It's Just Rae

Prologue

The Crazy Beautiful Life of Raelyn Hayley Madsen

So, I'm just sitting in the living room, doing my homework, gnawing on the end of my highlighter (nasty habit, I know), just like any other day. But then Mom calls Addy, Zach, and me into the kitchen for dinner, and that's where it gets hairy. We all wander over to the wood-topped island in the center of the kitchen that we use as the table. As we all sit down, I notice how weird it is to see Zach's seat filled again. He's been away at Duke since September, so I've kind of gotten used to seeing the spot across from me empty. We're having spaghetti for dinner tonight, as usual. It's the only thing my mom can cook even remotely well, so she makes it in huge batches and we eat it for days. I'm about to dive into a huge bowl of the stuff when Mom tells us.

We're moving.

Leaving. Again.

I guess I should have expected it, I mean, we've been here for 3 whole years, my entire middle school career. It's about time my dad's company decides to move us to another random corner of the country. I'm fourteen years old, and I've lived in 5 different places. I was born in Annapolis, Maryland. We lived there until I was 4, and then ended up in New York for 2 years. Then we were in Melbourne, Australia, for 2 years, and after that, Carmel, CA for 2. Now we're in Raleigh, North Carolina. I liked it a lot here, too. I have a TON of friends, my parents finally let us get a dog, we're almost near some of our relatives, and I even got my first boyfriend here.

Oh, crap.

Jamey.

What am I gonna tell him?

Of all the times we've moved, I've never had a boyfriend to deal with. With my friends it's easy. Hey, I'm moving, but we can still text and you can make new friends and we can be BFFLs and all that. But a BOYFRIEND?

I'm sitting in Addy's and my room (the one downside of living here, other than the abundance of Jason Aldean fans: sharing a room with my twin sister, Adelyn, or Addy) and holding my BlackBerry trying to decide if I should call him now or tell him at Youth Group tonight or just wait until I see him tomorrow in second period. I'm just about to not reach a decision when the choice is made for me: my phone starts singing "Catch Me" by Demi Lovato, my ringtone for Jamey.

"Hey, Jamey..."

"Hey Rae? I was wondering if you needed a ride to Youth tonight."

"Uhm, I'm not sure..."

"Why do you sound so stressed out?"

"Well... It's nothing. I'll tell you later."

"No, what is it? I've got time."

That's Jamey for you, always making time for other people's problems. When he graduates from college he wants to spend a year in Africa on one of those well-building missions. How can I break up with this freaking angel?

"Well, my parents just told us that my dad's needed at a new branch of his company. So... we're moving."

"What? Where?"

"...to London."

"Tell me London is some small town a few miles away from here that I've never heard of."

"Okay, London is a small town a few miles away from here that you've never heard of!"

He laughs, and luckily some of the tension breaks.

"But seriously, do you mean... London, England?"

"Uh, yeah. That one."

"So, when are you leaving?"

"A-sap, my dad says, so probably in a few weeks, maybe a month?"

"This sucks."

"Yeah, it does. But yeah, can I have a ride to youth?"

"Oh, yeah, of course. See you in fifteen minutes."

"Ohkay. Thanks, Jamey."

"No problem, Rae."

Ugh! 

Why is he taking this so well!

I wish he would break up with me so I didn't have to, because I honestly know that long-distance relationships NEVER work.

NEVER.

Whatever happens, right now I'm just going to find my peacoat so I can leave the house without freezing to death and go to youth.