Page 66 of Part of Forever
“I didn’t call it that, but that is a word for it. It’s just…” Nathan pauses, as if trying to figure out the right words to say. “When the two of you are together, everything seems right in the world. I don’t know how to explain it. I need him to explain it, he’s the one that really believes in all the soulmates and one true love stuff. But you two are just right for each other. So you should go talk to him.”
“He won’t even text me back.” I reallywantto go talk to Tucker. Even if we never hold hands or kiss again, I need him to be my friend again.
“Go see him.”
“What if he’s not home?”
“Then wait for him.”
“Why are you so adamant about this? Why now?” I ask.
Nathan’s blue eyes peer into mine. “Because I think you’re going to need him by your side this time, and I think he’s going to want to be there, even if he’s scared right now.”
I nod, because it’s true. I don’t want to do this without Tucker.
“Let’s go now.” Nathan squeezes my knee. “I’ll drive you over.”
I smile at him. “But you hate driving.” He shrugs as if to say,but I’ll do it for you, just this once.
Tucker isn’t home when we get there, but I’m too emotional to hang out with Nathan and Grace. Grace’s family is all out doing something fun, but I just want to be alone. Nathan and Grace head downstairs to watch a movie while I wait in Tucker’s room. I’m exhausted from the news of today, so I curl up in his blankets, hoping to just rest until he gets home.
26
“Rosie.”
I roll away from the voice; I do not want to get up yet. Why is Mom waking me up for school? She hasn’t done that in years.
“Rosie,” the voice says again, and this time I’m awake enough to realize that it’s Grace who’s standing above me.
“What’s going on?” I ask groggily. I sit up, remembering that Nathan and I came over to see Tucker. I glance at the alarm clock on top of his desk at the other side of the room. “It’s one in the morning?”
I finally look at her; she’s still dressed and she looks like she’s been crying. “What’s going on?”
“Nathan told me,” she says first, and I open my arms to give her a hug. She crawls onto the tiny twin bed next to me and I hold her while she cries, but I still can’t will the tears to come, even though I can feel the emotion building up inside me.
“This time I won’t keep any secrets from you,” I promise, and she nods, then abruptly sits up.
“There’s something else you should know.” She’s still got her arms around me in an awkward hug that’s making me sit weird, but I don’t move. Shelooks so serious.
“What?” I ask nervously.
“Tucker’s gone,” she says, and it takes a few moments for the words to sink in.
“What do you mean?” I ask, hoping I don’t sound as panicked as I feel.
“He left a note on the counter, sometime last night or early this morning. Said he’s going back home to stay with his mom for a while and work on his music in Nashville.”
My stomach drops. “He… he just left?” I ask, shaking my head. This can’t be happening. He wouldn’t just leave. “Why would he do that? Why would he just leave without saying goodbye?”
“I don’t know.” She gives me another tight hug, but I jerk out of her embrace. I stand in the middle of his room and look around, my heart pounding in my chest.
His closet door is open and I can see that some of his clothes are gone. I turn to the corner where his guitar always sits—it’s gone. I was too tired to notice before.
“He left.” I sink down onto the floor, anger still pulsing through me. “He actually left.” Then, for the first time since I found out that Lucy died, I weep.
When Lucy’s mom calls the next morning to give us the details for Lucy’s funeral, Grace and Nathan promise me they’ll be there to hold my hand the whole time. I feel like a zombie as we get ready the next day and drive up to her hometown, Newport Beach. I didn’t even know where she lived. There’s so much I didn’t know about her, and so much I’ll never know now.
Dad drives, and Nathan and Grace sit in the back with me. Mom said she doesn’t do funerals, which just made me want to scream. But that’s not even the thing I’m most upset about right now. I can’t believe Tucker left. He’s visited his mom a few timessince he moved out here, but he never took his guitar with him; he was always planning on coming back. He didn’t even say goodbye.
