"Boarding school?!" Marilynn shrieks over the phone. I had made up the lie that my mom surprised me tonight by telling me I was going to boarding school.
"What am I going to do without you? You can't leave!"
"I'm really sorry. If I had known I would have told you sooner."
"Why would your mom think it was a good idea to surprise you like this?"
"I guess she thought I would be happy."
"So is it an all girls school? Do you have to wear, like, a plaid skirt and knee high socks? Do all the teachers have their doctorate degrees? Is this punishment or something? Maybe your mom has a secret that she's keeping from you and she wants you gone."
"Trust me, all my mom's secrets are also mine. And no, there's boys there too. I don't think there's a uniform, so that's good. And I think this was a last minute decision for her. She said something about how they only take in students so many at a time."
"Like shipments?"
"Sure. Shipments. So the next 'shipment' is on Tuesday which is why I have to go now."
"Well, maybe we can hang out tomorrow. You know, take pictures and stuff. So that we can have one last memory together. God, I just can't believe I'm never going to see you again."
"Don't be so dramatic. I'm coming home for holidays. But, yeah, let's hang out tomorrow."
"Cool. Get up early so we have the whole day. I'll come pick you up around nine?"
"Okay."
"Okay."
There's a long pause before she speaks again.
"I don't want to say goodbye."
"I'll see you tomorrow."
"I know, I know. It just seems too real. Too soon."
"I'm sorry."
"For what? It's not your fault."
"I'm abandoning you."
"Stop. I'll be fine."
"Fine's not good enough. You're my best friend and now I'm just breaking the chain."
"Just because you're leaving doesn't mean you won't be my best friend anymore."
"You're right. You're the best best friend I could ask for."
"Same to you.... Well, I should probably get going. But I still don't want to say goodbye. You say it."
"Hello."
"Hello, Scarlet Bell."
YOU ARE READING
The Mismunandi
Teen Fiction"You have a gift that no one understands. I need you to know that I left to protect you three and your mother. To find answers. To find out what we are. To find out why we're here. You may not understand now, but someday, you will thank me. I love y...
