A lone tear made its way down Ava's cheek as she waved me goodbye.

It was funny how in the span of three hours, she'd managed to weasel out of me all the secrets I'd held dear for so many years. It felt like she'd always known at the back of her head that I wasn't normal.

But then again, I had been a little too careless. A girl who'd lived all her childhood with a brother who saw the world like I did, was bound to take note of the little things the others were oblivious to. The only thing that made my heart clench was the path that I was going to take now.

I knew it would all come down to this. I knew loving someone who was so close, yet so far away could mean nothing but complications. I knew twisting the little strings of emotions too tight would eventually break them. I did it anyway.

Like every other time.

A small giggle escaped my lips as I took in the empty road before me. Another city, another love lost, I thought to myself, drinking in the little streetlights throwing their yellow light on the wet sidewalk and the glistening green grass that was growing from a crack.

Right before I'd left, Ava had pulled me to her chest and told me that I would pull through if I could just accept myself. But I knew it was wariness in her eyes I saw when I pulled back from the embrace. Ava was naive, but she wasn't stupid.

I knew she wanted to get to the bottom of her mother's death, and she now had another suspect chalked up in her tally. It was only a matter of time that she found out the truth.

So, I was going to do exactly as she'd wanted me to do. I was going to accept myself and move on. 

Just not the way she wanted me to.

"Goodbye California," I whispered to the air.