Freed

50

It was a bittersweet feeling when you realized that you were leaving behind the home you'd spent your childhood in.

I knew it was for the best. Not just for me, but for all of us, but that didn't change the fact that my heart was breaking into a thousand different fragments as I stood in my room, staring at the vacant space. This was an unexplainable type of ache; I could feel it in my very bones.

My heart hurt as I realized that someone else would move into this place. Someone else would make their own memories here when Elijah accepted an offer.

My gaze drifted across the blank white walls, void of all the pictures and lights I had hung up. Those were currently in boxes that I was leaving behind. I took in the entire room before I let my eyes shift down to the suitcases I had scattered around me. Images and memories flashed across my eyes, making it seem like it was just yesterday when my parents had told me that this was going to be my new bedroom when I was younger and we'd moved here.

I'd walked through the entire house multiple times earlier to take it in and carve it into my memory until every inch of my home was engraved into my head, so this was the last room left.

I slowly shuffled over to the window to set aside the curtains and peer outside, my eyes dragging across the view I'd always had. It wasn't much, but it had always been nice to see someone's car enter the driveway, especially if it was a person I hadn't seen in so long. I'd always go running down the stairs.

"Don't tell me you're crying."

I whipped around at the sound of Ethan's voice, my heartache being replaced by irritation as I found him staring at me with raised eyebrows. "No, I'm not crying," I hissed. "I was having a nice moment with myself before you ruined it."

He smirked and pushed himself away from the wall, casually walking inside. He shoved his hand into one of the suitcases as he passed it, causing it to tumble to the floor. He looked up and met my gaze. "My bad," he mocked and then proceeded to knock over another one. "Didn't see that there, sorry."

"I will fucking kill you someday."

He chuckled and took a seat on the edge of my bed, scanning the room once. He frowned as he noticed all the other bags I had laying around. "Why do you have so much stuff?" He asked.

"It's clothes," I replied flatly as I walked over to set the suitcases that he'd knocked over straight again.

"You wear the same shit every week, there's no way," he scoffed.

I rolled my eyes. "Ethan, go bother someone else."

"But it's the most fun with you," he countered, groaning before he suddenly straightened. His dark grey eyes glinted with amusement. "Plus, you should be used to it by now. You think I'll leave you all alone when I get there?"

I sighed and kneeled down to zip up one of the duffel bags I was taking with. "At least I'll have three months of peace before you get there." He was moving when school would start for him. Caleb would go then, too, and I was sort of content with that.

I'd be alone for three months and in a strange way, I was looking forward to it. I wanted this time with myself and for myself. I wanted to see if I could do this on my own.

He huffed and from the corner of my eye, I saw him stand up. "Don't act like you won't miss me," he warned, and I jerked away in annoyance when he ruffled my hair like I was some dog. "I know you will."

"I won't."

Ethan clicked his tongue and walked around me to leave. In the process, he knocked over the exact same suitcases I'd just straightened up after he'd done it the first time. I opened my mouth to yell but he spoke before I could. "It's funny because I remember you saying I was your favorite brother," he commented smoothly, halting at the door as he glanced over his shoulder at me. "Or was that a lie?"