A letter from Dec 26, 2024

Dear future me, Hey, Jay! It’s December 2024 me writing this. You’re probably reading this sometime in 2025, and I bet you’ve already forgotten about it. But when you open this email, picture yourself back in your bedroom at 8 AM, typing all these thoughts and questions. Let’s dive in! First off, has Mom’s side of the family started to heal after Wilito’s passing? And how is Uncle George? Has he been holding up any better? Please tell me we finally got justice for Momma and that she’s come home. Jay, I need to know: Did we stop being close with Carista and Kailey? Please tell me we either ghosted each other or stopped talking altogether—remember how they treated you. Don’t let yourself forget that. Have we started visiting Iraan again? 2025 was supposed to be full of graduations: Carista’s, Avery’s, and then Lelend’s senior year. Have the Rico sisters come to Brackettville yet? Did you ever reconnect with Robert or Kai? If not, who’s in your life now? How is Lelend and Davin’s last first semester of high school going? Did we go back to the high school football games like we used to? And how’s your own first semester of sophomore year? Are we staying on top of our grades and sticking to the plan to graduate early? What about Darren—did he get into Border Patrol? Is he dating anyone? Please tell me he didn’t get back in contact with Lenora. And what about Davin—did he finally get a real girlfriend and leave Reina’s chaos behind? Have you and Davin worked on rebuilding your relationship? Did we ever go back to coaching the cheerleaders? If so, how’s that going? Did we finally join a competitive cheer team like we wanted? And what’s the plan for junior year—are we going back to school or sticking with something else? Who are your top three friends right now? Did your relationship with Clair improve? And how’s Nicole? Did you manage to rebuild that close bond with her? What’s changed in a year? How does it feel to finally be 15? Are you still keeping up with the people from Iraan? And do you and Dailen still gossip all the time? What about the older guys—Andy, Tommy, Troy, Santos, Adrian, or Kar? Do you still talk to any of them? Most importantly, are we happy? Did we grow closer to God? Are we still going out 24/7, or have we slowed down? Did you stop leaning on alcohol? Has your makeup game improved? Are we finally staying out of drama completely? How’s the weight loss journey going—what do we weigh now? And most of all, are we at peace with life? That’s all for now, Jay. When you read this, don’t cry (even though you’ll probably be dramatic about it). Remember: You don’t need to rely on others to feel happy. Stay focused, stay kind, and stay loyal. Keep going, stay close to God, be patient, and always be careful. Most importantly, never forget—you are always loved. Love you, always and forever, Jay