sat at the end of Emily’s bed.
“So, to what do I owe the honor of this highly-random late night visit?”
“I needed to talk to you…” Rebecca cut off, unsure of how to continue. For some reason, it wasn’t until now that the realization of her immanent departure finally hit her. The thought of never seeing Emily again frightened her more than she’d thought possible.
“Did you do something bad again? I thought you told me you were over that faze of your life.” Emily crossed her arms and gave Rebecca a disapproving stare.
Rebecca laughed, despite herself, and reached over to pull Emily’s crossed arms down, “No, mom. I didn’t do anything wrong or unlawful.”
“Well that’s good to hear, because I’d be an accomplice for hiding you, which would mean I’d go to jail too. I’m way too pretty for jail.”
Rebecca rolled her eyes dramatically, but couldn’t stop the sadness from creeping up in her chest. She sat silently for a moment, looking down at her hands in her lap, trying to find the right thing to say.
Emily’s face fell as she looked over at her friend, “Becs…are you alright?”
Rebecca met Emily’s stare and finally spoke, “I’m leaving town.”
“Wait, what?” Emily sat back, her face a mixture of genuine concern and fear. “Did Ingrid and Thomas kick you out? I can’t believe they’d do that, but it doesn’t mean you have to leave, Becs. You can stay here with me. My parents would totally take you.”
Rebecca lifted a hand and placed it on Emily’s arm, cutting her off. “It’s ok Emily, Ingrid and Thomas didn’t kick me out. I’m choosing to leave.”
Emily’s face fell. “No, you can’t leave,” she implored. “I don’t know what I’d do without you here.”
Rebecca let her hand fall back into her lap, the sorrow tearing at her heart. “I have to do this, Emily. I need to…I’m going to find my parents.”
Emily’s jaw dropped, “They’re alive? You know where they are?”
“Kind of yes, kind of no, but for the first time ever I have hope, and I have to see if it’s possible to find them.”
Emily was silent for a moment as she searched her friend’s eyes. When she finally spoke, her voice was a shaky whisper. “I’m going to miss you…a lot.”
Rebecca feebly smiled at her friend in an effort to stop her tears, “I’m going to miss you too. But I’ll write to you when I can, and maybe some day I’ll be able to come back, or you can come find me.”
“ Maybe ?” Emily furrowed her brow in mock anger.
Rebecca chuckled, “No, I promise. We will see each other again.”
Emily brought her pinky up. Immediately Rebecca wrapped her own little finger around it, then pulled her friend into a tight hug. Emily had been her other half for three years now, and knowing that she would no longer be there made Rebecca feel horribly empty inside.
After a long moment, they pulled away and Rebecca saw Emily try to hide her face as she wiped away a tear. “Damnit, I was having such a good night before you showed up.”
Rebecca smiled ironically as they both stood up from the bed. “Sorry.”
When they reached the window, Rebecca turned toward Emily. “Thank you...for everything. I want you to know that no matter what, I’ll always think of you as my sister.”
Emily smiled up at her closest friend, “And you mine.”
After one more long hug, Rebecca slipped back out the window, grabbed her bag, and rode her bike toward town.
* * *
“There was the smallest part of me that worried you wouldn’t show.” Maverick said, leaning on the side of his old Ford truck. Rebecca slowed her bike to a stop in front of him.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say there were moments when I nearly turned back.”
Maverick walked over and helped her throw her bike and bag in the back of the truck. “Then you remembered you were coming to me, and it kept you going.”
Rebecca rolled her eyes and shook her head, choosing not to
“So, to what do I owe the honor of this highly-random late night visit?”
“I needed to talk to you…” Rebecca cut off, unsure of how to continue. For some reason, it wasn’t until now that the realization of her immanent departure finally hit her. The thought of never seeing Emily again frightened her more than she’d thought possible.
“Did you do something bad again? I thought you told me you were over that faze of your life.” Emily crossed her arms and gave Rebecca a disapproving stare.
Rebecca laughed, despite herself, and reached over to pull Emily’s crossed arms down, “No, mom. I didn’t do anything wrong or unlawful.”
“Well that’s good to hear, because I’d be an accomplice for hiding you, which would mean I’d go to jail too. I’m way too pretty for jail.”
Rebecca rolled her eyes dramatically, but couldn’t stop the sadness from creeping up in her chest. She sat silently for a moment, looking down at her hands in her lap, trying to find the right thing to say.
Emily’s face fell as she looked over at her friend, “Becs…are you alright?”
Rebecca met Emily’s stare and finally spoke, “I’m leaving town.”
“Wait, what?” Emily sat back, her face a mixture of genuine concern and fear. “Did Ingrid and Thomas kick you out? I can’t believe they’d do that, but it doesn’t mean you have to leave, Becs. You can stay here with me. My parents would totally take you.”
Rebecca lifted a hand and placed it on Emily’s arm, cutting her off. “It’s ok Emily, Ingrid and Thomas didn’t kick me out. I’m choosing to leave.”
Emily’s face fell. “No, you can’t leave,” she implored. “I don’t know what I’d do without you here.”
Rebecca let her hand fall back into her lap, the sorrow tearing at her heart. “I have to do this, Emily. I need to…I’m going to find my parents.”
Emily’s jaw dropped, “They’re alive? You know where they are?”
“Kind of yes, kind of no, but for the first time ever I have hope, and I have to see if it’s possible to find them.”
Emily was silent for a moment as she searched her friend’s eyes. When she finally spoke, her voice was a shaky whisper. “I’m going to miss you…a lot.”
Rebecca feebly smiled at her friend in an effort to stop her tears, “I’m going to miss you too. But I’ll write to you when I can, and maybe some day I’ll be able to come back, or you can come find me.”
“ Maybe ?” Emily furrowed her brow in mock anger.
Rebecca chuckled, “No, I promise. We will see each other again.”
Emily brought her pinky up. Immediately Rebecca wrapped her own little finger around it, then pulled her friend into a tight hug. Emily had been her other half for three years now, and knowing that she would no longer be there made Rebecca feel horribly empty inside.
After a long moment, they pulled away and Rebecca saw Emily try to hide her face as she wiped away a tear. “Damnit, I was having such a good night before you showed up.”
Rebecca smiled ironically as they both stood up from the bed. “Sorry.”
When they reached the window, Rebecca turned toward Emily. “Thank you...for everything. I want you to know that no matter what, I’ll always think of you as my sister.”
Emily smiled up at her closest friend, “And you mine.”
After one more long hug, Rebecca slipped back out the window, grabbed her bag, and rode her bike toward town.
* * *
“There was the smallest part of me that worried you wouldn’t show.” Maverick said, leaning on the side of his old Ford truck. Rebecca slowed her bike to a stop in front of him.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say there were moments when I nearly turned back.”
Maverick walked over and helped her throw her bike and bag in the back of the truck. “Then you remembered you were coming to me, and it kept you going.”
Rebecca rolled her eyes and shook her head, choosing not to
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