Everett
I knew this goodbye was going to be hard, but I don’t think I realized how hard until now. Aubrey is sitting across from me in the car outside the airport. Her eyes filled with sadness, tears brimming in them, but she is forcing them back because she doesn’t want to cry. I should never have agreed to this! I feel guilty for leaving her. Aubrey needs me here, not thousands of miles away for an entire month. What if Benji comes back? Who is going to be there to protect her? I should be, but I won’t be.
The tears she is trying to hold back begin to roll down her cheeks. My chest constricts as I watch her. It is like a stab in the heart since I am the cause of the tears. I reach in and wipe them away with my thumb.
“Aubrey, please don’t cry,” I whisper. It is making everything har
