"Now, honey, don't forget to thank Mrs. Clark for letting you stay with them, and don't forget to strip down the bed when you leave! And don't stay up to late talking with Kathryn! I want you in bed before, let's say, 11:00, every night? Good girl. And don't forget to brush your teeth! I packed you an extra toothbrush, and a mini bottle of toothpaste incase you forgot…" Claire rolled her eyes. Her mom was being really unusually protective. I mean, come on. Yes, she was going to be gone for a month, but come on!
She was staying with one of her best friends, Kathryn Clark. Besides, some girls went to summer camp for 6 months! "…so, Todd, do you have anything to say to Claire before she leaves?" Claire zoned back in just in time to hear her mom say this. Todd got a mischievous grin on his face.
"Can I use your room for sleepovers while your gone?"
Claire rolled her eyes in a knew-he-was-gonna-say-that way. 'Cause, cute, but I mean, he's her little brother. Judi gave him a warning look, but you could she the smile fighting to appear at the corners of her mouth. "Anything else, Todd?" She asked. "Yeah, there is, come to think of it," he began. "Can you tell Kathryn to kiss the letter this time?" Claire sighed. Kathryn insisted that they send a letter to Todd, so he won't feel left out, 'cause they used to play with them, when the Lyons family lived in Orlando. And, of course, everyone in Orlando knew that Todd was madly in love with Kathryn.
Kathryn thought it was "cute", but seriously, why does Todd waste his time? Kathryn and Claire were 3 years older than Todd, and Kathryn would never date a 4th grader. Claire didn't blame her.
"Yeah, she'll kiss it in bright red lipstick," Claire joked. "So you can hang it on your bulletin board, and label it 'My 1st and only kiss'"
"Claire…" Judi warned, but Claire knew that her mom knew it was true. No one spoke for a minute, but the awkward silence was quickly broken by Judi.
"Honey, your plane will take off any minute now, so we should get you things ready…"
Here we go again, Claire thought.
"…because we don't want you to have to scramble at the last minute, and lose something, so be careful…"
Claire zoned out and thought about Cam, and the glittery purple picture frame in her Vera Bradley. Maybe she shouldn't have brought it after all.
"…and I'll give you some money, incase you lose something, and so you can buy souvenirs for all your friends back in Westchester, because we don't want to forget about them…" Judi rambled.
And on, and on, and on.'
"…but I'm sure if you run out, Mrs. Clark will be happy to buy you something, just tell me how much it cost…"
"MOM! I'm going to be fine, okay?" Claire assured her mom.
"Okay, sweetie. You're right. I'll miss you, sweetie." Judi said, and Claire noticed tears in her eyes.
Thank goodness they were both distracted by an announcement over the speaker. " Attention. All members of flight 616, gate A 21, may begin boarding now. Minors may board first, then 1st class flyers."
"That's me, Mom. Love you!" Claire called as she took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the plane.
This one was longer! Hope you like it! Review, review, review!!