

"I will, grandma," I said and hugged her one last time.

They kept waving until we turned the corner and couldn't see them anymore. We went through security and waited half an hour at the gate until we could board the plane back to Berk. My father slept the whole time while I continued reading my book, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

The jolt of the landing woke him up and he gripped his seat until we came to a full stop. We picked up our luggage at baggage claim, got into a cab outside the busy airpot, and headed home. On the way, I remembered that I had promised to let Hiccup know when I was back, so I took out my phone and sent him a message.

3:01pm
Hey, here's Astrid. I'm back
now from California, so we
can set up a day, if you're
ready for it.

"I would've loved to stay there," my dad said after I hit the send button.

"Me too," I said and put my phone back into my backpack, which was between my legs.

"You know," he began after a few minutes. "After Mom died, I often thought about moving to them."

"Why did you decide against it?" I asked when he didn't continue.

He shrugged. "Because of you. You only have one more year of school left and everything and everyone you know is here in Berk. I didn't want to take that away from you and for you to have to change not just schools but an entire state in your final year. I thought that would be too much at once."

I nodded. "Yeah, I think that would've been too much, too. We'll figure it all out. No matter how, we always have." He smiled, took my hand and squeezed it.