I swing open the front door and almost break down just at the sight of Reece standing there on Monday night. A sad smile lifts his lips as he steps forward and bends down. I quickly loop my arms around his neck while his go around my waist, slightly lifting me off my feet in a hug.

"Please tell me this is just a bad dream." I sob into the crook of Reece's neck, voice breaking between words.

Reece's tattooed arms squeeze me impossibly tighter as his own tears threaten to fall. "I wish I could, Sunshine. God, I wish I could."

For a moment, the two of us stand in that doorway, lost in our own little world. For that short infinity, we let ourselves believe that we can stay absorbed in each other's embrace for eternity. We allow ourselves to forget the harsh reality of the separation that is to come, instead staying wrapped up in one another for a breath longer.

"How about we take a walk, Sunshine?" Reece whispers gently into my ear, hands smoothing down the fabric of the black tank top covering my back. Without a second's hesitation, I nod, stepping out of his embrace and looping my pinky with his to have some form of physical contact. The two of us step outside and shut the door behind us, not saying a word as we begin our walk down the driveway.

Not even two feet from the front porch, Reece stops, realizing the little amount of clothing adorning my body. The black tank top and black sweatpants do very little to combat the cold.

He quickly slips out of his navy-blue hoodie, passing it to me and I smile sheepishly. Stepping forward, I presses a kiss to his cheek in thank you before slipping the hoodie over my head.

We then continue our walk down the driveway and onto the sidewalk. With no particular destination in mind, we walk side-by-side in a comfortable silence. Somewhere along the way, I grab onto Reece's pointer-finger, curling my hand around it and holding on to him. It's as if I need the reassurance that he's still beside me. Perhaps we both need that in this moment.

Soon we spot a lonely park bench and silently sit down beside each other. I pull my knees up to my chest and lean my head on Reece's shoulder, not daring to look at him. I know that one glance at his face will break me completely.

"Maybe this won't be so bad." Reece murmurs after a few heavy moments of silence. "I mean, your dad still lives here, so you'll probably come back to see him during holidays and stuff. We can see each other then."

I nod faintly against his shoulder, "You're right."

"And we can call each other all the time. Cody and the twins will probably riot if we don't."

That gets a small smile from me. "I'll call every day."

"Also, we can come visit you. New York isn't that-" He pauses, "-well, it is kind of far away, but we'll make it work."

"I know we will."

"Yeah and-"

"Reece," I cut him off softly, placing my hand over his.

He stops speaking, staring down at my much smaller hand resting over his. He sighs softly. "I know."

"Everything will be fine."

"I should be the one telling you this, Sunshine. You're moving, not me."

"You're my best friend, Reece. You have every right to be as upset about this as me. It's going to be hard for both of us."

He finally turns his head, meeting my gaze. The pure sadness in his eyes makes my breath hitch. I can physically feel my heart in my chest tearing into two.

"I'm going to miss you, Sunshine."

"And I'll miss you, Reece."

~

Stepping out of the car, I tow my suitcase behind me as I join Bella and my parents on the sidewalk. Pausing for a moment, we make sure we have all our bags before heading towards the entrance of the airport. We go straight to the bag check-in to put all our bags through to be put on the plane. After that, I'm just left with my carry-on backpack. Every few minutes, I find myself looking towards the entrance of the airport.

Once we get our tickets, I glance at the time. Our plane starts boarding in twenty minutes.

"Where are they?" Bella asks me as the four of us take a seat. We're near the entrance we need to go through to head towards the plane.

"They'll be here soon, don't worry," I reassure her, forcing a smile.

After five minutes of Bella and I looking anxiously between the front entrance of the airport and the time, Bella suddenly stands up. My head shoots to the front entrance and a smile slowly spreads across my face. Walking towards us now are some of my favorite people in the entire world.

Amanda, Mark, Liam and the entire Carter family are all here to say goodbye to us before we leave. Last night I told them that they didn't have to come all the way to the airport just to say goodbye, but they insisted. And I'm glad that they did.

Claire wanted to be here as well, but she wasn't able to come, so we said goodbye to her before we left. Bella and Claire cried together for a good twenty minutes. They're really best friends.

"How much time do we have?" Anna asks immediately, looking down at me.

I frown, "We board in fifteen minutes."

"I get the first hug!" Macy exclaims, running towards me. I laugh, easily catching her in my arms and squeezing her to me in a tight hug. "I'm gonna miss you, Layla," She whispers in my ear, small arms wrapping around my neck.

I shut my eyes tightly, not allowing myself to cry just yet. "I'm going to miss you as well, Princess," After a few more seconds, I set her back down on the ground only to have another small body fly into my arms. I smile down at Sophie, holding her tightly to me, wary of her cast.

"Bye, Layla," She whispers. Then she pulls back to look me in the eye, "Am I allowed to call you sometimes?"

