Forever

Chapter One: Leaving

Finn looked up at the girl sitting in front of him. Her hazel-colored eyes were boring into him as though she could see his thoughts just as she always had. In the bright Orlando sunlight, the freckles scattered across her face seemed to turn gold. She tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear.

"So," she, Amanda, said. "It's going to be strange not seeing you every day."

"Yeah," Finn agreed. The two had spent nearly every waking moment together since the age of thirteen; riding bikes, talking for hours, visiting Disney World, meeting for ice cream. Finn recalled all the times he rescued her from the obsessive Greg Luowski, her not so secret admirer. He thought of all the times he had walked her back to the foster home she lived with her sister Jess, and even the one time they had shared a short kiss. "Definitely going to be weird."

"It'll be great not having to live in that stupid house with Mrs. Nash anymore, though," Amanda remarked, referring to the woman who cared for the foster girls.

"True," he said, laughing with her. He knew there was nothing funny about it, however, as Amanda and Jess had asked for his help numerous times in escaping the house, even if for only a day. "I'm going to miss you, Mandy."

"Aw, come on, Finn, don't get all sappy on me," she said. "If you cry I may have to leave without saying goodbye. I mean, I didn't even cry when you left me at prom to go on that 'mission' with your friends."

Finn and his friends- Willa, Philby, Maybeck, and Charlene- were not normal teenagers. They had been chosen by DIsney to become DHIs or Disney Hosts Interactive when they were thirteen. Not long after, they discovered that they could become their holographic selves at night after falling asleep and that Disney characters, both good and bad, were real. They had been tasked with saving the Disney Parks from the villains, or Overtakers, on multiple occasions.

This was not what was on Finn's mind, however. At the mention of prom, he couldn't help but think of how beautiful Amanda was in that red dress, the pounding of his heart as he danced with her, the way it had felt to kiss her...

"Earth to Finn!" he heard her say, snapping him out of the memory. "You okay? You seem a little off."

"All good," Finn said, smiling at her. "Just thinking about how I'm gonna have to hang out with Maybeck once you're gone because I'll be so lonely." He made a face, causing her to laugh.

"We'd better get to the airport," she said, checking her watch. "Jess will be waiting."

The drive to the airport was nice. Finn felt a bittersweet sort of nostalgia wash over him as he realized this might be the last time for a while he and Mandy would hang out like this. He glanced over at her as he drove, her window down and he hair whipping around her face as she sang along to their childhood songs.

Finn carried her one bag into the airport, holding her hand and squeezing it as they walked through the door.

Their relationship had been very hard to define these past few years. They had kissed a few times, held hands frequently, and seemed to share more than just a platonic relationship, but they had never admitted to anything. But Finn knew one thing for sure: he was in love with Amanda Lockhart.

Their relationship had always seemed to be on a ticking clock, though. He would get caught up in things with his friends, the Kingdom Keepers, and that neglect of their friendship would lead to fights. He had had to leave her stranded at prom due to urgent business with Disney Imagineers and now she was leaving him to go to a college on scholarships the Disney Company had provided. They were always running out of time.

So Finn had never said a word to Amanda about his true feelings, nor had she.

"I guess this is goodbye," Amanda said, looking up at him.

"No," he said, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "Just see you later. I'm going to miss you, Mandy."

"And I'll miss you, Finn," she said. She looked at him, her eyes seeming to beg him to say something more. When Finn didn't, however, she merely turned around and walked away.

Finn's heart started racing. It was now or never. Wouldn't he feel better knowing she knew how he felt before she slipped away, possibly forever?

"Mandy, wait!" he called. She turned around and gave him a questioning look.

Finn struggled to find the words on his tongue. He sighed inwardly, giving up. "Call me when you land," he said instead.

She smiled and nodded before walking away, leaving Finn staring after her until she was completely gone.