A/N: Sorry for the long wait of this chapter… I haven't gotten much motivation for it, and I still don't. I'm sorry if this chapter is the pits, I don't know exactly how to make it flow the best. R/R please.

Caitie smoothed out the wrinkle in her dress, studying it from every angle. She ran her fingers through her hair, untangling it and draping it over her shoulders. Caitie turned away from the mirror as the door cracked open.

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

Caitie turned back to the mirror, making sure her makeup looked okay. Jamie stepped next to her, looking at the two of them in the reflection. "You look beautiful," he said, turning her away from the mirror.

Caitie looked at the ground, her eyes getting blurry again. 'Not now,' She told herself, 'Don't start crying in front of Jamie again.'

Caitie blinked a few times and looked back up. "We should get downstairs. I bet my aunt is waiting."

Jamie leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her head and he got her cheek.

"What's wrong?" Jamie asked, lifting her chin back up.

"Nothing, I just can't kiss you now." Caitie pushed past him, more tears forming in her eyes, and made her way out the door and down the stairs. At the bottom, her aunt and two cousins were sitting on the couch. Jane, the mom, was helping her 5 year old daughter put her shoes on. A few seconds later, Jamie came down the steps behind her, stopping next to Caitie at the bottom.

"Are you guys ready to go to the church?" Jane asked, standing up and wiping her eyes with a tissue.

"Yeah," Caitie said softly, heading for the door. Jamie followed her and they walked outside together. Jane and her kids followed. The drive to the church was silent. No one knew what to say, and the unspoken words made everyone feel extremely awkward. Jamie sat next to Caitie in the backseat, along with Caitie's cousin, 5-year-old Lisa, and Caitie's other cousin, Ashley, age 16, sat in the front next to her mom.

When they arrived at the church, there was still 15 minutes until the service for Mrs. Roth started. Caitie and Jamie waited outside on the swings in the little park behind the church. No one was outside, because the temperature had dropped so low due to winter starting. Caitie swung slowly back and forth, the chains holding the swing up creaking every time she went forward.

"Are you okay? I mean… besides the obvious," Jamie said in a very gentle voice. He sat down next to her and looked at her. She was as gorgeous as ever, her hair hanging down in waves across her shoulders. Her slender but perfect body fit perfectly into the black dress she was wearing.

"I don't know," Caitie said honestly, not looking at him but staring straight ahead. "I'm going to have to move."

Jamie had been dreading this conversation ever since Caitie's mom's family had arrived. "I know, Caitie. I don't want you to."

"I don't want me to either. I want to stay here and finish high school. Not in a whole different country where I know no one except my cousin, who's a preppy junior."

Jamie sighed. He knew there was something more than moving to a new high school that was bugging her. "Caitie, please tell me the full reason why you're out of it."

She couldn't. She knew she couldn't. Caitie didn't want to mention it… it was too much pain. "That's it… moving. Nothing else is bothering me."

Jamie sighed and knew that the conversation had ended. He stood. "We should get into the church."

Caitie just nodded, getting up and holding his hand.

The church service was long, in the sense that the preacher seemed to drone on forever, but short in the sense that Caitie's mind was on too many other things than the words spilling out of his mouth. She couldn't take her eyes off of the coffin at the front of the room, bearing her mother. Caitie knew that this December would be the hardest month of her life. She couldn't say goodbye to Jamie… it was like closing a whole life to open a new one. A worse one. She also couldn't leave the town where she had grown up in, the town where her mom had brought her up and raised her. The town where Caitie knew every location like the back of her hand, and Kingsport High School, the three best and worse years of her life in Kingsport. And now, she was going to California, in the US, a whole brand new country, with her cousin who couldn't be more stuck up if she tried. Caitie couldn't imagine life anywhere but her hometown, and she didn't want to try to. The worst part, though, would be saying goodbye to Jamie. Caitie didn't think she could do it. Her and Jamie had been best friends since Caitie had learned to walk, and now they loved each other deeply and knew more about each other than most married couples. All the thoughts caused tears to well up in Caitie's eyes. She quickly blinked them away and tried to listen to the preacher's words. "…Great woman…always was more concerned for her daughter than anything else…dealt responsibly with the loss of her abusive husband…" Caitie's mind drifted away again. She really couldn't believe her life was changing this quickly.

After the service, Jamie led Caitie to the door, where she met her aunt and cousins.

"We're going to go back to the house and start packing your and your mother's things, Caitie. Your friend is welcome to come help too, but we'll only be cleaning to sell the house."

Caitie's mouth dropped at the last sentence. "Sell the house?! But that's where I've spent my entire life…all my mom's memories are in that house!"

