In the middle of the night Cheyanna woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. After awhile she slowly unwrapped herself from Johnny, somehow they ended up laying on the floor covered by a blanket. She knew it must have Mrs. C. She tiptoed to the kitchen made herself a cup of hot tea and headed for the front porch. Once outsid she sat down on the steps and thought about how she was gonna miss coming up here and spending the weekend, and how she was gonna miss her friends.

Carly came out and joined her abou 20 mins. later.

"you too?"

"yeah, there is just something depressing about knowing this will be the last time we'll all be up here for awhile"

"tell me about it"

"AZ seems a million miles away right now"

The girls sat thier in silence both lost in thier own world, and thoughts.

"Ya know Chey I know we haven't gotten along for the past 3 yrs, but I just want you to know before you go that I love you, I couldn't have asked for a better stepsister and i'm gonna miss you like crazy" Carly said with tears streaming down her cheeks

"i'm gonna miss you too, and I love you" was all Chey could get out before she too was crying.

The girls just sat there and held on to each other, held on to their memories and held on to thier friendship,a friendship that not even distance and time could end.

Marcus and Sonny stood in the doorway eavesdropping for the second time that night. They both felt extremly lucky to have them in their lives and knew they would do anything for them. Thier hearts went out to the girls, they were glad they had mended everything.

"Is there any room in that hug for two more??" Sonny asked

"always" the girls said as they wiped tears from thier faces. The guys went and sat behind thier girlfriends. They wrapped thier arms around them and held on like they were afraid that if they didn't they'd disappear, the girls held hands and none of them said anything. They sat there in silence and watched the sun wake up the world with its gentle light and soothing warmth.

Later that day

The group drove back to the city pretty much in the same silence as when they drove up. Thier feet dragging as they walked into thier apartment. What they saw when they walked in was almost as disheartnening as the move. Thier parents were buzzing around the apt and there were boxes everywhere.

The group just flopped themselves down on the couch and loveseat. On one hand happy not to have to pack but on the other sad because it brought the end that much closer.

When thier parents were finished and the movers had loaded up thier stuff they left. The group went out later on in the evening to eat, instead of going out to a club the decided to spend their last night as roommates together at home.

When they got home the group went and changed into thier night clothes and met in the living room. They turned on the radio and sat thier and talked just like they used to. They stayed up into the wee hours of the morning and ended up falling asleep on the floor.

Sunday

The group woke up and went to church one last time. Came home and made thier phone call just like they had done every Sunday for the past 4 yrs. Then it was time to go.

Sonny and Carly offered to drive everyone to the airport but Lois and Johnny felt it would be easier if they just said thier good-byes at the apartment. So they promised to keep in touch and then they left.

On the way to the airport Sonny sat with Chey and Marcus sat with Carly. When they got to airport and they were called to board the group expected the girls to cry but to everyone's amazement they didn't. The I love yous, the take cares, the i'm gonna miss you,the call mes,and the hugs & kisses were passed all around. And then the two boarded the plane without looking back.

This was the beginning of a new era. Carly sat in the car on the drive home and thought of all they had been through for the past years, how she wondered if they'd ever make it, wondered if she'd ever fall in love, and wondered what life held for her in the future. She thought of all the changes she'd made and looked forward to all the changes she knew she had yet to make. It was then she thought of a quote her HS Senior english teacher told the class as they got closer to graduation:

One day you'll look back at your tears and laugh: You'll also look back at your laughs and cry

She didn't get it then but she got it now. While the promises of keeping in touch may not hold on through time, the memories of the wonder years would.