Trust me, babe

Chapter 14

Kenzie

"Our little Kenzie is already so grown up!" Mom fussed, pulling me into a tight hug. "I can't believe she's flying all the way to Sydney all by herself!"

"She's not all by herself, Sadie. Jacky is going to be there with her," Dad noted, patting Mom's back. "She'll be fine."

"I'm sure she will," Mom said, holding me at arms length and caressing my cheek with her thumb. "It's just so weird to think she won't be here by the time we get home from work."

Mom's fussing wasn't helping the nerves building up inside me. She had been like this all morning causing butterflies to slowly start taking over my stomach. Now she and Dad were about to leave and Sasha was supposed to come pick me up while they were at work.

"Come here, Kenzie," Dad said, pulling me into a hug and patting my back. "Have fun! And don't forget to send us some pictures every once in a while."

"Of course," I replied as he let go of me.

"Oh my darling Kenzie. I'll miss you," Mom sighed, wiping her eyes.

"I'll miss you, too," I said.

"Well, time to get going now, Sadie," Dad said, placing his hand on Mom's back and guiding her out of the house. I stood at the door and waved at them while they got in the car. Then they drove away and I stepped back inside, closing the door behind me.

I walked to the living room where Susanna was sitting and slumped in my favourite armchair by the window. Then I burst into tears. She jumped up immediately, hurrying over and wrapping me in her arms.

"Oh Kenzie," she said.

Leaving her made me the saddest. She was the one I would miss the most. And Sasha of course, but with her I didn't have to fear she wouldn't be here for me anymore once I got back. But now that I was leaving, it would make all the sense in the world for Susanna to leave and start a proper life of her own.

Most of the time I still had before Sasha arrived went by so that I was crying, wrapped in Susanna's arms. Then, once Sasha sent a message saying she left and would be here soon, I went to the bathroom and washed my face with cold water, trying to calm down. Once I was calm enough, I gathered my stuff and hugged Susanna, making her promise she would call me every day. Then I stepped outside with my bags and waited for Jacky and Sasha to arrive.

Jacky had to take a taxi to my house and he had suggested we'd take a taxi all the way to the airport but Sasha had insisted on driving us there. She'd said she wanted to be with us as long as she could. Mainly, so that she could pretend she was coming along, but also to spend time with me as much as possible before I'd leave her alone for weeks.

Sasha was the first to arrive, which didn't really surprise me. She was always so precise while Jacky, on the other hand, rarely made it on time anywhere. She jumped out of her tiny car and rushed over to hug me.

"I'm so jealous!" she exclaimed. "I miss Kathryn so much and you get to see her again!"

"I wish you could come, too. It would be a lot more fun if all three of us were together again," I replied.

"You need to keep me updated," she said. "Now that you get to spend time with her, you'll be able to see if she's been keeping up a facade during our FaceTime calls. I want you to tell me if she is actually doing a lot worse than what she has shown us."

I nodded. Typical Sasha, always wanting to make sure she was doing the best she could to help her loved ones. It meant that she could be a bit nosy at times but really, that was what made her so awesome. If she cared about you, you knew she truly cared and she would do everything in her might to help you.