Annie
The next week was tiring, in that I diligently avoided Nathan. After our tiff outside of the Bastille concert, I didn’t have the overwhelming urge to face him let alone talk to him. Fortunately, my shifts at work were either with Dave or a girl a little younger than me called Kyra, who was easy to get along with. The missed calls and texts from Nathan were harder to ignore, but I reminded myself that it was for the best. We didn’t seem to work out as a couple, and I was sparing myself from further drama and heartbreak down the line.
I had been wandering around my apartment for days now, between work shifts, unsure of how do deal with my dilemma. The cheap calendar on my wall nagged at me, reminding me of the time limit I had left.
My initial plan had been to escape to Australia for a few months, gain some work experience, and leave the traumatic experience of being kidnapped in Banff behind. I’d been here for a little over two months now, but my trip was being cut short. My mother had contacted me, asking if I’d like to attend a wedding of one of my close cousins, as they’d been recently engaged. Surprisingly, Floss’s mother had also called, and delivered the news that Florence was coming home. She sounded ecstatic to see her daughter again, after her hasty goodbye without warning. I wasn’t told why she was returning, just that it was in a few days, and that I was welcome to come and see her if I wanted to.
The decision had been looming over my head for a couple of days now, and I’d made my decision. At first I was saddened to leave Perth, with its lovely weather and scenery. My job was becoming enjoyable, and I’d missed my newly formed friends. However after the drama involving Nathan, I decided that it was time for me to leave. I needed to go home again.
The plane flight was tomorrow, early morning, and I’d already packed most of my belongings. I’d finished the chores of leaving – handing in notice to Dave, contacting the owner of my apartment, trying to finish off all the leftover food in the fridge – and the only thing left to do was to say goodbye.
I’d arranged with Caroline to meet with the rest of the group for dinner by the beach – fish and chips just like the first time we met. When I wandered down, I found them in the usual spot, laughing and talking with ease. I sat down in an empty space in the circle, and dumped my armful of fish and chips in the centre, neatly wrapped in newspaper.
The sun was dipping into the water, not quite yet a sunset, but beautifully close, with orange streaks across the blue sky. The weather was nice, with a slight breeze to push away the lingering heat.
Caroline was the most excited to see me, as we’d been the closest friends. She gave me a hug after I sat down.
“I just can’t believe that you’re leaving Annie, it feels like we just met. You’ll have to make sure that we’re pen pals when you get back to America, okay?” She looked me in the eyes and waited until I nodded an affirmative before grinning and sitting back.
“Wasn’t it Canada that she came from?” Thomas teased, winking at me. I hadn’t seen him in a while, but he still looked as happy-go-lucky as ever.
“Whatever, I’m not the first person to get it wrong!” Caroline retorted, and I laughed.
“Do you really think I have an American accent?” I asked dubiously, looking around at all the faces of the group. Seth was there, his arm around Caroline’s waist of course, and Ryan sat next to him, already digging into the hot chips. Thomas was next to me, on my right, with Amy beside him, for once not on her phone, but smiling at me. They all nodded at my question, and I laughed, feeling at ease.
Caroline gave me a sort of sympathetic smile, and my mind flicked to Nathan and Bella, who weren’t in attendance. I’d asked Caroline not to invite them, as Bella and I weren’t friends I didn’t wish to see her unless necessary, and I was still avoiding Nathan.