"Caitie…" Jane tried to comfort her, patting her arm. "We can't afford to keep the house and not have anyone live in it. In your mother's will, it clearly stated the house was to be sold and the money would go for your college education."

Caitie didn't know why she was making such a big deal about a house, but she still couldn't bare the fact of throwing all her mother's memories away. "No! I won't let you!"

Caitie pushed through them and out the doors. She ran across the grassy field next to the small Baptist church and sat down at a tree trunk, sobbing. The tears had finally come out. All day she had been keeping her emotions inside, and now they were pouring out of her like an overflowing river. Caitie buried her head in her knees, pulling her legs to her chest. She heard footsteps and knew Jamie had come to comfort her.

"Go away," Caitie said softly, keeping her head dug into the soft fabric. She sniffed loudly as more tears spilled down her face. She felt Jamie's warm hand on her shoulder.

"Caitie…I know it hurts, I'm so sorry this is happening. I would give anything to take away your pain right now," he said gently. Caitie unwound her arms from her legs and wrapped her arms around his neck. He hugged her back, wrapping his hands around her waist. He stroked her hair with one hand, and held her to him with the other. Caitie wanted to stay like this forever. She never wanted to leave his side.

-x-

Over the next few days, everything in the house was packed and ready to load onto a moving van. They were going to stay at a hotel for the next few nights while Caitie said goodbye and Jane straightened everything out with Mrs. Roth's lawyer. Caitie was going to move in with them for the rest of the school year and summer, until she turned 18 the next August, when she would be off to college. Caitie spent most of her time walking alone, along the familiar streets and sights of her childhood. Part of her wanted to spend every minute with Jamie, while the other part wanted to stay as far away from him as possible. Caitie knew it was going to be hard to say goodbye to him… but she also wanted to see him as much as possible before she was gone. Caitie stopped by the EMT station after school was out one day. She hadn't been going to school, because the holiday break started the next day, so two days of school weren't significant. The principal told her to spend time with her family and forget about school. Caitie opened the doors to the familiar building, going into the main room with everyone's desks in it. Jamie, Hank, Tyler, Val, and Brooke were all there, some talking quietly, others working on their computers.

Jamie was the first one to notice her, and he smiled and hugged her when she walked up. Val was the second to see her, also hugging her and whispering 'I'm so sorry' in her ear. Caitie and Val had just dropped the whole beach/Jamie thing, and were back to best friends. They had never really mentioned it, just silently agreed that it was no longer important. Caitie also received hugs from Hank, Tyler, and Brooke. Not much was said, except for apologies about what had happened to her mom and how much they were going to miss her. Val pulled her aside away from the rest, saying that it would only be a second.

"Look," Val started, "I'm so sorry about Jamie and what happened. It was completely evil and I hope you can forgive me."

Caitie had thought it was the past, but obviously not. "Of course I'll forgive you," Caitie smiled, "What are friends for?"

Val smiled also and hugged her again. "I'm going to miss you so much," she said.

"I'm going to miss you to. I don't want to make new friends… I was happy with my life here," Caitie replied, letting go of the hug.

"I was happy with you here also," Val sighed.

They walked back to the other teens. Caitie hugged each of them again in turn, but not looking Jamie in the eye as she did it. "I'm going to miss you guys so much. I couldn't have asked for better friends."

"When does your plane leave?" Brooke asked as Caitie hugged her.

"Tomorrow morning… we have to leave the house for the airport at 6:00am. Our plane actually takes off at 8:00."

Caitie finished embracing them and said, "I guess this is bye, then. I'll call all of you when I get there."

Tears started coming down Val's face and she buried her face in Tyler's shirt.

Caitie couldn't stand any more of it. She waved bye one last time, and left the building, trying to forget the fact that she hadn't done anything with Jamie except hug him. She was about to get in her car when Jamie came out.

"Don't I get at least a kiss before you leave for a whole new country?" He said half jokingly, half angry.

Caitie bit her lip and let go of the car handle, turning to him. "No. You don't."

She opened the door, but was stopped again as Jamie said, "Why? Are you mad at me or something? Because frankly, you've been more warm to everyone in there but me, and last time I checked, you're not dating any of them. Why are you trying to avoid me?"

"Jamie!" Caitie said, as she started crying yet again, "I'm not trying to avoid you! If anything, I'm trying to stay with you longer!"

"Well you sure have a great way of showing it," he said sarcastically.

"Jamie! I didn't say a special goodbye to you because you're going to be the hardest to say goodbye to! Can't you understand that!?" Caitie was now sobbing uncontrollably and she got into her car. Before he could say another word, she sped off into the distance.

-x-

A/N: Yes I know. Bad and short. I'm sorry! It had to be short so I could get another chapter in. sigh R/R please.