I stuffed the last box of clothes into my car and closed the trunk with a solid slam! My mom stood by with a happy, yet tearful look. My dad stood next to her. I turned to my mom first since she seemed to need the most reassurance. "I promise I'll be back every holiday, and I wouldn't miss your birthday for the world, and I'll call anytime I get the chance," I said.

She took my hand, pulling it to her chest. "You promise to also drive safe, and not pick fights, and always call if you need anything?" she asked, in her worry, completely forgetting the fact that I had already promised that last one. "I won't have my baby starving to death if I can help it. Or getting into any trouble! Don't you dare leave on some crazy trip without telling me!"

That stung, but I pulled her into a hug. "Yes, ma'am. I promise all those things."

She finally relaxed and squeezed me tight. I knew this was hard for her, so I let her have her moment. At last, she pulled away. "You know, I used to pray over you every night that you wouldn't grow up just so I wouldn't have to see you leave," she admitted.

"Mom, I'll be fine," I insisted. "I'll only be a few hours away."

She made a fussy comment about five hours being too far away to save my life if something bad happened, but I was already turning to face my father. "You've been a pretty good dad," I said, shaking his hand.

"And you've been a pretty good son," my father replied, taking my handshake and pulling me into a hug.

Many a goodbye, farewell, and "don't you dare forget to call when you get there" later, I was finally allowed to leave. Putting on a brave face that didn't feel half as brave as it looked, I got into my car. As I pulled away, I could see them waving and running down the sidewalk behind me. I waved back at them through my window. Then I turned the corner and they were gone.

I had an hour of silence to myself as I drove towards Cliff and Zane's place. When I got there, I could already see Zane looking out the window for me. He spotted my car almost as soon as I pulled up and quickly disappeared, probably to let Cliff know I was outside. I stepped out of my car just as their door opened and Zane and Cliff walked out to meet me.

"You guys ready?" I asked.

Zane nodded. "Cliff's going to follow behind in his car," he explained. 

As Cliff boarded his own vehicle, Zane and I got into my car. I glanced at Zane and smirk as I asked, "Think your boyfriend can keep up with me?"

He laughed. "I doubt it. He can hardly keep up with me." 

I blinked. "Oh, yeah?" I asked. "I didn't know you have a car. What are you driving?"

He sent me his own smirk. "The bed."

My cheeks flushed and I stomped on the gas with a roll of my eyes. "That was unnecessary information that I never needed to know," I muttered.

He laughed and we started our long drive towards my new home. We took our time, stopping when we needed snacks or a bathroom break. However, by the time we made it to the university dorms, we were all equally ready to be done driving.

I picked up my key from the front desk and we started taking boxes up to my new room. It only took ten minutes or so since there were only a few to carry. The room wasn't as big as my old room, so I had to be picky when choosing what I would take. As I set the last one on my bed, I sighed with exhaustion. "I wonder what my roommate's going to be like..." I said, eyeing the messy bed and desk on the other side of the room. Something told me we wouldn't get along.

Cliff chuckled. "Trust me, as long as there's a boundary line, you'll be fine," he advised.

"I didn't know you stayed in a dorm," I said.

"I didn't," Cliff explained. "I went to an orphanage with too many tenants."

I glanced at Zane, hoping I hadn't made the air too tense, but he just shook his head with a smile, wrapping his arms around Cliff's neck. "That must have been terrible," he said dramatically. "But now you live with me, and that's all you should be worried about."

Their mushy talk was unsettling, and I resisted the urge to fake vomit. 

"Why don't we have dinner?" Zane asked. "Cliff made sure to pack sodas before we left, so let's order pizza."

Cliff and I agreed and we ordered one pepperoni and one Hawaiian pizza. We talked about the courses I was signed up for while we waited, and over dinner, we discussed Cliff's new job at the local clinic. Apparently, their new place was right next door, so Cliff could walk to work. It saved them on gas, and no one knew who they were, so they were safe from the authorities. As the hour grew late and the sun started setting, Cliff was the first to suggest their departure.

"Well, it's been fun, but we should be getting home," Cliff said.

"Need anything for the road?" I asked. "My mom was insistent that I take enough supplies to last me a year," I said, laughing.

They laughed too, but politely declined. After cleaning our mess from dinner, I walked them out to their car. "Guess we won't be seeing each other much," I said regretfully. "But if I get any days off, I'll definitely come down to say hi."

Zane also looked disappointed to go. When we reached Cliff's truck, Zane grabbed an item from the front seat and handed it to me. "Graduation gift," he said. "It took a little bit to get it, so I couldn't give it to you at your graduation party. It's to help you study. Sort of."

I looked down at the envelope in my hand with a curious frown. His evasion of telling me just what my gift was lead me to be suspicious, but I knew Zane wouldn't give me something he didn't think I'd like.

Zane hugged me. "Good luck," he whispered.

"Uh, thanks," I said. I hugged him back awkwardly, wondering what the luck was for, school probably.

Cliff indicated that they really should be going, so Zane withdrew. "I'll call every week. Don't leave out a single detail, I want to know everything that happens," he said.

I nodded, guessing he must be talking about college. I sometimes forgot he only got to experience one semester of his own. A few minutes later, they were driving away and I was left alone in the parking lot of the university dorms. When they were out of sight, I went up to my room.

As I entered, I started opening the envelope. It was a small envelope, so it couldn't be anything solid or substantial in size. Absentmindedly, I wondered if he got me a gift card or something. I opened the top flap and pulled out a small piece of paper that was folded in half. Well, it wasn't a gift card. It didn't even look like a letter. As I unfolded the paper, my eyebrows drew together. Written in clear handwriting was a single address. I read it aloud. "1256 Cherryhill Dr...."

That sounded familiar, like I'd heard it before a long time ago. I went over to a box by the foot of my bed and unpacked my laptop, quickly plugging the address into Google. A moment later, I was presented with a result. A lump formed in my throat. There was only one Cherryhill Dr. in the U.S. and it was on a mountain about twenty hours from my old house.

*******

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