Love Your Neighbour

Chapter 20

The song is really fitting, so I would recommend listening to it if you haven't...
Song: Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson

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It had only been a week, and Marie was back.
"Thank you so much, again." She said, smiling at us all, and giving my mum a hug.
"It was a pleasure to have your boys in the house. They were very polite and well-mannered. We all enjoyed having them here." My my smiled and looked slightly side-ways at me when she said the last sentence.

"We always had to go at some point, sorry." Mike had a sad smile on his face. I tried not to look at him again as it made me want to cry.
He's going next-door, don't be so silly, Lauren. NEXT-DOOR. It's not that far.
But I knew that he wouldn't be that far away so I could always go over to his house and he could come over, but I felt like we were breaking up for some reason.
"It's so sad we won't see you again in a week. We'll be off."
"Wait, what?" My mum asked her.
"Didn't the boys tell you? No? Oh, we're moving, to Wales, Steve's just got a new job that won't mean he's away so much if we all move." She smiled unsure of how we would I react.
I froze. My heart started to beat really fast, my mouth went dry and I felt like I was going to be sick, and I meant that I felt literally about to throw up. I didn't dare look at Mike, I felt like I might throw myself at him and give him a massive hug and kiss him and tell him to stay. And I didn't want to do that in front of everyone else.

"Surely you would have realised? People have been collecting our furniture all last week." Great.
"Oh, that's what it was. I thought they were delivering." I said, interrupting her. More great stuff kept happening every day.
"Oh, no, dear. We're moving..." She smiled sadly.
Okay, they were moving. And now, I felt as if I would fall to pieces in their absence. I would miss Mike, but it could be a long distance relationship.
It was as if I had to reassure myself, instead of getting someone else to.
"Well, for now, goodbye!" My mum opened the door for them and Mike grabbed my hand and stuffed something into it.
"Mike?" His mum called him.
Mike gave me one last look, his dark eyes scrutinising mine, and I hoped it wouldn't be the last time he looked at me like that.
And with that, they were gone.
It seemed like they had only just got here and were already gone.
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"So, anyone want to watch TV?"
"Yeah, to take my mind off things." I really didn't want to retreat up to my room and listen to music. It was the most depressing thing I could've done, so I sat down reluctantly next to my mum as she turned on the news.

I tried not to groan.
"The news is important!"
"Why are they moving? And why didn't Mike tell me?" I asked her.
"What did he put into your hand?"
"You noticed that, huh?"
"Let's stop asking questions. He wants to see you."
"Yep. Tonight, at half past eight, but I don't want to see him."
"You should go. Your father will be back by then, but I'll persuade him to let you go out. You're not a child anymore..." She giggled and gave me a hug.
I breathed out and leaned into her embrace.
"So, what do you want to do now?"
"I think I'm going to go depress myself with sad movies and eat ice-cream." I got up and made my way to the freezer.
She laughed, walking past me to the DVD player.
"I'm afraid we don't have any ice-cream." She said. I stopped mid-step on my way to the kitchen.
"No ice-cream, no Mike. Life is so unfair." I said.

She looked at me seriously.
"How can you possibly compare them?"