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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE* * *TEAGANEven though Caleb and I talked on the phone almost every day now, it wasn’t the same as getting to be with him. The remainder of the school year progressed slowly and painfully. What got us through was knowing each passing day brought us one step closer to being together. But it was finally over.
I hadn’t been able to get into an exchange program through Northern University, so I’d decided to take the next year off to figure out my life. That started with hopping on the first plane to the UK once classes ended.
“Can you take me in your suitcase?” Shelley asked.
It was two days before I was set to leave for England, and I had a long way to go with my packing.
I smiled. “You know, I never thought I’d say this, but I really wish I could.”
Sometimes you don’t appreciate something until you’re about to lose it. My sister and I had grown a lot closer over the past year. She’d come to my room to talk about boys she had crushes on. I’d helped her with her homework. Sometimes, she and I just chatted about random things. But we were part of each other’s lives. And now, after we’d finally found a groove, I was moving to England for at least six months.
“I’m gonna miss you so much.” Shelley tried to sneak something into my carry-on.
“What’s that you just put inside my bag?” I asked her.
“It was supposed to be a surprise.” She fished it out and handed it to me.
It was a silver bracelet that said sister and had two intertwined hearts on the charm. My heart swelled.
“You know, it should be me giving you a present, not the other way around. So often you’ve been a better sister than I have,” I told her. “I owe you a lot of lost time, and now I’m leaving.”
She hugged me. “It’s okay, Teagan. Just send me pictures and special candy we can’t get here or something.”
I squeezed her and chuckled. “That’s supposed to make up for years of being a crappy big sister?”
She shrugged. “Are you coming back?”
“I hope so. But I don’t know what life has in store right now. I’m just going to see what happens.”***My flight was a red eye, so it was approaching everyone’s bedtime when we got in the car to drive to the airport. My parents had been amazingly supportive, so it surprised me when my dad seemed nervous on the way.
“I can’t believe I’m supporting my daughter dropping out of college,” he said. “I must be nuts.”
Maura placed her hand on his knee as he drove. “No. You’re not nuts, just an old romantic.”
“I promise to finish school, Dad,” I said from the backseat. “I just need to do this right now.”
“You promise that if things aren’t going well there, you’ll come right back?” he asked.
“Yes. Of course. I’m not gonna stay anywhere I’m unhappy.”
I had no idea how things were going to go on Caleb’s turf. My parents provided a safe and loving environment with no stressors. In London, I’d be living with Caleb and his mother. I had no clue if she would like me; I’d only spoken to Poppy Yates briefly over the phone. There were so many unknowns. But this trip would make or break Caleb and me.
When we arrived at the airport, my parents and sister exited the car to bid me adieu at the drop-off platform.
“You give Caleb a big hug for us, okay?” Maura said, tears filling her eyes.
“I will. Thanks for everything, Mom. I love you.”
She squeezed me tightly. “I love you, too.”
Next my father took me into his arms. “Sweetheart, remember I’m just a phone call away. You get on the next plane home if you’re anything less than over the moon there. Okay?”
“Okay, Dad. I promise I won’t hesitate to come back.”
Shelley was full-on bawling when we embraced. “I love you, Teagan.”
“I love you, too, Shell Belle.”
During our hug, I reached into my pocket and took out something I’d bought her. It was the same bracelet she’d given me, except in her favorite metal, gold.
“Now we have the same bracelets to always look down and think of each other.”
She placed it around her wrist. “Thank you, Teagan. I wanted to buy myself one when I got yours, but I couldn’t afford it.”
I jingled the charm on my matching bracelet. “Thank you for mine. I’ll wear it all the time.”
“Me, too,” she said as we hugged again.
I blew my family one last kiss before walking through the sliding glass doors. As I made my way up the escalator to the gate, butterflies swarmed in my belly. It was just me now. Wow. I’m really doing this.***After I made it through customs at Heathrow, I looked around frantically for signs of Caleb.
