Sophie’s POV

I took the final drag from my cigarette. Staring around my now empty apartment, I realised something; I really fucking hated this place. Why I’d bought it in the first place escaped me, and I was sure I would never go back. The floors creaked, it smelt of damp, and no matter how much I painted, it just began to peel after a few weeks. Even the memories here were mostly shitty ones.

I lifted myself off the floor, looking around the shit hole one more time. I’d not left anything behind, except bad memories and a really bad smell.

England was no longer my home; Annie was taking me away. Sure, I’d still be working in some shitty bar, and sure, she’d still drive me up the wall after a week, but we were going to have our own place. Away from here: away from all the shitty memories. I was going to have my best friend and a crumby apartment, but it was going to be mine and Annie’s. Ours.

We’d been planning it for years; since he walked in the bar and suggested it. It started off as a joke, but really, what was actually keeping us here? Sure, we’d miss our families, probably Annie more than me, but we barely saw them anyway. They understood this is what we wanted, and they just wanted what was best for us anyway.

It wasn’t until the second time he’d walked in about a year later that Annie eventually agreed. He had his brother with him this time; one look at him and for her the deal was done.

For the next year, we worked our arses off. I was working three jobs, and taking on any extra work I could get. Annie was working two jobs, whilst still trying to do her college work. Soon enough, and after a loan from both our parents, we were doing it. Here I was now; looking around the crumby apartment I had owned for the past two years. Finally I was going.

Annie had gone to spend her last night in England with her family, but I had already said my goodbyes. I wasn’t good with them, so I made them short and sweet. I loved my family, don’t get me wrong, and that was what mattered.

The hardest goodbye had been my niece, Mika. How do you tell a four year old you’re going away, and you probably won’t see them for a long time? You can’t, that’s how; you just can’t. She didn’t understand; all she knew was that her Auntie Sophie, her best friend, was leaving her.

“Do you not love me anymore?” she sobbed. Tears were spilling down my own face, clouding my vision.

“I love you Mika, you are my favourite person in the whole world, okay? Never forget that. You mean more to me than life itself. I love you to Pluto and back.” I remembered the first time she had said that to me. Her class had been learning about space, and how Pluto was the furthest planet away in our solar system. Trying to explain to a four year old how far that actually was, was a futile attempt. She did, however, understand enough to know it was a big distance, and to her it was the biggest. I was the only person she had ever said it to, and it made me cry when she had told me.

“Maybe you only loved me to Jupiter and back!” she cried, “Because I love you to Pluto and back, and I would never ever leave you Sophie!” she was breaking my heart; looking at her I nearly changed my mind. How could I leave her here?

“I do love you to Pluto and back, but I need to do this Mika. For me. You can come and stay whenever you like! I’ll pay for you to come!” I honestly would. Even if I was bust for the rest of my life. Truth be told, if my sister would have let me, I’d have taken her in a heartbeat.

“Can I come now?” she asked, sheepishly. I couldn’t help but chuckle through my tears.

“How about you wait until I’ve moved in, and have a room set up for you? Then we can do fun stuff?” I offered, tears still falling.

“Okay! Can we go to Disney?” she asked, suddenly a lot chirpier.

“We can go wherever you want!” I laughed, picking her up and holding her tightly against me. She was slightly reluctant, but she eventually melted into my embrace, and we cried together.

I snapped myself from that memory. No point in torturing myself. My nephew, Josh, had been far more understanding. He knew I still loved him, and wasn’t abandoning him. If I was honest, I think he was just more excited that he would probably get to go to America.

I grabbed the keys to my rental, and made my way to the airport. I’d sold my car a week ago in preparation for leaving. The journey to the airport was a short one. Most of my stuff was being shipped over already, so all I needed was a carry on.

When I got there Annie was already at the bar waiting for me. Her eyes full of tears, and her face blotchy from crying.

“You know I nearly called you to tell you I wasn’t coming,” she chuckled. I couldn’t help but smile lightly, I’d come close to doing the same.

“Why didn’t you?” I asked, sipping my corona. I hated the stuff, but it was better than most of the other crap.

“My life here: it’s over. Who knows, maybe San Diego isn’t right for me, but I have to try. I have to fucking try, because I’m fed up of hiding and running. I want to do something dangerous and spontaneous, and this, this is dangerous and spontaneous,” she chuckled as she downed the rest of her gin and tonic, “so why did you nearly cancel on me?” she asked, staring at the bottom of her empty glass, as if it would make her drink magically reappear.

“I didn’t...” I started, but then realised it was no use; I didn’t have to tell Annie anything for her to know, she just knew.

“Mika. She thinks I only love her to Jupiter and back now.”

Annie couldn’t help but laugh and I understood, because it was kinda funny. But it hurt more than being hit by a train.

“That’s rough dude. She’ll get over it though,” she smiled up at me.

I wanted to believe her, but part of me doubted it. I checked my watch to see that we still had two hours until our flight departed.

The time passed quicker than I thought. Annie and I sat and reminisced about the past four years of our friendship.

Before we knew it we were boarding our flight.

It was time to start our new lives.

Once we stepped off that plane at the other end, we would be two different people.

We would be free.

Notes

New story!

This one's gonna be a hell of a lot more different to Terrible Things! It's gonna be much less sad, and miserable :)

This story is all a collaboration with my friend Sophie :) she wrote this chapter, as a sort of intro to what's to come :) she's helped me develop the ideas that I've already gotten written, so THANK YOU!

Hopefully you'll all enjoy it, because I'm very proud of it :)

Comment, subscribe, recommend and all that jazz :)

Thanks for reading!

P.S this story is also on Mibba :)