I Promise You

(7) Starting Over, Starting Now

"I have been thinking" I said as I entered the living room, where my parents were sitting on the couch, watching a movie on the laptop. "About what?" Mom asked, pausing the movie and dad put the laptop down beside him on the couch. "I need to get away from here" I said and they looked shocked at me. "Ho- How do you mean that?" My mom asked scared. "I want to take a time off from Morrison Creek and live in England for a while. With the family Uncle Will lived with when he was over there as a teenager. I already gave them a call and they would be more than happy to be my hosts" I told them.

I had this entire trip planned out, I just needed their okay's. I just couldn't stay in this house, this neighborhood, this town right now. I felt like around every corner would be a sibling of mine. I've gotten so paranoid that I wouldn't even get closer to Alden from the Christmas party in fear he might be related to me. Sure he didn't look like me or shared my last name, but neither do any of my siblings. Evie and  Ronnie had their mom's last name, their mom's hair color and eye color, even their skin color matches. Same goes for Lennon Germaine. She had nothing in common with me. Brandon Fitzgerald had the same hair color as me, but that's about it and I don't even wanna start with Cindra Hunter. The most features in common I have with my ex-boyfriend and half-brother Lars Harper. We had the same hair color and almost the same eyes, even if we got them from our mothers. Even my brother I share both parents with looks nothing like me.

He had blond hair and blue eyes. The only way I could look like that was hair dye and colorful contacts.

I needed to get out of here. To a place I knew no one at. A place my parents haven't been yet, so I thought London might be the best thing and I think a little distance would do my relationship to my parents good as well.

"I don't know Promise" My mom said and I groaned "I need to get out of here before I tell Evie and Ronnie, because I'm definitely the wrong person to tell them! That has to be you and Monica, so I'm asking you, please let me go!" I was almost ready to beg them. But then they told me that they are going to think about it and I was happy with that answer for now.

The next morning my parents asked me downstairs to talk. They were sitting next to each other, holding each others hands. They had an serious face expression on. "Your dad and I talked" Mom started and I just listened. "You may go to England and you will live with the Lewis family. Not the people Will lived with, but their daughter and her family. And before you are so happy, Reese is gonna go to London as well with husband and son, so you have like an aunt there, when you need to get out of there or just want to see a familiar face" She said and I was thrilled. I didn't even care that they sent a babysitter to go with me, I was just thrilled to see more of the world and to get out of here for a few months.

"And we will Skype at least once a week" Dad added and I nod. "I can live with that!" I said, jumped up and hugged the two of them. "Then get packing. Your flight leaves tomorrow at noon" Mom said and I ran up the stairs to my room happy. I couldn't believe that I was actually allowed to go to London.

Back in my room, I immediately started packing. "Are you leaving?" My brother asked, standing in the door. I turned around and looked at him "Yes, I'm going, but I still love you" I said and went to hug him. "Why are you leaving?" He asked and I went to sit down on my couch, he sat down beside me. "You know how life gets complicated when you get older?" I asked and he nod. "For it's at a point, where I want to get out of the town for a while. Mom, Dad and maybe even you might be okay with living in this small town, but... but for me, this isn't enough. This town isn't enough. I want to see the world and I wanna start now and not wait three years till I'm done with High School" I told him and he nod understanding.

"I will miss you" He said and hugged me. "I will miss you too, buddy" I said and kissed the top of  his head "But I gotta continue packing!" I said and got up. I went back to packing, while my brother watched me. "When did you plan to tell us?!" I heard a familiar voice and turned around. Evie and Ronnie were standing in the door frame with their arms crossed. "Hey, I was going to call you!" I told them, hoping it was calming them down. "When? From the airport or from London?!" Ronnie asked. "I'm sorry, I just asked my parents yesterday and they booked my flight for tomorrow. It wasn't my choice!" I told them, continuing packing.

"But you could have told us that you were planning to go!" Evie said, sounding a little hurt, which I could understand, but I couldn't look at her without feeling guilty and the same with Ronnie. "I didn't know how" I said, avoiding looking into their faces. "Can we help you pack?" Evie asked. "If you want to, but I'm almost done" I said and closed the second suitcase. "Who will you stay with?" Ronnie asked, sitting next to my brother, doing a clapping game with him. "The Lewis family. Will lived with them when he went to visit London, well with their parents" I told them and sat down on my bed next to Evie.

"England isn't on the other end of the world. We can still text" I told them, but they didn't seem so thrilled about that. "But our best friend won't be here!" Evie said and I hugged her. "You got your sister here, I'll be all alone over seas. Well, I have Mike and that's about it. I haven't even met the Lewis kids yet" I told them. "But you won't replace us as your best friends, right?" Ronnie asked. "Of course not!" I told them. Ronnie got up and sat down next to me and the three of us hugged. Caleb didn't take long and came over as well and joined in on that hug.

The next day the entire family met up at the airport to tell me goodbye. Once I hugged myself through my entire family, I was standing with Henry. "How am I going to survive without you?" He asked and I giggled and placed my right hand on his left shoulder. "You're strong and amazing and perfect just the way you are! Don't let them take you down buddy!" I said and pulled him closer to hug him. We have grown quite close over the past few weeks or months.

"Bye Clare" He said and I pulled away "Promise" I said with a smile. "Promise" He answered with a smile and stepped away. I hugged Evie and Ronnie for the last time, then went to the security and turned around. All of them waved. "Got the whole neighborhood to say goodbye?" The woman that checked me asked. "No, just my family" I said and was looking into her shocked face. I laughed on the inside.