13
Veronica
“Hey, babe.” I look over to see Katie standing in the door.
I groan as I tape up yet another box. “Tell me again, why the fuck I unpacked all of my shit so quickly?”
I’ve quite literally just done this whole moving thing. I swear that I never want to do it again. Next time, I’ll just leave it all behind, buy new stuff when I get there.
“I can’t believe it. You’re moving. Again! For some reason, I always thought I would be the flighty one between the two of us.” Her face twists quizzically as if pondering it.
“Well, actually, I did too.”
“Hey!”
“No offense, but you’ve always hated how small this town is.” Whereas I’ll miss its small-town charm.
“My god, you’re right. Maybe I should move with you.” She shudders as if the thought of staying in Aurora a second longer is unthinkable. I giggle at her dramatics.
“I bet you’re glad I’m moving; you’ve seen more of me in the last three weeks than anyone has in the last three years.” I don’t know where the emotion suddenly comes from, but my eyes begin to mist.
“Are you kidding me? I’ve loved having you back in town. I wish you weren’t going.”
“If I start crying, you have to as well.” I pull her in for a hug, but we end up crashing and sliding to the ground.
“Promise.”
We sit like that on the floor for a while. It’s just what I need. I didn’t realize just how much I’d been avoiding reality until now. I can lie so easily to everyone else, but it’s different with Katie. She knows me better than I know myself.
Our parents used to joke when we were kids, that we could’ve been twin sisters. But that’s exactly how we were raised, despite the small age gap.
Always together, always in sync. And now I’m leaving again.
The self-pitying thought is what pushes me over the edge. A lone tear trails down my cheek, forging a path for many more to follow.
Katie pulls away to look me in the eye. “You love him.”
I sigh whilst nodding in agreement. “But it doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it does.”
“I’m leaving in a few days. Even if I were to… I don’t know, tell him how I feel, it wouldn’t change anything. And we both know it.”
Scooting off the floor, I pick up another box and hand it to Katie. “The least you can do is help me pack.”
There’s a ruckus downstairs before my mom calls my name up the stairs. I shoot a look at Katie. She shrugs, seemingly not having any more of a clue than I do.
Leaving my packing tape behind, I make my way downstairs with Katie hot on my heels. We find Mom standing at the door, partially blocking the view of our visitor. “It’s for you.”
She steps aside for me to see Hayden standing on my doorstep once again.
“Hayden.” I say in greeting.
“That’s Hayden?” I hear Mom whispering behind me. I shoot her a look, asking her whose side she was even on before stepping out onto the porch, closing the door behind me.
Hayden seems wired, a mixture of having just ran a marathon and not having slept in forty-eight hours. His eyes are ringed with grey puffiness, his usually perfect hair is distressed, and his usually crisp button up is wrinkled and untucked.What the hell is wrong with him?
I’m about to ask if he’s okay when he cuts me off. “Ask me to come with you.”
