A/N: ok, so I know the last chapter was ultra short, and I forgot to space it correctly, so I'm clumping together chapters 2 and 3 into this chapter 2 so it'll be longer. ENJOY!
DISCLAIMER: if you read the one in chapter 1, then you know what I do and don't own.
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I was watching the TV in the living room, now that mom had chosen to establish herself silently in the master bedroom, when the doorbell rang.
I had to pry myself from the comfortable couch to answer the door. When I opened it, this big, bald, African guy was standing there in a black suit standing in front of me. He was a good foot and a half taller than me.
He looked down at me and I sighed, "Another inspection?"
He nodded and I stepped aside, letting him into the house to look around.
"Is she here Melanie?" he asked, coming back into the front foyer after a good five minutes.
"Yeah Cy," I answered.
"Where?" he asked.
I pointed to the master bedroom door. "Thank you," he said. He opened the door, stepped in, and then closed it.
I looked at the stairs to see my little siblings looking through the railings at Cy. He was no stranger to them or I.
In a matter of minutes, I heard him yelling at my mother. "The place is a pigsty Maryann! There are dirty dishes in the sink, unhampered clothes everywhere!" Cy yelled.
"It's my eldest daughter's job to keep the place in line. It's not my fault," I heard mom say.
"You force Melanie to do the dirty work? That's against child labor laws Maryann! Labor laws!" he shouted.
I could see that Ali and Anthony had had enough. They ran the rest of the stairs to their bedrooms.
"I forgot you were coming. Please, if you could give me more time," mom begged.
"Maryann, this place is a disgrace. I'm afraid that your children cannot live here anymore," Cy said. I felt my eyes widen.
"You can't do that! My children are my life!" mom shouted.
"Well they don't seem to mean much to you," he said.
"Give me more time," mom begged.
"I'm afraid your time is up Maryann. I'm sending them to their father," Cy stated firmly. I heard mom sigh, then she said quietly, "Alright."
Cy came out of the master bedroom, sighed, and looked up at me before saying, "Melanie, I think it is best that you break the news to your little brother and sister instead of myself or your mother. I'll come for you three in five days. Have your things ready by then. I'll have the tickets to California. You're going to your father's," Cy said.
'Dad?' I thought. The last time I'd seen him was four years ago when I was twelve and the twins were only one.
Dad and mom had been yelling at each other all the time, and four years ago, they'd gone uptown and only mom came back.
It was after she came back that I realized all of dad's things were gone. Mom was never the same after that, and that was how she came to be what she was today.
"Okay. See you then Cy," I said as he walked out the door. I closed it behind him and turned back to the stairs to see Ali and Anthony staring back at me. Their big brown eyes were glazed over with tears.
I opened my arms to them and they were in them in a second. I kissed the tops of their heads and said, "It's going to be ok." I only wished it was.
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"No way! You can't!" Neely shouted.
"It's what Cy said. I'm officially moving across the country in four days," I stated.
"This is so… not right!" Ariel shouted.
I rolled my eyes and asked, "Do you really think I want to move away from you guys? I've known you two since I was five! We're total BFFs!" I shouted hugging them. They hugged back and when we pulled out, Neely was crying.
"Don't worry Ly. I'll IM you every day and give both of you updates on my California life. We can web cam to see each other. Remember?" I asked.
Neely wiped the tears off her face and nodded.
"I just can't believe it!" she shouted hugging me tight.
"Guys, c'mon! If we keep this up, we're going to be late for school!" Ariel shouted prying Neely off me.
"Brain pan," Neely and I said in unison under our breath. If it was one thing Ariel hated being late for, it was class.
"So, how's my girl?" Pierce asked slinking his arm around my waist as we walked out into the courtyard for lunch.
"Pierce, I have to tell you something," I said.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I-I'm moving," I said softly.
"That's awesome. You're mom finally bought that house three down from me?" he asked.
"Um, no," I said.
"Then where're you moving?" he asked.
"California," I said quietly. "
What?" he asked louder than he should have. People nearby looked at us weird.
"Cy, my social worker, came by the other day and said that Ali, Anthony, and I are going to have to move to California to live with our dad. He says that mom isn't fit to raise three kids with the condition she's in," I explained.
"California?" he half asked, half whined. I nodded my head sadly.
"That's all the way across the country though," he said. "I know," I whispered.
He engulfed me in a hug and kissed the top of my head. He was silent for the rest of lunch, obviously thinking hard about the situation.
Pierce and I had been together from seventh grade to now, in our junior year of high school.
Four years. Four years. It kept echoing in my head.
I thought about Jezebel Bailiff who'd once been one of my best friends until Pierce and I started going out.
It turned out that she'd had a crush on him major, but I didn't know.
Would Jezebel try to steal Pierce once I was across the country? Would I find someone new? What would become of my friendship with Neely and Ariel?
I knew this move would affect me for the rest of my life, and it sure did…
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A/N: and there you have it folks! Chapter 2 of Finally.
REVIEW PLEASE! XD