Patrick's POV
Today is the day that Ellen and I go off to college. I have been both dreading and looking forward to this day.
I'm excited to finally start my life and move away from my parents. But I'm going to miss living next to Ellen and being able to talk to her every night.
I help her place her last bag into her car and I shut the trunk.
"Well that's everything." I tell her. She nods, tears forming in her eyes.
"Hey, we still have tonight." I tell her. She smiles as I wipe her tears away.
"Time for a picture!" Maureen says, holding a camera. I cringe, hating photos.
Ellen wraps her arms around my waste and I wrap an arm around her shoulders.
"One, two, three." Maureen says before the camera flashes twice as she takes two different pictures.
The pictures come out of the Polaroid and we look at them. Ellen looks so mature, with her contacts and new haircut.
While I haven't changed since middle school. My acne filled, brace face smiles as the flash causes a glare on my glasses.
"I love it! I will keep this one and you can have this one." she says, handing one to me.
I smile and slip it into my wallet.
"Shall we?" I ask, holding out my arm. She smiles and slips her arm through mine. We walk into my backyard and climb the tree to our tree house.
"Do you think we will ever see each other again?" she asks, sitting on the couch.
"I don't know. I hope so. I can't think about not seeing you again."
I sit next to her and grab her hand.
"I don't know if I'm going to be an actress." she says suddenly. I look at her confused.
"Why?" I ask. She shrugs.
"I need to get a real job. Step out of this fantasy that I'm living."
"Acting is a real job!" I say defensively.
"Patrick you need to be real now! Who's gonna hire a couple of kids like us? We aren't good enough." I look at her hurt. I let go of her hand and stand.
"We are good enough! You are good enough!" I shout at her.
"Stop it! You're thinking like a child. You need to be real."
"I am being real Ellen."
"No one is going to hire someone who can't even read!" she shouts. She immediately starts apologizing.
"Pat I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."
"Go. Go to college. I don't care if we ever see each other again." I say, climbing out of the tree house. She quickly climbs down behind me and chases after me as I walk toward my house.
"Patrick wait! I'm sorry!"
"Stop!" I say, turning around. She stops walking and stares at me, tears in her eyes.
"Stop following me around like a puppy. I don't want you here anymore. Leave!" I shout at her. I watch as she quickly runs out of my back yard. I pick up a rake from the ground and chuck it across the yard.
I march into the house and finish packing my things. I find the cans that Ellen and I use to talk to each other. I sigh and pack them in my bag along with all of the pictures of us.
I put my bags in my car and walk over to Ellen's house to apologize to her.
I ring the doorbell and Maureen answers the door.
"Hey Maureen. I need to talk to Ellen really fast." I say, looking around her into the house.
"Pat, I'm sorry. El just left like 10 minutes ago."
"What? No. No she didn't. She didn't have to leave for another three hours." I say.
"I'm sorry. She said something about walking around campus or meeting new people or something."
I shake my head and walk back to my house. I grab my keys.
"Ma! I'm leaving!" I shout. My parents and sisters run down the stairs to send me off. My mother cried as I drove down the street, out of her sight.
