Never Ready for Goodbye
Chapter 1
"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." – Winnie the Pooh
Massie Block stood in the hall of the prestigious school, though it looked the same as every school, white scuffed halls, light blue lockers, and dark brown doors. Her amber eyes widened as she saw her best friend in the entire world. Claire Lyons. With her cornflower blue eyes, bleach blonde shoulder length hair, freckles peppering her nose and cheeks, she was the poster child for innocence. She didn't look good; her beautiful eyes were rimmed red, nose red, and trying to take deep calming breaths, faltering every so often turning into hyperventilation. Massie ran to meet Claire, terrified of this oh-so-public display of weakness.
"Claire what's wrong," Massie said in a soothing voice.
Claire took a few moments to catch her breath, "We're moving." Massie's entire earth shattered into millions of shards of glass. The world they had so carefully built around themselves, just the two of them, was suddenly crashing down, all the pieces unidentifiable, their world was never to be remade. Tears fell on Claire's cheeks, sliding down and soaking her shirt. Massie, not being able to handle her crying, she too started to let her tears make contact with her perfect skin. Effectively ruining the smoky eye she spent twenty minutes on that morning but she didn't care.
Though they were obviously not moving around the block, she still had to ask, "How far," Massie gasped out.
"Far, Beijing," Claire said her voice breaking. Massie wrapped her slender, but still strong arms around Claire and they stood in the middle of the hall sobbing into each other's hair and shoulders. Students walked around them, not wanting to disrupt their moment, but not before catching an eyeful of the Queen Bee crying, no sobbing. After what seemed like hours they pulled away from each other. They both had tremendously painful headaches from crying.
"When?"
"Right after graduation," Claire sighed.
"Why?"
"Well because Todd needs the best doctors, so were going for him," she said.
"Please don't leave me."
"I have no choice."
"So you're saying that we're spending our senior year of high school, not together?"
"Yes."
"But," Massie's voice cracked as she whined, "But what about prom. We're not doing that together? Picking out our dresses together. Rating the guys we would go with? This will be one of the most important years of our lives, and we won't be there for each other. We won't even see each other graduate."
"You can't think I want to leave you? But Todd needs me; you know he has a brain tumor and several others on his most vital organs."
"Sophomore year is over in two weeks…"
"Yeah-"Claire started then was cut off by her own voice. Massie had a painful ball of emotions stuck in her throat, making it almost impossible to breathe.
"We've already started packing; we live out of boxes right now."
"I'll help you pack, finish it anyway. I'll come over today."
"Let's ditch school today, alright? I can't deal with everyone," Claire asked, her eyes pleading. Massie couldn't speak so she nodded; they linked arms at the elbow and walked out the double doors. They hopped in Claire's blue Mercedes and Massie immediately pinched her thigh as hard as she could. She was sure it would leave a bruise but when she opened her eyes after the minute of pain, she was still in the same place. Not her purple bed shaking her head slightly. This wasn't a dream. She pulled her mirror down and got a good look at the hot mess staring back at her. Eyes rimmed with red, all around them just black makeup, hair disheveled, shirt forever stained with Claire's makeup, and their tears.
"Well I won't say you look good, Mas," Claire said lightly, attempting a joke.
"You wanna go get pints of ice cream, go to my house and watch P.S I Love You? My parents aren't home so we'll be all good," Massie asked. She had never once resolved her problems through eating, but this was something big. They went to the store and grabbed two containers each of good ole' Ben & Jerry's. On the way to the tissue isle, their jam came through the speakers, they looked at each other with identical grins and knowing glances then busted out dancing, however they felt fit. They knew they looked absolutely ridiculous but, hey why not? Massie felt an overwhelming pang of sadness realizing this might be the last time her and Claire ever do this. Her eyes burned and she knew she was about to cry but she pushed it back and gave a grand finale when the song ended. They shared a painful high-five and got eight boxes of tissues. Paying quickly they were back in the car and on the way to Massie's white mansion. When they arrived it never ceased to amaze Claire at the beauty of the house, white marble pillars, three stories, it truly looked like a castle out of a fairy tale. Giggling Massie led the way into her house, walking in the grand entrance hall, in front of them was a wide white marble staircase, to the left, the kitchen, to the right, the movie theatre. Claire went to the movie theatre, rifling through the numerous romance movies, as Massie walked into the kitchen, stopping to say hello to Inez, grabbed the spoons and high-tailed it to the theatre, her pug Bean on her heels. Massie settled in a big dark red lazy boy chair, propping her feet up she snapped her fingers and said, "Hurry up peasant!" She immediately busted out laughing until tears came out, happiness and sadness. Claire got the movie in and they spent the day eating ice cream, laughing, crying about the letters Gerry left Holly in the movie, and crying at the thought of this not happening anymore. Claire fell asleep in the middle of the movie, good, she needs it, and Massie left the house and off the Claire's. She walked until she came face to face with the light green house with the yellow door, her second home. She turned the handle and just walked in.
"Hello Massie, what can we do for you," the always kind Judy said.
"Judy, I know that you are moving for Todd and I get that, I really do. But it's such short notice, for me that I was wondering if Claire could stay with me. Of course not permanently or anything just for summer then a week or so before school starts up again we can get her on a plane. I haven't consulted Claire with this but I don't want to get her hopes up if it's not going to happen. So, Judy please with low-cal whip cream and a cherry on top, can Claire stay here just for summer? We'll buy her plane ticket."
"Oh honey," she came up and pulled Massie in a loving embrace, "I'll talk with Jay tonight and we'll have a decision for you tomorrow. I'll try to convince him. I'm really sorry you know that, I know how close you and Claire are and I hope that I can make this work. Not to mention I love you like a daughter, it's like I'm leaving one of my children behind."
