The Davidsons

"Well? Aren't you going to say something?" Bobby said, getting frustrated.

"Yes. Sorry. I was distracted. But yeah, I get it. I'm not mad at you. You're right. If we're meant to be, we'll be."

Bobby's mouth fell open and his brow furrowed. "Are you fucking kidding me? We've been together since sophomore year and this is the reaction I get?"

Abigail frowned and replied, "I don't understand. Are you mad at me? You're the one who said we should break up. I'm just agreeing with you. Look, I need to go. I want to say goodbye to Sam before I leave. See you at Thanksgiving I guess." Abigail turned away from him and out his door, Bobbys mouth fallen open again behind her. She didn't know exactly why she wasn't upset, they've been dating since they were sixteen, almost four years. Her mom basically hand picked him for her from their church group. Sure they fooled around a little bit, but he always seemed a little too perfect. She wanted something more than that, though she had know idea what. Plus, she agreed with him. They were going to be states away from each other, and she couldn't find a reason to force it to work. She walked down the street to her best friend Sam's house. The three of them have lived on the same street her whole life, but that was all changing today. This would be the last time she could casually walk to her best friends house, Abigail thought tearfully. Too quickly she arrived, and before she could knock, the door flew open and Sam flung herself at Abigail.

"You can't leave! What am I going to do here without you? I can't survive it," she cried.

Abigail squeezed her friend tightly, "Don't worry, Sammy. I'm going to call you every day. And you're going to have a great time here. I know how much you've been wanting to take over your mom's diner, it's finally your chance to prove to her how capable you are. I love you so much." The two stood there for a moment, hugging and contemplating this life change.

"I can't stay long. It's an eight hour drive and at this rate I won't get there until two in the morning," Abigail said, pulling away.

Sam tightened her hold and said, "Okay, then it's too late to go. You'll just have to stay here tonight and leave tomorrow."

Abigail laughed and gently pushed her friend away, firmly holding her at an arms length, "Sammy. Best friend. I love you. I'll see you Thanksgiving. Or you can come see me! My parents splurged so I can have a dorm room to myself and keep Mr. Claws in my room. So we can have sleepovers, as long as I'm not busy with a test or something."

"Fine," Sam replied, pouting, "I'll be there next weekend. I love you too, Abigail." The two went in for another hug, then Abigail regretfully walked away to her childhood home, where her little silver Nissan was packed with all her possessions, minus her cat. She slowly walked down the driveway and into her front door, soaking it all in. Her parents were sitting at the dining room table with her little sister, Chloe. The three of the got up when they saw her and all went in for a group hug.

"How did the goodbyes go, Addy-pie?" Her sister asked, specifically using the nickname that annoyed Abigail.

"Well I'm officially single for college."

The three of them gasped, and her mom said, "Are you kidding me? I'm about to go down there and beat Bobby's behind for breaking my baby's heart! How could he?"

Abigail laughed and said, "Don't worry mom. It was mutual. We're going to be living states away from each other. And besides, if we're really meant to be like you think, we will be one day."

Her dad raised a single eyebrow. "Well honey, you're taking it rather well. Did you like him at all?"

Abigail blushed and said, "Yeah of course I liked him! Like I said we just need space to grow."

Her mom replied, "Okay then Hon as long as you're okay. You sure you don't want me to go with you and take a plane ride back home? It's no trouble at all!"

"No, I'll be okay. It's an adventure. It'll be fun, my first road trip by myself. I'll text you when I'm there. Chloe you can have my mattress if you want, I know it's bigger than yours."

Chloe dropped her resting bitch face and smiled, "Really? Thanks! I wasn't going to steal it immediately after you left or anything," she said sweetly.

Their mom gasped, "Chloe! Be nice to your sister, you won't see her again for weeks!"

"It's alright mom, being mean is how she shows her love," Abigail said, rolling her eyes at Chloe, who stuck her tongue out at her. They both laughed and gave each other a hug. The four were interrupted by an aggravated meow. Abigails black cat, Mr Claws, sauntered over and rubbed up against Abigails leg, demanding attention. She scratched his ears, one of which was bitten off in a cat fight before he become a house cat. He purred and Abigail took that opportunity to scoop him up and put him in his carrier case that was sitting on the kitchen table. He meowed loudly in protest.

