Close As Strangers | Luke Hemmings

Chapter 3

Allyson's POV

Only yesterdayit was that I was told I'm moving to Australia.

Australia. One if the worlds most desirable countries. A country far away from home. A place making a huge distance between Mitch and myself as well as the place that kept all my memories.

I let out a sigh before taking another spoonful if cereal and shoving it into my mouth.

"Allyson, come on dear. Don't be so upset. I know you're disappointed but cheer up a little."

Mum tried to make me feel better about moving but it definitely wasn't working. "Sweetie, you have three days until we leave, you should start packing your stuff," she suggested.

I finished the last bit of cereal in my bowl before standing up and putting it in the sink of dirty dishes. "I know, mum. I'll do it now." With that, I left the kitchen and headed upstairs towards my room. I plopped myself on my bed and stretched my legs- just thinking about life in general.

That's when it hit me. Mitch. I wasn't going to see Mitch ever again - most likely. My only best friend I ever had in my entire life.

--FLASHBACK--

"Hey," I greeted Mitch over the phone.

"Allysonnnn. We haven't talked in ages! So, what's up?" he said popping the 'p'.

I was hesitant to reply. What would his reaction be? Would he be mad at me or upset? Happy? I let out a sigh before opening my mouth to speak. But before I could say anything, Mitch spoke up.

"Alysson," he said slowly. "What's wrong? I can sense your anxiety over the phone, and I know something is definitely not right." His concern for me making me feel even worse about the situation.
"Um, Mitch?" I almost felt like crying until I no longer had eyes.
"Yeah?" he responded cautiously.
"We're moving..." I trailed off. I expected a 'what?' or 'when?' but all I received was silence. Dead silence. "Mitch?" Still no reply. Fortunately, he didn't end the call so we just sat there listening to each others breathing; and I noticed Mitch was taking deep, long breaths.

"Where to?" He asked, all seriousness in his tone.

"Huh?" I replied confused. I'd almost forgotten what we were talking about since we weren't even talking for a good ol' five minutes. Immediately after my confusion, I caught up with what he was talking about. "Oh, right. We're moving to Australia," I was expecting either more silence or a few phrases that indicated that he was in shock or extremely upset. However, unexpectedly, the line went dead.

He ended the call.

My best friend cut the line when I was the one suffering through the worst of times.

Soon, my cheeks were damp from all the tears that had dribbled down them. At the moment, the tears of sadness were still rolling down my cheeks.

--END OF FLASHBACK--

I went up to the attic to grab an empty suitcase. I only needed one since Dad said I didn't have to take many clothes because I could buy new ones; but really, I wanted to stick with the ones I currently have to keep in mind the memories of Chicago.

When I finally managed to carry the heavy suitcase into my room, I placed it on my bed and sat on the floor, leaning my back against the outer area of the bed. I grabbed my phone and dubiously tapped the screen to call Mitch. He was the only person I could ever talk to, the only person who I knew who'd understand me.

When I dialed his number, I received the same message that I'd received all the other times I tried to call him. "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try and call later." Hearing the same high-pitched voice repeatedly was driving me insane.