The Goodbye Note

Chapter 21

Song I recommend Change by Taylor Swift. If you couldn't tell by now, I'm kind of obsessed with Taylor😂

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Halloween, a so-called holiday where people walk around in costumes and pretend to be something they're not. Ha, I walk around as something I'm not every single day. I act like I'm okay, but I'm not. But no one needs to know that except me.

Of course Mack being, well, Mack wanted us to do a group costume. But then she thought of "an even better idea." She wants me to dress like Cher from clueless, the yellow plaid outfit, and she wants to dress like Dionne, in the black and white plaid outfit. I don't want to dress up at all, because who would be dumb enough to give teenagers candy, but she made me. I promise that Mack has this super power to persuade anyone to do what she wants. As an example; when we were eleven she somehow got me to play truth or dare and the result was me breaking my arm. Or the time when I was fifteen and Xander was sixteen, and she got me to drive his car and I took down Mack's mailbox and dented his car. Anyways the point is that her superpower is real, and she uses it often just because she knows she can.

But back to what I was saying, Halloween. The holiday that is the dumbest, like please tell me why people dress up. Is it because they wish they were that or is it fun? Do they want to be someone they're not or are they just choosing something cute? It just doesn't make sense.

It's been a few weeks since the day that I went shopping with Mack. Nothing fun has happened except that me and my dad moved into a new house. I'm sad because that house had most of my memories with Emma. But I also wouldn't be able to live there knowing that my mom was murdered there.

Dean's voice snaps me out of my thoughts, "Do you want to like hang out on the weekend?" He sits on the bench next to me. We're at the park. Earlier he texted me and asked if I wanted to go for a run with him, and me being bored at Mack's house, I accepted the offer.

I make a pouty face, "Why do we have to wait for the weekend? It feels like I haven't seen you in forever, I just want to spend time with you." I didn't even realize that I said that until it was already out of my mouth. He smiles at this.

"I agree. We should watch a movie." He suggests.

"My dad is going out of town tomorrow, I'm sure he won't mind you coming over." I pause and realize what he thinks I mean by being alone, "He has cameras installed in the house so he trusts me to bring people over."

"Okay sounds good." He stands up and puts his hand out to help me up, I take it and stand up. "So a little bird told me that your birthday is coming up." My first birthday without Emma or my mom, that shouldn't be celebrated.

"Yeah, it's no big deal. But I heard that your birthday is the day after halloween. I think we should celebrate."

He looks down and laughs. "Even before my family died I didn't like my birthday. But fine, if celebrating my birthday means spending extra time with my girlfriend then I'll take it." Girlfriend. I didn't think we were there yet. His words take me by shock but he's looking at the ducks in the lake so he doesn't notice. Girlfriend actually isn't that bad. I like being called that.

"Yeah for sure. We could even do a mini party and invite friends of yours. So I can meet them. And like be friends with them." I say with a smile working its way onto my face.

His eyes light up, "We could also invite yours. We could hang at the beach until the sun goes down. But here's the catch," I look at him with a questioning look, "you have to stay by side all day."

I nod, "I think I can make that happen." The second I saw Dean I knew he was a good person. At the time I didn't know what kind of crap he's been through. But I know now. He knows what I've been through. He knows that I don't want to talk about my mom and I know he doesn't like talking about his family. We understand each other. We trust each other. "My sister died." He looks at me but he doesn't look shocked. His face isn't what I pictured in my mind when I thought of me telling him.