Being Bad

Epilogue

Lia James

"Lia! It's time to go, come on!"

Now that? That was my father, telling me to move my butt. We had a flight to catch, and one that would leave without us if we didn't make it in time.

But truth be told, I wanted to take my time. I wanted to soak in my last moments here, in this house. Because I don't know when or if I will see it again. Or the people that live in it.

Mason and Lina were my best friends since we were practically born. We both lived in Maine, where I was from originally, and I still have vivid memories of Mason getting into fights with bullies and mostly his sister, and me having to save him from getting hurt. Mason was like the bodyguard, the protector, and Lina was more like the older sister I never had. She would give me fashion advice and tell me how to style my hair.

When their mother, my Aunt Alex, had sought a job opportunity in California, she didn't hesitate to jump on the offer. And when she moved, so did the two most important people in my life.

I was alone for a while. Well, since I was seventeen. I met friends here and there in high school, but they never matched the relationship I had with Mason and Lina. Nothing could compare.

I missed them more than I could ever explain. Aunt Alex would call from time to time, but we were all trying to live our own lives that communicating was just too much to catch up on. We had gone out separate ways, and life without them seemed almost normal.

The new reality without them being there finally started to settle in, until my Mom died in August. A car crash that killed her and two other passengers in the opposite car.

I'd like to think that sometimes tragedy needs to be a part of our lives. Because if we didn't have it, we would be living in something so utopian, that it almost wouldn't seem real.

But then again, losing your mother at such a young age didn't seem real either. And a part of me wanting to escape the nightmare.

That was when I took my life and traveled it to California, where I was reunited with my best friends. It was a nice distraction from all the heartbreak I've experienced back home. It felt as if a light was peeking out of an endless tunnel.

From there, I've met new friends and I managed to snag my first boyfriend (although not easy). Mason and Andrew had quite the history, and apparently it was all just gossip. Their rivalry was so passionate, it was almost scary to watch it unfold.

Being with Andrew was most definitely crossing enemy territory, but it made both sides realize that there is good in everyone. You just need a little push in the right direction from someone. Someone with the purest intentions.

And now? Well, now I'm leaving to fly across the country and away from the life I've established here.

It's so hard adapting to change. But when you do, it becomes routine until inevitably change happens again and you're left to adapt all over again. The cycle is truly never ending.

I scanned the room that housed so many memories, my first kiss, my first sleepover (with a boy), and getting ready for prom with my friends. It all seemed like another life ago, and I didn't want to leave all these memories behind.

Because if I left them, they would turn black and white. Floating to the back of my brain where they'll have trouble resurfacing. And I really didn't want to forget about any of it.

But I eventually came to terms that I needed to leave this behind. Because I have a life in Boston now, and it's awaiting my arrival.

I grab my backpack and pull my luggage out of my room, looking back one last time at the small space I've managed to call home.