Babysitting the Bad Boy's Family ✔

48. Hollow

Chapter 48: Hollow

Kelsey's POV

*****

As days started passing by, the date of when I had to move all the way to New York was drawing nearer, and even if I couldn't let anybody see, I was truly gutted about it. I felt a knot in the pit of my stomach as I gathered the Walkers around and told them, with my luggage in hand, that it was time for me to go back to my house to help my father pack the rest of our stuff. 

We were supposed to move in two days, and even if I desperately wished to spend those last two days there with them, there was still a lot that needed to be done, and I just couldn't leave my father to do it alone. Noah and Ethan both seemed to understand my reasonings, and even if with a heavy heart, they were there to help me move out of their house. Ellie and Lara, on the other hand, did not agree with my decisions to go back home, and begged me to stay there with them. Seeing their big eyes and sad pouts, I nearly gave in to staying, but then I thought about my father and realised that I couldn't just leave him to do everything on his own. 

"Don't forget to come here for your party tomorrow," Ethan said as he walked over to me and embraced me, leaving a light kiss on my forehead. "I'll come over to help you pack later okay? maybe in half an hour?"

I nodded with a smile, grateful for all of the help I had been receiving from Ethan in those last couple of days. He kept insisting that he was happy for me, and that he wanted me to go, and even if I didn't tell him, I knew that it was all an act. Ethan had grown a lot in those couple of months, and I could see that everything he was doing was for me. He was sacrificing his emotions for me, in the exact same way I was doing for my father. 

I let out a deep sigh as I hugged him tighter, both of us reluctant to let go of the other, despite knowing that we had to. "I love you," I whispered to him before letting go and turning to the others. 

"Bye guys, I love you. I'll see you all tomorrow." As soon as the last word left my mouth, all three of them rushed into my arms, clutching me like I were their lifeline. 

The feeling in my heart in that moment was unexplainable. I felt hollow, and I didn't know what I could do to possibly make that feeling go. The thought of never getting to sleep over there with them again upset me, and I couldn't help but feel like crying. I couldn't cry in front of them, I knew that it would hurt them, and that was why I looked up at them with a brave smile before giving them a small wave and turning around and straight into Meg's car, who had agreed to take me home. 

*****

"Dad, I'm home," I said after hugging Meg goodbye and opening the front door to my house.  

I got a sense of melancholy as soon as I entered the house. Soon, not only would I never be able to see the Walker house again, but I wouldn't even be able to see my home. That was the house where I had lived for my entire life, and it held so many memories with my mother, memories which I would never have in the new house. Seeing the entire place half empty only upset me more, and my heart ached for the place which was soon going to disappear from my life.  memories with my mom and seeing it half empty upset me even more.

"There's my baby," My dad said as he walked up to me to greet me with a hug.  "I've packed everything that we need into boxes. I don't know how they'll let us take everything with us," dad said with a small laugh. He seemed so happy to be starting a new life, and I hated myself for not being able to share that joy with him.  

"Dad, you can just ship the stuff to our new house," I chuckled, the word 'new house' leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. 

"Oh, do you mind doing that then? I don't know how," he said. "You know us old folks, not knowing how to work anything," he said, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah sure," I replied, laughing lightly at his words.

"Everything in your room is still the same, I thought that maybe you would want to take care of that," he gently said.

"Yeah, thanks," I replied as I took another glance around the house, trying to gulp down the knot that was forming in my throat. 

I knew what he was doing. He was trying to get an honest, genuine smile out of me, one of which I hadn't been able to wear ever since I found out that we were moving. He knew that I wasn't happy with going to New York, and I knew that it hurt him seeing me that way.  

"Princess," my dad sighed, taking my hands in his as his eyes gazed into mine. "I told you, you don't have to move with me if it makes you so unhappy," he said.

After noticing that I wasn't exactly ecstatic with moving, he told me that he could try to make me stay there. Meg's parents even offered to have me live with them if I wanted, and my father was all up for it. No matter how badly I wanted to live with Meg and stay close to the Walkers, I couldn't find it within me to say yes. Some things were more important to me than my happiness, and my father was one of them.  

"Dad, for all my life you've been taking care of me. I'm not even ready to stay on my own yet. I have to go with you, there's no way I'm leaving you. I'd miss you too much," I sighed. "I love you dad, and I can't just stay here knowing you're over there on your own." I knew that if I were to stay there, everyday I would be worrying and asking myself if he was okay, or if anything happened to him. I had to know, first-hand, that he was safe. 

"I love you too Kels, but I don't want you to be sad anymore, okay? If you're coming with me then I want to see a smile on that beautiful face of yours. Things should be better for me when we're there, and I'll finally have enough money to help you with your dreams and get into the right school. I want to make you happy," he said as he hugged me. 

Everything that he said sounded amazing, but even hearing him say that I will finally be achieving my dream wasn't enough to make me happy about moving. I was happy there, and I wanted to stay there, but my father gave up on his happiness one too many times for me. 

"Do you want me to make you a snack?" He asked as he kissed my forehead and gently stroked my hair like he used to do when I was younger. 

"No thanks, we better continue packing. Ethan might get here soon to help us," I replied, the thought of seeing Ethan making me feel slightly better. 

"You're really going to miss them aren't you?" He asked.

I looked at him not knowing what to say. He didn't even have to ask that question. Apart from him, Meg and the Walkers were the most important people in my life, and the thought of leaving them all behind made me feel numb.  

"Yes, I will," I mumbled, not having anything else to say to that.

I realised that I had been giving my dad very short answers, which was a thing I often did whenever I was upset. I felt empty, like there were no feelings within me. I did not know what to feel, and I knew that the fact that I was leaving had not fully hit me yet. Thinking about how I would feel once I did move scared me, and I wished that I could just push that feeling back forever. There was no way I was going to be as happy there as I was here, even if I would have been a step closer to making my dreams come true. 

*****