"Thank you, Judy. You're like a second mother to me. I'm heart-broken to see you go, all of you," Massie said. They hugged for a minute, not the awkward kind of hug but just the way she hugged her mother before every business trip.
"Get back to Claire. She can stay at your house for dinner just send her home tonight," Judy said. Massie walked out the door, waving over her shoulder. She made a detour for the soccer field where her boyfriend was practicing. She sat on the bleachers waiting for him to notice. He saw her quickly and jogged over to, with his blonde hair curling slightly from the sweat, and his brown eyes peeking out from beneath his hair, he looked beyond hot.
"Hey babe," his husky voice said, kissing her cheek, "Are you okay, you weren't at school and you look like holy hell?"
"Hi, well I was just with Claire, she is moving to Beijing for Todd and I was just talking to her mom about staying over the summer," she said in one long breath.
"Oh, my god. I'm so sorry. I hope she gets to stay," her forever sensitive boyfriend said.
"Yeah, I just needed to see your face. Anyway I gotta be getting back to Claire, she's at my house sleeping and has no idea I'm not there. I'll text you tomorrow to tell you what happening, if she has to leave with them I will need to be consoled and that's one of the boyfriends jobs."
"Ok. So are you saying if she has to leave that we will be at your house for a whole weekend watching sad romance movies, like The Notebook," he questioned, wincing at the thought of watching The Notebook, but he would do it for her. She giggled and nodded then gave him a peck on the mouth and walked back towards her house, and her best friend. Massie made it back in record time and sat back in her chair just fast enough that Claire would never suspect her little outing.
"Hey babe," Claire said groggily, it was habit to call each other names usually reserved for couples.
"Sup sexy," Massie shot back.
"Now I'm positive I look the farthest from sexy anyone could ever look," she pointed out.
"Nah, you always look perfect, muffin," Massie said. Claire made a face but said nothing, they just looked into each other's eyes for a while, reminiscing.
Claire's stomach grumbled loudly, "Feed me!"
"Alright. Alright. Inez!"
Inez, the maid and chef walked in the room, "Yes, Ms. Block?"
"Would you make us some food please?"
"Of course," she said then retreated to the kitchen, they could hear the pots banging against one another.
"Your mom texted me, you need to go home tonight. Sucky, I know."
"Uh, fine," Claire groaned into her chair. That's when Massie caught a glimpse of her cloths covered in green and chocolate chips.
"Darling, you are aware that you are covered in mint chocolate chip ice cream, correct?"
Claire looked down then let out an exasperated moan, "I'm going to take a shower. I'll be put before the food comes out." She walked out of the room spreading her fingers apart over and over because they too were covered in ice cream. Massie walked into the laundry room and grabbed fabric cleaner, and a roll of paper towels. She threw the empty containers away and started scrubbing the chair fiercely, trying to keep her mind off Claire and her move.
"Cleaning child, really? Did you miss me that much? Should I start calling you Massirella?"
"Shut up Kuh-laire! I am cleaning up your mess. And Massirella is a gorgeous name thank you very much," Massie defended.
"Right, right."
"Hey Claire, I think we should watch Dial L for Loser next, what do you say?"
"You wouldn't," Claire said in a deep voice. In one fluid motion Massie was over in her movie cabinet picking up a special edition copy of the movie, with a thirteen year old Claire on the cover, sitting on a desk, winking, and blowing a kiss.
"How do you have that?"
"Haha sucks to be you. Let's watch it," Massie said excitedly. She popped it in the TV and in an instant Claire's face glowed on the screen, real life Claire was red faced with her head in her hands.
"Your food is ready," Inez said over the intercom.
"Thank you!" They wandered into the kitchen and saw two places filled with risotto.
"Oh yes! Yum," Claire basically moaned and ran to get a fork. She threw one at Massie, but she just ducked and let the fork skid across the table.
"Throwing silverware!" Her heart was racing but she grabbed her fork and ate at the bar, it was delicious. They both ate in a very unladylike manner and finished quickly.
"My god, we're going to gain fifteen pounds," Claire sighed and looked at her flat stomach.
"Oh you should probably get home now," Massie reminded her.
"Aw hell yeah I do. See ya tomorrow!" And she ran out the door. Massie walked up her grand staircase to her room on the second floor. The iPad, as the PC had so fondly named it. Of course it had changed; now the walls were bright light violet, purple bed, white table in the middle of the room with a Mac book air, an en suite, just stunning. She changed into sleep shorts and a tank top, then threw herself on the bed and fell asleep the second her body was completely on it. She woke up to her phone ringing, the display saying it was ten thirty.
'Hello.'
'Mas, over here! My mom has some sort of announcement to make and she said you have to be there,' Claire said.
'Gotcha, I'll be over in half an hour.'
'Cool.' Then silence. Massie sprang into action, jumping in the shower for five minutes, then her closet and grabbed dark blue sweats and a black t-shirt, she slip on her pink flats, put her phone in her pocket and sprinted out the door. Right on time she reached the yellow door. This would control how her life turned out over this summer. She did a little prayer to the Gawds and opened the door.
A.N.
First, sorta cliff-hanger! And first story! Much accomplishments. Anyway thank to those of you who read my one-shot. I highly recommend 'P.S. I Love You' by the way, really amazing movie, one of my favorites, but like Mas and Claire you will probably need eight boxes of tissues! Read & Review. I'll be updating pretty frequently with this story. Hope you enjoyed this!
Bye, for now!