Alex stood at her gate with her carry on. Her mom dropped her off and left. Loving. She looked up at the screen. Her flight was delayed. Perfect. She sighed and turned. She froze when she saw a mob of people standing behind her. Stefan was front and center with a sign that read 'We'll miss you, Alex!' She smiled at them as she walked over.
It was the girls, her basketball team, and majority of the Mooseheads. She felt a mixture of sadness and relief rush through her when she didn't see Nathan. She wanted him to be there and to apologize for everything. She wanted him to promise they would actually work out this time and he would actually try. She also never wanted to see him again. She wanted to go away for a fresh start and pray she never ran into him again.
She hugged Stefan first. She was fighting tears as she did so. He must have noticed the heavy sigh she let out because he hugged her tighter. She hugged all the girls next. Most of them were crying which made her tear up a bit. She worked her way through the boys who had made their way out to see her. Zach lifted and spun her in a hug. She smiled during it.
The last person she had to say goodbye to was Jo. For some reason, it was the most difficult for her. She felt like it was because he lost Nathan the same time and way she did. Sure, Nathan and Jo kept in touch, but it was hard for both of them at first. Jo had almost been her backbone while Nathan was away. Jo made sure that she wouldn't crawl back to him after all this. Jo kept her strong.
Alex watched as Jo pulled away from Leah who was frowning as he held her. He walked towards Alex and pulled her into a hug. She broke down by then. He held her close as she blubbered into his chest. She gripped his shirt with her hands as she finally let her emotions out. She didn't want to leave all the people she loved. He pulled away, grabbing her face. She continued to cry as he made her look him in the eyes.
"He's gonna be all over, Jo." She cried. "His face and his name are going to be everywhere."
"You're strong enough to avoid him." Jo reassured her. "And if you decide to go back, I'll still support you one hundred percent. I'm proud of you."
"We're all really fucking proud of you!" Mack exclaimed.
Alex smiled as she wiped her face. She walked away from Jo and over to Mack. She kissed his cheek before he pulled her into a hug. She laughed as his lips pressed to her forehead. She eventually pulled away as the overhead said it was time for her flight to board. She took a deep breath as she backed away from the group.
"I'll miss you guys." She confessed.
"Text all of us when you land." Stefan demanded.
She nodded as she turned to face the gate. The group waited for her to be out of view before they left the airport. They all went their separate ways, but not for long. They were almost like a pact.
They all got together the next night to skype with Alex for her first night in Denver. She told them about her dorm and how she had a roommate name Erica. She also told them about the friends she made across the hall. One's name was Kya and the other was Alexa. She laughed at the fact that her and Alexa had similar names.
Two weeks were left of summer. Well, of Nathan's summer. He decided to make a visit to Alex before he left. He needed to see her once more before he left and he figured he could try multiple times for the next two weeks. He drove to her house and froze when he saw a for sale sign on the front lawn. He did more than freeze, he freaked. He didn't think he had ever gotten to Jo's house so quickly. He pounded on the front door before it opened. Nathan paced back and forth in front of a confused Jo.
"Where's Alex?" Nathan finally spoke. "I went to her house and it's for sale."
"Yeah because her mom didn't need that big house for just herself anymore." Jo explained.
