Raise Your Voice [lrh] (EDITING)

sixteen

I wake early, mostly due to Fabian's obnoxious phone calls. He comes over as I'm getting ready and making myself look presentable. I finish curling my hair at 9:25 and Fabian is rushing for me to get out of the house and into his car.

"So she wants your information? Like, so you can be paired with a dorm buddy and stuff?" Fabian asks as we drive down the roads.

"I guess, I'll find out when we get there." I chuckle.

Soon we pull into the parking lot and we both walk in. Susan brings me into her office and has me fill out some paper work, and then asks me questions about my interests and such and enters it into the computer database.

"Well, Miss James, you will be starting in January, so I suggest you go home and pack your bags." Susan says.

I smile, "Thank you so much."

"Of course. Your room assignment and other information will be arriving in the mail in a few weeks. See you in a month, Ellie." Susan says as I leave.

I tell Fabian how the meeting went and such, then he drives me home and hugs me like he's never gonna see me again. "Talk to you tomorrow, El." He says.

I kiss his cheek. "Yes, you will."

------

one month later

I pack up the last of my things in a bag, then take it into the big van Luke rented from the airport car centre. I sigh and look at Fabian, Lincoln and Devon who all are standing by the van, talking with Luke. I shut the door and sigh, not ready to say goodbyes. I look at my friends, and it's hard not to notice the sad look on their eyes. I hug Devon first.

"Be careful." He whispers, hugging me tightly.

"Stay sober." I joke and he chuckles lightly.

Lincoln is next. Her eyes are brimming with tears and she hugs me gently but it was meaningful. "Don't forget about us little baby prodigies while you're with the big shots in London. We're going to miss you." She says, then lets go of me.

I look at Fabian. He is avoiding my gaze by keeping his eyes to the ground. I can tell he's crying because I'm crying too. Leaving him was going to be the hardest. He's been my friend since the beginning of year seven and now we are going to be on separate continents. I take his hand and lead him into my old room, and we sit down on the naked bed.

"I can't believe you're really going." He says, chuckling and wiling the tears away.

"I'll be back. I still have a place here, and I have Wizardo's to run." I giggle.

It's true. I had found Joey's will and he had left me his house, his car and the coffee shop. Fabian lets out a sob, and looks at the ground again, then I start crying. Sometimes I wish I wasn't such an emotional person. I press my lips into a thin line and unlatch the necklace around my neck and place it in his palm.

"What is this?" Fabian asks, looking at the heart pendant. "Oh gosh, El, I can't take this. Your mum gave it to you." He says.

"And I'm giving it to you. Fabian, you've been there for me since my mum died and I moved here. Just because I'm leaving for London doesn't mean I'm leaving you. Now you have a piece of my heart, because I know you'll never hurt it." I say and I close his hand over the pendant.

"I got you something too, El." He says, getting up and grabbing my wrist as we somewhat run to his car. He grabs two music journals and hands them to me. I raise an eyebrow and look at him.

"Songs. I wrote you some songs, El. And here's a CD of me performing them. I know you'll like it, and when you're sad, just put it in and it'll be like I'm singing to you." He says.