Chapter 1: Moving Day.

~Coraline's POV~

I stood with Wybie in his front yard, watching men load boxes into a moving van. I couldn't believe this was happening. Wybie was... Moving. Leaving. Probably for good. Recently his gramma had passed away, and now he was going to go live with his aunt and uncle. But it wasn't fair. Why did he have to move? Why couldn't his aunt and uncle come here? But I wasn't only feeling bad for me, I was feeling bad for Wybie. First his parents and now his gramma. After a few minutes of standing there awkwardly, I put a hand on Wybie's shoulder sympathetically. He jumped a little, startled.
"I'm gonna miss you, Wybie." I said.
"I'm gonna miss you too, Coraline." Wybie said, sounding a bit nervous. But it was hard for me to tell whether he was nervous, or if that was just how he talked. Wybie's aunt walked over to us.
"Ooo~ is this your GIRLFRIEND, Wybie?" his aunt asked in a teasing tone. I clenched my teeth. I couldn't stand this lady.
"Aunt Hazel, cut it out!" Wybie said. All of the blood in my body decided to rush up to my face, and I'm sure I probably looked like a tomato, my face was so red. Hazel chuckled and walked off. His aunt and uncle were the snobby type that I hated. I wondered if Wybie hated them, too. But I figured it wouldn't be the best thing to ask him. He could tell me if he wanted to.
"C'mon, Wyborne!" his uncle said from the car, "We've gotta get going!"
Wybie and I looked down at our feet sadly.
"I guess, uh... I guess this is it, Jonesy." Wybie said.
"Yeah..." I said, biting my lower lip. To my surprise, Wybie hugged me tightly. But I didn't question it or punch him in the shoulder like I normally would. Instead, I returned the embrace.
"Bye, Coraline." Wybie said.
"Bye, Wybie." I said. I felt tears well up in my eyes, blurring my vision, but there was no way I would cry in front of Wybie, so I blinked them away. We released each other and Wybie trudged over to the car. Cat was standing beside me, and I couldn't really tell, but he looked sad, too.
"You need him more than I do." Wybie said with a light smile, gesturing at Cat with his head. Cat made a purring noise. I stood in silence as I watched the car drive off into the distance, the moving van following it. When I was sure no one was watching, I busted into sobbing.
"Y-you jerkwad!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. But I wasn't sure who I was even talking about. Was it Wybie? No, this wasn't his fault. Was it his gramma? No, she couldn't help what had happened. Who was I mad at?
"Who's a jerkwad?" a young boy said. I turned around and saw Billy, a little boy who lived nearby, standing there with a curious look on his face. I quickly wiped the tears away.
"N-no one." I said, "Now scram, kid, can't you see I wanna be alone?"
"I'm NOT a kid." Billy protested, "I'm gonna be six this weekend! And YOU'RE coming to my birthday party, right?"
I groaned and looked up in annoyance. Then I looked back at Billy.
"I don't know." I said with an annoyed sigh. Then he did it. The thing that always made me crack: He pouted and looked up at me with big, sad eyes.
"Oh, c'mon, Billy, don't do that!" I said, trying my best to stay strong. But Billy knew that was my weakness, and he didn't stop making those eyes. Finally, when I felt like I was going to bust, I gave in.
"Okay, fine, I'll come to your party." I said.
"Yay!" Billy cheered, "Thanks, Caroline!"
"It's CORaline!" I said as Billy ran off. I sighed.
"Nice goin', Coraline." I thought, "You can defeat the Beldam, but you can't say no to a five-year-old making puppy-dog eyes."
As I walked back home, dreading the idea of going to a party with a bunch of little kids, I couldn't help but wonder who was moving in Wybie's old house. I had overheard Wybie's uncle Henry say something about them selling it to a family with two teenage boys.
"Let's just hope they won't be like Randy, Troy, and Keith..." I muttered.
"Aye!" a painfully familiar voice called out, "You mutterin' to yourself about us, freak?"
I turned to see Randy, Troy, and Keith standing on the edge of the woods. I rolled my eyes.
"Get lost." I snapped, continuing on my way. I was NOT in the mood to deal with them.
"Aww... Poor wittle Coraline's fwiend weft, so now she has to talk to herself." Randy said in a humoring, babyish tone. I turned on my heel and glared at him sharply.
"Shut up!" I yelled.
"Oh-ho-ho, looks like I hit a nerve!" Randy said, he and his friends laughing, "Whatcha gonna do about it, kiddo?"
"I don't have time for this." I muttered under my breath. With that I kept walking toward home, ignoring them jeering at me.
"Jerkwads..." I thought. I just hoped that whoever was moving into Wybie's old house wouldn't have any trouble with them.