Abigail carried the case out to her car, her family in tow right behind her. She put Mr Claws in the passenger seat and gave her family one last hug.

"Are you sure you don't want me to ride with you? I promise I won't be a bother! I'll drive for you when you get sleepy," Abigails mom said, tears in her eyes. Abigail hugged her mom tighter and shook her head no. She had to do this on her own. Her whole life she's lived with her family, all the way up through her first two years of college, which is conveniently located ten minutes down the road from her old high-school. She's twenty years old and still a virgin, she needed to grow up eventually. It was now or never.

"No mom. I'll be okay I promise. I'll text you when I'm halfway there and when I get there. And if I get tired I'll stop and get a hotel room."

"And your seatbelt?"

Abigail laughed, "Yes of course I'm going to wear a seat belt." She turned to give her dad another hug.

"Got your paper spray and your whistle?" Her father asked with a gruff voice.

She rolled her eyes and mubled a yes. He laughed and gave her a big hug, lifting her in the air and giving her a twirl, Abigail giggling the whole time. He set her gently on the ground and pat her on the head.

"See you later nerd," Abigail said to Chloe, shooting her some finger guns.

Chloe rolled her eyes, "Let's see if you come back more annoying or less," she said, promptly going back inside. Abigail wasn't hurt, she knew Chloe didn't want to be left alone. She just didn't know how to express it. Her welcome home during Thanksgiving break would be spectacular. Abigail finally got into the car, and set off. Once she got out of her family's line of sight, she opened the carrier cage and Mr Claws shot out, immediatley curling up on his spot on her dashboard. She smiled at her cat and rubbed his belly.

"I'm going to miss them too. But don't worry Mr Claws, we're going to have so much fun at the Harriet Tubman College of the Arts! I heard there's a really cool pet groomer who specializes in giving cats spa days. What do you think about that?" Mr Claws cooked his head to the side at her quizzically. She giggled and turned on her favorite Taylor Swift album, preparing for the eight hour drive to her new home in Georgia. Abigail couldn't remember the last time she had so many emotions swirling around inside her. Fear, happiness, longing, and excitement, to name a few. Her whole life she's been sheltered by her parents, she knew they meant well, but maybe if they let her loose just a little bit, she wouldn't be going to grad school a whole state away from them. She needed space to become an adult, away from the people who constantly looked over her. Abigail loved her family more than anything and would miss them terribly, but her excitement outgrew all the other emotions. She laughed and whooped, causing Mr Claws to shoot her a weirdly human annoyed look, and she giggled again and turned up the music.

For the next eight hours she drove to southeastern Georgia, stopping every once in awhile for snacks and gas. She checked in with her mother like she said she would, and texted Sam too for good measure. Abigail had never been this far from home alone before, and she wanted to be extra safe while on the road. Luckily for her, her excitement made the trip fly by, and before she knew it she was there. Since it was about two thirty in the morning, she knew there was no way she would be able to get into her dorm tonight, so she headed straight for the beach another forty minutes away. She had never seen the ocean before, it was actually one of her main reasons of picking this school. Abigail parked her car and put Mr Claws in a harness.

"It's for your own good, we've never been here before and I'm not getting you lost on our first day here. Let's just go take a quick look then we can nap in the car until the morning," she reassured her cat, scratching his favorite spot behind his torn ear. The pair exited the car and walked down the boardwalk to the beach.

Abigail was in awe. The ocean was the biggest thing she had ever seen in her life, even with the bad night view. She quickly discarded her shoes and socks, skipping to the water. Abigail picked up her cat, knowing he hates water, and slowly walked into the waves, squishing the sand between her toes. It was freezing! She jump back, laughing. Mr Claws let out a low hiss at the sudding movement, and she gave him a reassuring pat, "Don't worry. We're going back to the car right now, that water is way too cold to be enjoyed anyways."

They went back to the car, where Abigail wiped off her sandy feet. The two drove back to her campus, and she parked close to the student office, locking her doors and laying down for a nap before she could get her dorm keys. Mr Claws snuggled next to her and then they drifted off to sleep.