Just the Two of Us

Goodbye, Ellison

December 20, 2017

"We've got everything packed to go, right?" Mom hollers from upstairs.

"Yep," Steve, my step-dad counts the cardboard boxes. "Twelve in total!"

I try to tune out the words, the reality that we are moving and nestle against our couch. I have been restless for almost three days. The fact of moving to Seattle and leaving my perfect life behind was, well, nerve-wracking.

Here, let me rewind a little bit.

My name is Sydney. I am 15 years old sophomore in high school.

Ellison, my best friend, has been friends with me since fifth grade. In high school, our lives took a dramatic turn. We decided to change our closets into a completely different style. No more my little pony or princess crowns, it was all crop tops and ripped jeans, denim blue jackets, and Converses. And yes, we became the "popular" group.

For one thing, I have never thought of myself as the pretty and cute type, until boys started asking me out. For another, I am the type where people are afraid to come too close to, and according to Ellison, I look too cool for losers. No. No. No. All wrong. Deep down, I never thought of the "nerds" or "freaks" category to be embarrassing to hang out with. In fact, sometimes I wanted to be just like them. Knowing the answers to the hideous problems the teachers gave out. Keeping their GPAs at 4.0, top of the whole grade.

But I guess Ellison kept me busy enough that I had no time to notice the things happening around me. We were living in our own small world, trapped under thick ice caps that made us hard to breathe. But we survived. Because all I really needed was Ellison, who taught me love, taught me friendship. She was the one who stayed up all night hushing me to sleep when my first boyfriend broke up with me. She was my warm blanket that draped over my shivering shoulders that night when my parents fought. She was my everything and I was her everything.

How could this be true? How could we be separated...

"Sydney! Sydney!"

I blink twice and look up. Mom is towering over me.

"It's time to go, sweetie. The moving van is here already."

"Oh, um," I struggle to find the words. "Would you mind if I take another minute to call Ellison?"

Mom's foot taps twice on the tiled floors before she exhales deeply. "Make it fast okay? They are waiting."

I nod and swallow hard before dialing the numbers.

"Sydney?" She asks uncertainly.

I shiver furiously and try to wrap myself deeper into my extra large hoodie. "Yeah, it's me."

I hear her whimper. "I'm so sorry I couldn't stop by your house today to say one last goodbye. You know it, Sydney, I'm going to miss you so much. This place will never be the same without you."

"I-" My throat catches itself. "Before I leave, I wanted to let you know...thank you for the amazing 5 years and...if I ever have time I'll make sure to come to visit you," I whisper.

The sound of her breathing makes the back of my hairs tingle. "Sydney..." She cries hard. "We'll still keep in touch when you move to Seattle right?"

"Of course, silly."

"And promise me that even if you make new friends at your new school that we will still remain best friends."

I giggle. "I promise."

"Sydney!" Mom calls from the front yard.

My head swivels over to the door. "Coming!"

"Listen, I got to go. But when I get to Seattle I'll call you back, ok?"

"Ok. Be sure to tell me what it's like over there. Send me some postcards, will you?"

"For sure."

I am about to hang up when I hear Ellison's desperate voice on the other end.

"Wait, Sydney."

"Mhm?"

"Good luck."

I smile and pucker my lips. "Well... I guess it's goodbye for real, huh?"

She pauses for a moment in silence. "You never know, Sydney. Maybe one day...I'll move to Seattle. Maybe, just maybe, we will go to the same college. Then we'll stay together forever, huh?"

I knew she was joking, that we had to be joking. But I clung onto her words like it was the last hope we had.

"Goodbye, Ellison," I breathe, the wind swallowing my voice.

"Goodbye Sydney," her voice echoes on the other end.