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“I’ve been promoted.”
“Well, that’s great, right?’ I asked, confused. “Why the sour faces?”
“Because I’ve also been transferred.”
“What?” I asked, my nose flaring and my eyes wide. “What does that mean?
“We’re moving.”
“What?”
“I know this is bad timing.”
“Bad timing? I’m halfway through high school, Mom. This is horrible timing. I can’t leave Tilly…or my friends.”
“Your father had no choice.”
“There’s always a choice.”
My dad rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Don’t start. Your mother and I have given this a lot of thought. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime. And one that will never be offered again. I’ve worked my ass off to get this promotion.”
My mom’s eyes were desperately pleading. “It’s our chance, Wyatt. To provide for you and your brother. To send you to a decent college—”
“Where are we going?” I interrupted, glaring at them. They exchanged a glance before meeting my eyes.
“Norway.”
“What?” I asked, shocked. “You mean like Norway-Norway?”
“Yes.”
“We’re leaving the freaking country?”
“Yes.”
“How long have you known about this?”
My mom pressed her eyes tight. “Wyatt, please—”
My dad stood up. “It’s just for two years. And then we’ll be back in Illinois. We’re getting a stipend, free housing…and the company’s paying our mortgage while we’re gone.”
My dad worked for Chicago Chemical, and he’d been climbing the ladder since we’d moved to Illinois when I was a baby. The reasonable part of my brain knew that he worked hard—he worked long hours and hardly used any of his sick time, even though he was entitled to it. I knew he was a good father who only wanted to provide for his family. But I also knew that his job, this promotion, this opportunity that my dad had worked so hard for, was ripping me in two—destroying the future that I’d envisioned for myself. The one that included Tilly.
“Norway?” I repeated. “But school starts in a week.”
“We know this is a lot to take in.”
“A lot?” I asked, standing up and pacing the room. “A lot would be moving out of state, not out of the fucking country.”
“Watch your mouth,” my dad snapped, but I didn’t care. Not anymore.
“It’s just for two years. It’ll fly by.”
“Easy for you to say,” I said, unable to look them in the eye. All I could think about was Tilly. There was no way we’d be able to have a long-distance relationship for two years. Her parents would never let her call me long distance. Never. And I had no interest in being her pen pal. Just the thought of that made me fume.
“We found an international school in Trondheim. You’ll be able to take all your classes in English.”
Feeling the reality of the situation like a truck plowing into my gut, I sat back down on the loveseat. Digging my elbows into my knees, I hung my head in my hands.
