Love You Goodbye (h.s. au)

34

"Av!  Hurry up, we're leaving in ten minutes!"

"I'm coming!"

I zipped up my duffel bag that was carrying all the items I would need to survive the next few days. Zendaya and I were heading home to Plainview for Thanksgiving and although we would only be there until Sunday, I was already dreading the long weekend. Don't get me wrong, I missed my family and my niece but family meant relatives- and relatives meant Karley.

Thinking of her, I was reminded of the conversation I had on the phone with my mom this morning. Be nice, Avri. She's your cousin, Avri. Don't ruin Thanksgiving dinner, Avri. I scoffed at the last one, still in disbelief that my mom was banking on me to be the one who would ruin Thanksgiving. Karley is the one that betrayed me. The conversation and thoughts of Karley left a bitter taste in my mouth and I scrunched my nose, slinging the strap of my bag over my shoulder. I glanced around my room one more time before picking up my drawing notebook and walking out of my bedroom.

Shutting my bedroom door behind me, I walked into the living room and found Zen waiting on the couch in a pair of jeans and a blue hoodie. This was probably the most casual I was going to see her, she always dressed down when visiting home. I have to be plain like Plainview, were her exact words.

"You ready to go home?" I ask her as I approach, raising my eyebrow at her when she frowns.

"As ready as I'll ever be. You know I hate going back there." She pouts and I nod. I do know, she's always hated visiting for the holidays. She couldn't wait to get out of there when she graduated high school so the fact she has to return twice a year? Terrible for her.

"Yeah I remember. But hey! At least you get a heated pool and fancy dinners." I remind her of her family's wealth and she rolls her eyes.

"True. I don't understand why my parents don't permanently move out here to one of the complexes they own." She comments then glances down at her phone when it vibrates. "Speaking of my parents, the car my dad sent for us is here so let's head down."

"We don't have to drive ourselves this year?"

"Nope! You and I get to have quality time together in the back depending on how heavy traffic is." She wiggles her eyebrows and I laugh before following her to the front door. Zendaya reaches for the door handle, pulling it open only for to stop abruptly. "Shit! You scared me."

I peek around Zen's shoulder, a smile immediately overtaking my face. "Harry?" I move around Zen and she steps back to let Harry step through the doorway. "What are you doing here?"

As he takes a step into the doorway, I take in his appearance to see he's wearing a tan jacket over a black sweatshirt. His legs were covered in his usual black jeans but today, he traded his usual boots for old school vans. I glance up to meet his green eyes, smiling questioningly at him when he gives me a sheepish grin. "I wanted to stop by and say bye."

I blinked a few times at him, surprised he had gone out of his way to stop here before we left. I had told him early this morning what time we were heading out before he left for his own apartment. "I thought we said bye last night?"

He rocks back on his heels, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket as he sucks his lip into his mouth before letting it roll back into place. "I guess I wanted to say bye again?" He shrugs, his increasingly pink cheeks showing his embarrassment. "Are you leaving right now?"

"We are," Zen answers for me and I look over at her, suddenly remembering her presence. "You want to walk us down and then give your girl a proper goodbye?" She says teasingly before nudging Harry's shoulder playfully as she passes him on her way out. "Come on kids, we have to get to the car. Walk and talk. Or kiss and talk. Whichever."