Taking a deep breath, I put her in the box and seal it tight, placing it in the corner of my room. Glancing around, a wave of nostalgia hits me as a flashback. Ten-year-old me, coming here after a long flight, and my grandma showing me the room she prepared.
She said it was Dad’s and that she would love it if I made it mine, so I did. And even though it was a rough eight years, it had its moments. After a couple of hours of packing and reminiscing, a knock makes me blink back into reality, my room feeling much colder than it did before.
“Hey, Bianca,” Mom says.
She’s wearing her favorite sundress. It comes down to her lower legs, the yellow color positively glowing on her skin. I raise an eyebrow in confusion as she was just wearing her lounging-around clothes.
“Your favorite dress? What’s the occasion?” I ask, and she smiles.
“Josh set an appointment with a Los Angeles realtor already,” she whispers. “We’re flying out today, leaving in an hour or so.” She claps her hands together, stars in her eyes.
I rush to my feet, rubbing my hands on my shorts. “Oh, okay. Give me a couple minutes, and I’ll get ready—”
“Actually, Bianca, if you wouldn’t mind, it’s just gonna be Kate and me.” Josh walks in suddenly as if summoned, smiling slightly, and I flinch at the statement.
Mom wrings her hands, then glances up at him. “Josh, it’ll be good if she goes with us. I mean, it’ll be her house too.”
“Kate, we talked about this. You and I are all that’s needed. Besides, Bianca looks like she has her hands full with packing.” He and Mom take a glance around, a sheepish feeling passing over me.
She takes a deep breath. “Well, I guess so.”
He wraps an arm around her waist. “I know exactly what I’m talking about. You don’t doubt me, right?” He says it sweetly and looks at her with adoration, but there’ssomething elsethere. There’s always been something weird with Josh, somethingthat makes meuneasy. I look at Mom, and she glances between me and him, then sighs defeatedly.
“No, of course not.” She looks at me again, conflicted, and I make it easier on her.
“Yeah, I didn’t wanna go anyway,” I mutter, and Josh adjusts his suit jacket while looking at himself in the mirror. I slide a glance Mom’s way, her eyes refusing to meet mine.
“Great. Kate, let’s go. You need to get ready,” he says.
Mom looks down at her outfit for a moment, then back up at him. “Iamready, though.”
“And you look stunning as always, but I just thought you’d want to, I don’t know, dress up a little more so we can make a good impression with this realtor. She’s the best in Los Angeles and we don’t want her thinking we don’t have business to give her, right?” He tilts his head to one side and gives her a wide smile as he focuses his eyes on her face.
“Yeah, no, you’re right. I’ll change.” Without a word, he grabs her hand while she follows him, nodding along.
Shaking my head, I look at the mess that was once my room, and a wave of exhaustion comes over me as I think about the cleaning up I have left. After another thirty minutes of taking down my wall decorations and trying to make them fit in a medium box, I give up, and instead, head downstairs for some food. When I reach the bottom of the stairs, Mom is hugging Jamie, and I rush toward them, my eyes widening in shock.
“What’re you doing here?” I ask, and Mom looks between us. I give her a sad smile as I take in her new outfit. One that isn’t her at all, but has Josh written all over it. The pretty sundress has been traded for a shorter, tighter version, her flats now a stiletto heel. She excuses herself, giving Jamie and me some alone time.
We look at each other, and a small sound of relief escapes me as I crash into her. Almost instantly, her arms wrap around me, causing something to make a small thudding sound on the ground.
“I’m sorry, B. Me running away like that after everything you and I have been through wasn’t cool,” she mumbles before backing away.I stay silent as she runs her hands through her hair, almost if the movement helps her sift through her thoughts. “I was overwhelmed, and then I shut down, which isn’t an excuse. I’m ...” She doesn’t continue, and her eyes become glassy as she glances at me. “I’m just gonna miss you ... a lot.”
She wipes at her eyes, and I mumble a soft “ditto.” She chuckles sadly, and I give her a little smile while looking down at the small box on the floor. “Jamie ... You kept this?” I pick up the very first charm bracelet I made back in the fifth grade, and she rolls her eyes.
“Of course I did. I’ve kept pretty much everything. I thought you needed some things to remember me by.”
A faux grimace flashes across her face while I level her with my gaze so she can see the truth in my words. “I might be moving, but I’m not gonna forget about you. You’re my best friend.” She smiles and we hug again. I realize that no matter what happens, I’ll make sure to never lose this girl.
She’s too special.
Heading upstairs, we pass Josh and Mom as they’re heading out to catch their private jet. He sends a polite smile to Jamie, who sends one right back, as we go straight to my room.
“I can’t believe Josh and Mama Kate are going to Los Angeles right now,” she mumbles, and I chuckle, nodding.
“Kudos to the company jet, you know him.” We both roll our eyes as packing peanuts, plastic wrap, and flat moving boxes lie all around us. She ties back her wavy chestnut locks with a satin scrunchie as she starts to build one, and a feeling of gratitude washes over me. The newest episode of the astronomy podcast we listen to comes on, and I smile at how well this girl knows me. We hang out for the rest of the afternoon, genuine happiness filling me. This moment helps temporarily remove the anxiety that’s been festering for days.
After a while, Jamie grunts as she sits on my chair, clearly wiped out. “You know, you still haven’t told me how you feel about moving.” I raise my eyebrows and she crosses her arms. “Isn’t LosAngeles where Mister Man lives?” she asks as if that wasn’t the first thing that ran through my mind when Josh said we were moving. I send her an unimpressed expression and she shrugs innocently. Sighing, I close up the box filled with my books.
