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“Yeah, it’s definitely going to be interesting living with him.” I hug the gift bag against my chest.
“The gifts are from me, too.” Nina rummages around in her purse. “But I also got you this.” She hands me a small box.
I lift the lid and smile at the gift inside—a silver lighter with my name engraved on it. It’s totally a Nina type of gift.
“Thanks, guys.”
We sit there silently for a moment and everyone’s eyes begin to water. I should get out of the car. I need to get out of the car before my waterworks gets the best of me and the clouds begin to cry as well, ruining all my stuff piled in the back of the Everettsons’ truck. But getting out means it’s time to go.
It’s time to go, Sky. Get out of the car.
Sucking back tears, I push open the door.
“Best friends forever!” Nina shouts.
We used to say that all the time when we were kids.
“Best friends forever,” I repeat then shut the door and walk away, making my way across the grass and toward my house.
Walking away from my old life and toward my new.
“About damn time,” Easton says as I wander through the front door and into the living room.
He’s sitting on the floor, resting back on his hands, with a soda bottle beside him. He’s the only thing in the room, the furniture and boxes now gone.
“You guys got everything out of the living room already?” I ask in surprise.
“And the rest of the house.” The corners of his lips tug into a smirk. “We’ve just been waiting around for your slow ass to get back so we can hit the road.”
“But I was only gone for a little over an hour?” I shake my head. No, there’s no way they could’ve cleared out the house already. He has to be screwing with me.
I march back to the bedrooms to check for myself with Easton’s snickers chasing after me. As I stick my head in one room after another, I start to wonder if maybe Easton was telling the truth. When I reach the final room—the washroom—I find the answer.
That room, like all the others, has been cleared out.
Confusion tap dances in my head.
How on earth did they get everything out so quickly? Sure, they’re three decently sized guys, but my parents had a lot of stuff crammed into the house, along with a few huge pieces of furniture. With how small of a trailer Gabe brought, I thought we were going to have to make a couple of trips to get everything in storage
“Oh, good, you’re back,” Gabe greets me with a smile as I return to the living room.
Easton is still stretched out across the floor, and Foster is leaning against the front doorjamb with his arms crossed. The door is open, and his gaze is fixed on the street outside.
“You got everything loaded up already?” I ask the obvious, still a bit skeptical. “I didn’t think it was all going to fit on the trailer.”
“We actually already made one trip to the storage unit,” Gabe explains, taking a sip from a water bottle. “We just need to drop the last load off, and then we can go. I thought, if you were ready, we could lock up and drop the keys off at the landlord’s on our way.” He twists the lid back on the bottle. “Of course, that’s only if you’re ready. If you want to stay here for a little bit while we drop off the last load and say goodbye, I completely understand.”
My gaze skims the bare, patched-up walls, the stained carpet, and the empty space around me. Say goodbye to what? This place is no longer my home anymore. It’s just a house. That’s it.
I don’t have a home anymore.
Don’t have a family.
I smash my lips together, battling down my emotions as thunder rumbles outside.
“We better get going soon. It looks like it’s going to storm again,” Gabe mumbles with his forehead creased. “Although, the forecast said it was supposed to be sunny all day.” He looks at me. “So, did you want to stick around here for a bit and say goodbye?”
Bottling down the pain, I shake my head. “Nah, I’m good. There’s nothing left to say goodbye to anyway.”