I laugh, eyes already filling up with tears. "Of course, Princess. Call me anytime, alright? Call me a hundred times a day if you like. I'd love to hear from you."

She grins, hugging me tightly again, "Good. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Sophie," I set her back on the ground and blink a few times to get rid of tears. I haven't let any fall yet. I hope to last longer than two goodbyes. I crouch down and open my arms wide when I see Cody standing there shyly.

He grins and runs towards me, wrapping his arms around my neck while mine go around his back. "Goodbye, Layla."

"Bye Cody," I pull back to look into his eyes, "Call me all the time, okay? I want to hear all about all the books you read."

He nods, "Okay," He waves, moving away from me to let the next person say goodbye.

Max is next and I stand up to hug him. He is as tall as me at this point. I open my arms and he steps forward, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Try to stop growing, alright? I don't want you to get taller than me just yet."

He winks, grinning, "I don't think I can help it, sorry, Layla."

I sigh dramatically, "Well I guess that's fine then," I chuckle softly, squeezing him tighter, "Don't get into too much trouble alright?"

"I'll try my best," He replies, pulling away. He smiles once more before moving away.

Novah and Lucas stand there smiling at me. I feel the tears come to my eyes again as they hold their arms out, motioning for me to come forward. I choke out a sob, moving forward and hugging them both. They have become like second parents to me.

"If you ever need to talk, you can call me, alright?" Novah tells me, her hand smoothing down my hair.

"Or me. I probably give better advice," Lucas puts in, making me laugh.

"Thank you both," I tell them, pulling away. I'm suddenly picked up from behind, making me squeal. I hear a deep chuckle from behind me before I'm set back down on the ground. I turn to face Liam, huffing, "That was unnecessary."

"But fun," He adds with a grin, opening his arms for a hug that I easily step into. I wrap my arms around his waist as he sets his head on top of mine.

"I'm gonna miss you," I mumble, holding him tighter.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Blondie," He says, "You better not go replacing me with some New Yorker."

I laugh, "I don't think anyone can replace you, Liam."

He nods, pulling away, "Good."

"Bye, Liam," I smile sadly, turning to face the next person I have to say goodbye to. It's Mark. I smile sadly, wiping under my eyes to make sure no tears have spilled over yet, "Hey, Marky."

"Bring it in, Stevens," He smiles as I walk into his embrace, enveloping his waist in my arms.

I look up at him, "Who are you gonna give your fries to at lunch now?"

He smiles sadly, "I'll mail them to you every day."

I scrunch up my nose, "Ew, I don't want stale fries," He chuckles and I continue, "You'll just have to send me jokes about fries every lunchtime, alright?"

"What happens when I run out fries jokes?"

"Then you'll just have to move onto chicken nuggets," I tell him with a sad smile.

He nods, rubbing my back, "Will do."

Not two seconds after he releases me, I'm practically tackled to the ground. Luckily, I regain my balance, wrapping my arms around Anna in return. I hear her quiet sniffle and my own eyes well up with fresh tears. "I only just got you as my best friend and now you're leaving? This isn't fair."

"I know," I sniffle, holding her tightly, "But it's okay, you can still call me any time to talk. I don't care if it's two in the morning and you want to rant about onions, I'll listen, alright?"

She lets out a laugh that almost sounds like a sob, nodding her head, "The same goes for you, Lay."

I nod, "Okay. I'll miss you."

She sobs, "I'll miss you too," She reluctantly pulls away and when the next person tackles me in a hug, I really do fall on the floor. But I can't find it in me to care because this person is my best friend. The person that has stuck by my side my entire life.

Amanda sobs, arms wrapping around me and holding me so tight. I begin crying as well, letting the tears fall now and not holding them back. I spent seventeen years of my life with her and now we're being ripped apart. Never have I ever even considered moving away from her. And now I don't have a choice.

"I can still try and fit into your suitcase y'know. I bet if we took everything out, I could fit." She says, voice breaking.

"I already checked it in," I tell her, letting out another sob.

"We can go back and get it. Take everything out and I'll go with you. We can buy us new clothes and everything in New York and live there together."

Something mixed between a laugh and sob breaks from my mouth before I reply, "I'd love that."

She pulls away slightly, both of us still sitting on the floor, "Call me every day. And text me all the time. I want a daily update on everything that happens in New York. I want a play-by-play of everything. I want to know it all, I don't care if it's boring, alright?"

I nod, "Okay. You have to do the same. Then it'll be like I'm right there with you."

She sobs again, bringing me in close, "As soon as I get home I'm planning when I can see you next. I'll book a flight and come see you, okay?"

"Okay," I agree, knowing that it's a lot harder than just booking a random flight.

We both stand up before hugging each other tightly once more. I'm really leaving my best friend. All of my friends. And my dad. I'm leaving and I don't know when I'm going to see them again.

When we finally pull away from each other, I take a second to wipe my eyes, feeling glad that I decided against wearing any makeup today. I knew that I would end up crying.

