Ridiculous. That was the first word that came to my mind when my parents sat our family down for a meeting during dinner.
"As you all know....summer is officially here!" exclaimed my mom.
My brother and I stared at my mom for a few seconds until my brother Andy broke the awkward silence.
"Andddd??" Andy sarcastically asked as he pushed his food around on his plate.
"Well..." Dad said as he took over the meeting, "We've decided to move back home!"
I swallowed my food slowly. "Move? You want to live in Beaux Bridges?" I asked as I raised my eyebrows and stuffed green beans into my mouth.
"Well, now that your grandfather's getting old, he needs some help taking care of the farm..." my mom explained
"Mom! Dad! Do you realize how illogical this is? I'm about to start senior year and you're making me move?" Andy complained
"Well, son I don't understand. You both seemed to like it when we used to live there." said my dad
I chimed in. "But dad, we were little kids. We weren't teenagers! It's different now..."
"Well," said my dad,"my authority is final. And that's that!."
Andy didn't say anything. He simply stood up from the table without taking his dish to the sink or pushing in his chair. He just left. No screaming. No arguing. He was gone and only my parents and I remained at the table.
"So are you okay with this honey?" my mom asked curiously
"Fine. Sounds great!" I responded in a higher pitched voice.
"Good...I'm glad one child's excited!" My satisfied mother walked over to the dishwasher. Dad went to stretch out on the couch.
Fine? That was a total lie. I was far from fine. How could I simply pick up and leave everything? My house? My school? My friends? Colby. I had totally forgotten about Colby. I snuck up to my room so I could call him. Let me tell you a little bit about Colby. I moved to Garner, North Carolina from Beaux Bridges when I was about thirteen years old. I remember my first day of lunch at the new school. I wouldn't consider thirteen year old girls the epitome of nice. Fearing rejection, I went and sat at a table alone in the corner. I stared down at my lunch tray as I tried to avoid eye contact with everyone. But, when I looked up, there was a boy sitting directly across from me. He had curly dirty blonde hair and green eyes.
"Is this seat taken?" he asked quietly
"No. No." I said quietly
We didn't talk much that day, but it was almost as if our bare presence kept each other company. Each day I would return to that corner table, but he also returned to that table every day. After a few silent lunches, I finally decided to spark up conversation.
"So are you new here? I asked
Colby didn't respond. He only stared quietly at his plate. Maybe he didn't hear me....I thought to myself. I coughed to let him know I existed, yet he still was unresponsive. I coughed again. Nothing. I cleared my throat. Nothing. Finally, I let out a loud moan.
Colby slowly lifted his head up and shifted his gaze toward me. "Are you alright?"
That's when I finally knew what his voice sounded like.
"Ya, I'm fine." I responded as I let out a kind smile.
Colby's gaze shifted back towards his food and I knew that making any effort to talk with this boy was hopeless. I slowly grabbed my backpack and stood up from the chair, trying to leave as quietly as possible. But then, my chair squeaked.
"Where are you going?" Colby asked with a worried look on his face.
"I guess no where now...." I sarcastically responded.
I couldn't believe it. I sat at that table for a continuous three weeks, yet he still wouldn't talk to me. Was he scared of me or something? It's not like I was intimidatingly beautiful. I was certain I was far from that.
Then, one day he finallly decided to talk to me. I'll admit that at first it was awkward. But every day, I would talk to him even more. Just through simple lunch conversations, he became my best friend. Ever since then, we've been inseparable.
"Are you kidding me???" Colby exclaimed through the phone
"I don't kid...." I said
"You mean to tell me that I only have two days left with you?" Colby asked with a worried voice.
"Yup..." I sighed
"You're gonna miss everything!. Football, prom, pep rallies, student council....."
I interrupted him "You're not helping Colby!"
"Sorry. Sorry. I'm just really gonna miss you." Colby whispered.
I felt a tear roll down my cheek. My voice became shaky. "I know."
"I'll tell you what..." Colby's voice relaxed me," The night before you leave is gonna be all for us. I'll plan it all out all you have to do is just show up and look pretty, like you always do."
He made me feel a little better. Because of Colby's comfort, I finally stopped crying.
"But, Colby, you have to promise me one thing."
"Anything."
"I want you to tell me everything that you haven't told me about yourself."
"I'll see you at seven." he said
"So do you promise?"
Before he could answer, Colby had already hung up the phone.
"See you at seven." I said into the phone even though he was already gone.
