"Raye, are you serious? Please tell me that this is some kind of sick joke." Izzy looked at me with tears in her hazel colored eyes.
"Iz, you know I don't have control over this situation and you know I don't want to go." I tried reasoning with her; deep down though, I was looking forward to this move. It would bring some excitement into my life. Excitement was something I needed desperately. My life has fallen into this same, old, dull routine. My mother I can expect only on the weekends. Tabatha Taylor, or Tibby is what her friends call her, is an International Correspondent. She requested that if they wanted her to work for them, the weekends would be hers for whatever she pleased. She isn't always around the world journaling but it seems like she is. She reminds me of Christiane Amanpour, in a way. She married my dad who is almost the complete opposite of her. Where she is loud and argumentative he is shy and peaceable. William "Will" Taylor is my dad. He is an architectural genius, at least that's what I call him. His company is moving him to work in Chicago and I get to go with. He is going to work for a company called Skylar Industries. From my research, it is a multibillion dollar corporation. Dad can really get his genius out there now. Maybe this company can appreciate his work. Sure, I'm going to miss the sunshine, not that it helps me out at all; I'm as white as a ghost. That's what you get for being Irish and English, I suppose. And sure I'm going to miss the heat and all of my friends. But I get to experience a different kind of life. I have done a lot of research on Chicago and I think I would like it there. Here, in Mesa, Arizona, I'm bored with my life. I don't know what it is, but I'm missing something. So I have decided to go with my dad to Chicago.
"Iz, don't worry." I reassured her while taking her in my arms for a big bear hug.
"I know Raye, but, school has only just started. I can't believe he wants you to pack up and leave, just like that." She snapped her fingers to add more emphasis on her statement. She was right though, who could believe that he wants me to just pack up and leave? I didn't want to hurt her feelings with letting her know that I asked my dad to go with. That he offered I could stay here, since Mom comes home on the weekends and my brother, Riley, lives only a short five minutes away. I had shot that idea down within seconds. In fact, we fought about it. He wasn't too sure he liked the idea of me living out in the city with him. He brought up things like my friends and my boyfriend. I didn't budge, I knew what I wanted.
"That's why, Iz, I won't miss much school; since it is the beginning of the year. Isabella Edwards, I promise, you will always be my best friend, nobody can take your spot. You have my word." I told her for what seemed like the umpteenth time.
"Well, it's not just me you're leaving behind. What about Logan? What does he think about this?" Izzy asked me with anger in her voice. She was becoming hostile. In our ten years of friendship, she has never become hostile with me. She jumped out of my embrace and looked at me, waiting for an explanation.
"We're going to try and make our relationship work. I realize that we are going to be so far away, but we are willing to at least give our relationship a try, right? I mean we have been together for three years. He is handling this situation better than you are, that's for sure." I was starting to grow a little impatient.
"That's not fair! I'm losing my best friend right now." Izzy cried.
"No, Iz, you're not. We will keep in touch. Dad's going to be making more money. I can fly out here whenever. Riley is going to start living here instead of his crappy ass apartment. We will talk daily, whether it's on the phone or on-line. You are not losing me. You hear me?" I said to her. Quite frankly, though, I was getting annoyed. This was all I have been hearing for the past two weeks now. How does she expect me to want to keep in touch with her whiney statements lately? How does she not understand that I am missing something in my life? It is time for me to leave my home and go figure out who I really am. Maybe deep down, I am a city girl. Or maybe I will realize that this move was the worst mistake of my life, but only I can determine that. Maybe I should tell her that.
"Izzy, look, the reason why I agreed to this move was because I need to figure out who I am and the only way for me to do that is to be out of my environment and live life. Trust me when I say that we will talk daily, because we will. Who else am I going to tell my stories to? Who else is going to fill me in on the Mesa community? You. Please do not be mad with me because I am moving. Think of all the people who left Mesa for college. Are you just as upset with them as you are with me? Logan is only going to be about twenty minutes away. He is only going to Arizona State in Tempe. That's not very far from here. He is your friend too, you know." I took a breath.
"I know, I know. I'm not really mad at you. I just am mad that you're leaving." Izzy finally admitted it.
"Autumn Raye, it's time to go!" My father yelled down the stairs.
Izzy and I looked at each other; her eyes had started to water. I gave her a big embracing hug and said to her, "I'll never forget to keep in touch, I promise." With those words said she held on tighter. After a minute she let go and grabbed two of my five bags. I picked up the remaining three and we walked out to the car to finish packing.
"Isabella, don't worry, I'll fly you out to Chicago a couple times; Autumn won't forget who her best friend is." My father had said to Izzy. Izzy seemed pleased; she knew she could count on my dad.
"Thanks Pop." Izzy replied. Izzy has always referred to my dad as Pop ever since her own father died three years ago from congestive heart failure. My dad was always considered her second father.
We all jumped into the Saturn Vue. We arrived to Izzy's house in a matter of minutes. I grabbed the present I wrapped for her and hopped out of the car. After giving my dad a hug and a kiss on the cheek she followed.
"Wait." She said and ran into her house. She came back two minutes later with a wrapped square object. It looks like we had the same idea. We exchanged gifts and promised not to open until out of sight with each other.
"I'll call you as soon as I arrive in Chicago. Even better, I'll send you a picture message when we get there. I love you, Iz."
"I love you, Raye."
I walked back to the car and plopped down in the passenger's seat and rolled down my window to wave.
"Take care of Raye, Mr. Taylor! Oh and Raye take care of Pop!" She screamed out to us and off we went.
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