"Sunshine."

That one word breaks me completely. I physically feel my heart tearing in two as I turn around and face Reece Carter. We only started talking to each other two months ago, and in that time we have grown so close. So, so close. I don't want to leave him. I don't want to leave any of them but leaving him could quite possibly be the hardest.

He stands there, tall and muscled and tattooed as always. In his black leather jacket and ripped jeans with his messy hair, it isn't hard to see how someone could mistake him for a bad boy. But he isn't. Not really. He is sweet and kind and selfless and protective. He is good.

"Reece," His name passes my lips as a sob as I practically launch myself at him. He catches me easily, hands holding my thighs while my legs wrap around his waist. I hook my arms around his neck and bury my head in the crook of his neck. Maybe if we just stay here like this for long enough, I will miss my flight. Then I can stay here like this forever.

"It's going to be okay," He finally murmurs after just holding me for a while. I nod, reaching my hands up and running my fingers through his soft hair for what will probably be the last time for a long time. I unwind my legs from around his waist and set my feet back on the ground, resting my head on his chest. His arms go around my waist tightly, pulling me into him firmly. And we just stand there for a moment, not speaking as we soak each other in.

I try to memorize the feeling of his hands on my waist and the warmth they provide. And his smell. God, I want to remember his smell. Of his cologne mixed with washing powder and something distinctly Reece. I try to memorize his heartbeat, the fast but steady rhythm pounding against my cheek. I take all of this in, hoping that I won't forget.

"I'm not gonna leave," I whisper, pulling away slightly. Reece keeps his hands firmly planted on my waist.

"Sunshine-"

"No, I have a plan. We can run away right now. We can drive somewhere and hide until my parents will just let me stay here with you and-"

"Sunshine."

"-we can stay at a motel or we can just go back to your house and I'll lock myself in your room. You can bring me food-"

"Sunshine."

"-and eventually my parents will-"

"Sunshine," His voice cracks this time and I look up, finding his beautiful turquoise eyes filled with tears. That only makes my own eyes well up as I wrap my arms around his waist, pulling him closer to me.

"That won't work, will it?" I ask quietly, looking up at him.

He shakes his head, smiling down at me as a single tear rolls down his cheek, "I'm afraid not, Sunshine."

I stand up on the tips of my toes and gently use my thumb to brush away the tear. Cupping his face gently, I brush my thumbs across his cheekbones softly. My eyes catch the time on a clock over his shoulder and I sigh, leaning in to press a light kiss to his cheek. I linger there for a moment and whisper, "I'll see you later."

And then I pull away from him, my hands trailing down from his face to his chest before I let go of him completely. I turn and walk over to my dad, easily moving into his embrace.

He hugs me tightly, pressing a kiss to the top of my head, "I'll come visit you soon, alright?"

I nod, pulling away from the hug, "I love you, dad."

"I love you too, Sweetheart," He says, smiling sadly.

I turn and see Bella and Max standing awkwardly in front of each other, neither of them saying anything. Max is looking at his shoes, looking nervous before he suddenly straightens up. A determined look crosses his face before he steps forward, pulling Bella into a hug. I hold in a squeal as she wraps her arms around him in a short hug as well.

After a few seconds, they quickly pull apart and Bella comes back over to me where I'm now standing next to mom. I grab my carry-on backpack and sling it over my shoulder, giving them all one last wave before I start heading towards the waiting area to get on the plane.

"Sunshine!" Reece's voice cuts through the air loud and strong and I instantly turn around, seeing him jogging towards me now. He pulls off his leather jacket, giving it to Anna before he continues. When he gets to me, he pulls off the hoodie he's wearing and hands it to me. My eyes widen when I see the hoodie. It's the same navy-blue hoodie with white drawstrings that I have worn countless times before. "Take it," he tells me, swallowing and not meeting my gaze, "It's always looked better on you, anyway."

I grin, taking the hoodie from him before placing my other hand in his. I step forward and place another quick kiss on his cheek before stepping back. "Bye, Reece," I start walking away again, but his hand in mine stops me. He grips it tightly, pulling me back into him. My eyes widen in surprise but I pretty much stop breathing when his other hand comes up and rests behind my neck. He leans down and gently presses a kiss to my forehead. It's so soft and light, I can barely feel it. But it's there.

"I'll see you later, Sunshine," He murmurs, lips still brushing against the skin of my forehead lightly as he speaks. He pulls away slowly, moving his hand from my neck and releasing my own.

I smile and start walking away again. This time, he doesn't stop me. Just as we're about to round the corner, we turn back to look at them. Bella and I wave one last time with sad smiles present on both of our faces. My eyes lock with Reece's and I pause before pressing my hand to my lips and kissing it, pretending to blow it to him.

He grins, reaching out into the air and pretending to catch it. He shoots me a wink and an encouraging nod before he disappears from view as I walk around the corner.

New York, here we come.