“How long?” Bree presses. “How long has this been going on?”
“Since last August.” I hang my head. “We met before school began.”
“Oh, Kitty, you’ve been with him for almost a year and you didn’t tell me? Don’t you trust me?”
“I do, Bree. I swear it had nothing to do with you. There was just too much at stake for both of us. Please understand.”
She gives me a sympathetic look. “Oh honey, you’re in love with him, aren’t you? It’s written all over your face.”
“Yeah,” I sniff.
She pulls me into a hug. “What happened? Why did you guys break up?”
“I really don’t want to talk about it right now. I swear I’ll give you all the details soon, just not now. Okay?”
Dylan surrounds us with his arms and nuzzles into my head. “Why don’t we blow off the bonfire and have a mini graduation party just between the three of us?”
I put my arm around his waist. “That sounds perfect.”
“THAT’S THE LAST ONE.”
I’ve just finished loading the final moving box into my car. I’m not taking much; mainly clothes and stuff. I bought an older, yet reliable, 4Runner with my savings so, thankfully, I have room for cargo. Plus, I won’t have to worry about my vehicle breaking down on the way. That’s always a plus.
“I can’t believe you’re leaving me,” Bree whines.
“It’s only a month,” I say. “I want to get into town before everyone else so I have a better chance of finding a job. I’ve been looking online; several coffee shops around campus are hiring right now.”
“Why do you need a job right now? They gave you a full ride.” Bree is perched on the hood of my car so I jump up to join her.
“Not completely,” I correct her. “My scholarship only covers tuition, the room, and books. Well, once classes start anyway. I’m paying out of pocket for early admission to the dorms. Then I’ll need to cover my own personal expenses on top of that.”
“But didn’t you save a bunch of money from the club? Can’t you use that to pay for your car insurance and stuff?”
“I could…for a while at least, but I need to stay busy, Bree. Being idle isn’t a good thing for me right now.”
“But SFS is right across the bridge! You’ll have me to keep you occupied!”
I laugh at the pouty look on her face. “Honey, we’re not going to be able to see each other every day with our class schedules, especially when traffic’s bad. Plus, I’m sure you’ll meet new people you’ll want to hang out with.”
She frowns. “None that will be as good as you.”
“Ditto. You’ll always be my favorite.” I pull her into a side hug.
Our heads are pressed together while we watch the sun setting. The elevation is a little higher the further you go back, so my complex has a distant peekaboo view of the ocean. Orange rays peek through a break in the clouds and warm my face. I’d like to think it’s some sort of sign that I won’t always be so sad.
“Pretty sunset tonight,” I remark. “I’m gonna miss seeing it disappear into the sea.”
“The sun sets over the bay too, Kitty,” Bree reminds me. “You’re the one who told me how pretty it was when you went down there with…uh, never mind.”
I give her a sad smile. “It’s okay, Bree. You can say his name. It’s not like I’m going to forget about him any time soon.” I don’t think I’ll ever forget about him. “It’s different though when you don’t have a city surrounding you. It seems so much bigger here.”
“Yeah, I can see that,” she agrees. “Are you having regrets about leaving?”
I shake my head. “God, no. I need to get out of here. I’ve lived in the same town my whole life, Breanna. It’s time to start the next chapter. Especially after recent events. I’m the new and improved Kat Kennedy now. I should have a new city to go along with that.”
She bumps her shoulder into mine. “I liked the old Kat too, just for the record.”
“I know you did, babe. But I can’t be her anymore. Not after everything Gavin showed me was possible.” My eyes blur as I stare off into the distance. “There’s no going back after that.”