The Bad Boy Effect

Chapter 40: This Is Not Goodbye

I sit on my bed, looking around my room. All of the pictures are taken down, the bed is bare, my closet is empty. My entire room is empty except for all of the boxes and my bed which I still need to pack. It's insane that it's been three weeks. In my hands I hold my high school diploma and my graduation cap. They're both in the same frame. I stand up and set the frame on top of the box. I've resigned from Ray's Joint, and Meagan and I are moving today.

We start our first semester in September, but we found an apartment already that is pretty cheap. It's in a nice neighborhood and it has a lovely view of the college. I'm excited for Stanford, I really am. But I'm also a little sad. I'm leaving everything I know to go there. I know that my home is only 358 miles away, but it's a long drive. We have a long drive ahead of us.

Cole threw me a going away party, and all of my friends were there. It was a pretty small group of friends that were there, but then again I wasn't exactly popular. I smile a little. I'm really going to miss home. I rub my hands on my tattered capris and walk out of my bedroom and down the stairs.

Arran and Justin are here to help get stuff onto my moving truck. Tony and Robbie are with Meagan to help her. Justin and Allie leave in a few weeks to go to Harvard. We all made a promise that we would keep in touch with each other and that we would try and visit each other often. I just don't know if that promise is going to stick.

I walk down and into Arran's arms as he hugs me tightly. He kisses my forehead and smiles.

"You ready to move shorty?" he asks as he raises an eyebrow. I wipe a tear away from my eye.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I smile.

Justin, Arran, Cole, and I walk up the stairs and start to bring boxes down one by one. I make sure to grab my clothes box and the boxes with all of my embarrassing possessions (Could you imagine the horror of your boyfriend finding your stuffed Unicorn that you've had since you were two?). Arran and Justin carry the super heavy stuff and Cole starts to take the bed apart.

It's a sunny day and I can smell the salt from the ocean. It's my last day here in Santa Monica. At least until the 4th of July. That's when Meagan, Tony, Arran, and I are going to come back and watch the fireworks from the Pier. As I carry a box out, I hear a car door shut. I set the box inside of the moving truck and turn around to see Daniel.

"Hey Daniel!" I smile as I run to hug him. He hugs me back tightly and grins.

"What's up, Em?" he asks.

"Moving day," I grin.

"Ah, yes." he says thoughtfully. "That's why I came here."

"You going to help Cole with the bed?"

"Indeed I am." he grins. "Upstairs, right?"

"Yup." I say smiling.

Dad comes out and smiles. "Daniel, hello!"

"Hey, Mr. G!" Daniely smiles.

I guess I should clear up that Dad does know about Cole and Daniel. Cole came out to dad a few days after the party Arran threw in the woods. Dad didn't react as badly as we thought he would. He was actually very calm. When he met Daniel, he was as nice as ever and they hit it off. I'm glad because I've been getting along with Daniel great.

Dad shakes Daniel's hand and tells Daniel where Cole is. Daniel, already knowing this, smiles and nods his head saying a simple 'Thank you' and then disappears inside the house. Dad walks over to me and hugs me.

"I'm gonna miss you Emma Gemma." he says as he squeezes me in a big bear hug.

"I'm going to miss you too dad. I promise I'll visit often." I whisper.