“What?” I asked, momentarily confused.

“You’re leaving, right?” she asked, setting her computer to the side.

“What? How? Did you tap my phone?” I asked.

“No, you turd. I can tell by your face. You’ve been a Debbie Downer for the last two weeks, and suddenly you burst into my room like you just won the lottery. It took you long enough to decide,” she added, glaring at me.

“You knew. How did you know when I didn’t even know?”

“Oh please. You talk about Seattle like it’s your mother ship, and Justin like he’s your alien lover or something. I can’t believe you waited this long.”

“Waited this long?” I asked. “I thought you would think I was a total ass for moving across the country for some guy who broke my heart. Not to mention, I have no idea how I’m going to tell my mom or Ms. Miller, who finally offered me the job yesterday. I’ll be leaving a lot behind,” I added defensively.

“Your mom will recover, and Ms. Miller will have to hire someone else.”

“Yeah, but what about you?”

“Brittni, seriously? I’ve known you’d be leaving since you got home. I’ve had two weeks to adjust to the idea. I’ll miss you like a pussycat misses her tomcat, but I get it. Dicks before chicks,” she smirked, tossing a pillow at me.

“Gah, you’re so crude,” I stated, returning her smile. “Are you sure you’ll be okay? Maybe you should move to Seattle with me.”

She snorted loudly. “I could never leave Deadfalls. It’s in my blood. I know I make fun of it, but I love this old town. I’m going to miss your twat-face though, and you better not forget about me,” she said. She stood and gave me a ferocious hug.

“I love you,” I said, squeezing her tight.

“I love you too.”

I left my best friend behind a few minutes later after she promised to box up my belongings for me. My next stop was the school, where I turned down the job offer. With a few hours to kill, I went home and packed everything I could into my car, knowing Tressa would send me the rest. I contacted my landlord, Mr. James, and thanked him for renting me his loft. By four o’clock, I was ready to go with only one other person left to tell. I was just pulling into the driveway of the house I’d spent the first eighteen years of my life in when my mom pulled into the driveway next to me.

“You’d think I wouldn’t be the last to know,” she said, looking at my carload of belongings.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I wanted to wait until you got off work to break the news to you,” I said, following her into the house with a lump in my throat.

“He knows I’ll hunt him down if he breaks your heart again, right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I answered.

“And I won’t tolerate sporadic visits like when you were in college, you hear me?”

“Yes, Mom,” I said, grinning with relief that she was willing to let me go. I had been so sure it would be a battle, but I was right, the strings just needed to be untied.

“And I wish you would wait until morning to go, but I can tell by the determined look on your face there’s no talking you out of this.”

“No, ma’am,” I confirmed, giving her a hard hug that she returned wholeheartedly. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too,” she said, walking me to my car. “You better call as soon as you stop for the night, and no driving past eleven, since that’s when the drunks hit the road.”

“Promise,” I agreed, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before climbing into my car.

Maybe it was the finality of leaving, but backing out of the driveway, I suddenly felt more love for my mom than I ever had. Not because she was letting me go, but because she had always accepted me for who I was. Finally, I realized I owed her that in return. The GPS indicated my destination was thousands of miles away, but I didn’t care because I knew I was going home. The sign telling me to visit Woodfalls again soon came into sight, and I laughed openly when I drove past it.

36.

Present Day

I was a hundred miles into my trip when Justin called. Wanting to keep my news secret, I lied and told him I was on my way to the city to see a movie with Tressa. It killed me not to tell him the truth, but I bit my tongue. Heeding my mom’s warning, I pulled into the parking lot of a hotel at around eleven o’clock. I made sure to call to let her know I was off the road. I was so amped I could hardly sleep, and by six the next morning, I was back on the road. My car ate up each mile as if it sensed my hurry. The only time I stopped was to fill up on gas, make quick bathroom breaks, and to hit a drive-through. The day passed quickly and by eleven that night, after twenty-four hours of driving time, I was more than halfway there. I was giddy with excitement, knowing that soon I would be back in Justin’s arms.

I looked at my phone after I checked into my hotel room, feeling guilty that I had let his nightly call go to voice mail. I was afraid I couldn’t trust myself not to blurt out the truth. Listening to the voice mail made me feel even worse. He sounded lonely, but the result would be worth it. I sent him a text message saying I was sorry I missed his call and that I would talk to him tomorrow. Sleep came easier than it had the night before. As excited as I was, I guess all the driving had me exhausted. Even the buzz I maintained all day from sucking down one Red Bull after another was long gone. I lay down on the bed, intending to rest my eyes for a minute before showering. Before I knew it, I was awakened by the jingle of my cell phone sitting on the bed next to me. Luckily I had remembered to set the alarm before I crashed. I still had on the same clothes from the day before, but I felt surprisingly refreshed. After a quick shower, I hit the road before the sun came up.

Tags: Tiffany King Woodfalls Girls Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net