Beautiful Goodbye

Beautiful Goodbye

Chandin
Whitten

Copyright
2013 by Chandin Whitten

Smashwords
Edition

And I remember your eyes
were so bright
When I first met you, so in love that night
And now I'm kissing your tears goodnight
And I can't take it, you're even perfect when you cry
Beautiful goodbye

-Maroon 5

CHAPTER 1

Gage Tucker
has been my best friend since we were born. We have always been
there for each other. Yep, that’s right, he was my awesome best
friend who would go to the store and get me tampons. We know
everything about each other down to our dirty little secrets. Gage
and I had our own special kind of relationship that most people
just didn't get and we were ok with that. We knew that no matter
what, we always had each other. Most people assumed we were
together, well you know what they say about people who assume?
They’ll make an ass out of you and me. No, Gage and I have never
dated. It's just not like that with us. Gage was your typical high
school football star whom all the girls wanted. If they were lucky
enough they got him, but just for a few hours. And never in his
room, I was the only girl allowed in there. I on the other hand was
a little more shall we say unslutty. When I had my one and only
boyfriend, Jacob, a few years ago, it changed me…forever. Gage was
there when everything fell apart, I think our families all hoped we
would get together after that, but it never happened. After
everything that had happened with my ex-boyfriend, I told myself
that I would never allow myself to get hurt or put myself in the
position of getting hurt again.

No one will
ever get through my walls and into my heart ever again. Not going
to happen.

"I have a few
more boxes, and then I think that is everything," I sat down on the
barstool next to my sister. Packing was no fun! Gage and I were
leaving early in the morning to start the long drive from our
hometown of Fairhope, Alabama to Columbus, Ohio.

"Ok Jenna, I
think Gage has most of his stuff in his truck already. The
furniture should arrive in a few days. Sorry it won’t be there when
you get there."

"That’s ok,
mom. Seriously just you guys buying us furniture is amazing. I
packed an air mattress and told Gage to bring his."

My dad put his
arm around my shoulders, "I'm going to miss you kid. Things get
boring around here when you leave us for the college life. What
will we do when you’re gone for good?"

My younger
sister, Mackenzie rolled her eyes and snorted, "Thanks,
dad."

My dad eyed my
sister before smiling and pulling out a stool for her to sit
on.

Squeezing my
dad I laughed, "Dad she's fourteen give her a few years and let me
teach her a few things then you will be sorry you ever called her
the boring daughter."

The man I call
dad is really my stepdad, Kevin. He has been in my life since I can
remember. My actual dad left before I was born and had never been a
part of my life. My mom, Ann, didn't tell me much about him other
than that I got my sea green eyes from him. I loved my mom and
stepdad. They gave me a younger sister and a younger brother.
Mackenzie is fourteen and turning into a mini me, but hopefully she
would make better choices than I did in the past. Dakota is ten
years old and a pain in the ass, but I adore him.

The front door
swung open and Gage walked in with his younger brother, Dylan. "Hey
babe, got all your shit packed and ready?" Gage smiled at me before
plopping down on the couch.

"Actually, I
need your manly muscles to get the last couple of boxes from my
room and put them in my car." I smiled too sweetly at the Tucker
brothers. I hopped off the barstool and walked into the living
room.

Dylan started
up the stairs before Gage could stand, "It's cool Jenna I can grab
them for you."

"Thanks Dyl,"
I winked at him. As Dylan went up the stairs and around the corner
to my room Gage pulled me down beside him on the couch and put his
arm around me.

"You realize
he is in love with you, right?"

"You realize
he's almost five years younger than me, right? He's not really my
type anyway. I'm not the type of girl to go for the tall, dark,
mysterious type."

"Ah that’s
right you like the short, fat, nerdy type. How could I
forget?"

"You’re an
ass. I can't believe I agreed to live with you. What was I
thinking?"

"You were
thinking, damn look at that body, he works out. I mean who wouldn't
want to wake up and see this every day?" Gage motioned up and down
at his body.

I have to
admit, yes, Gage was attractive. He was a few inches over six feet,
dark brown hair that always had the 'just rolled outta bed' look,
piercing blue eyes, and naturally tan skin. He had muscles from
years of playing football and working out every day. His eyebrow
was pierced and he had more than his share of tattoos.

"Quoting
LMFAO, nice,” I said sarcastically. "You’re so full of yourself.
I'm surprised we found an apartment big enough to contain that
giant ego of yours."

"True, but you
love me anyway."

I just rolled
my eyes and laid my head on his shoulder.

My mom walked
into the living room and hugged Gage over the back of the couch,
"Hey Gage. Are you all packed and ready to go?"

"I sure am
mama R.” Gage replied.

"Jenna!" Dylan
yelled from upstairs.

I got up from
the couch with Gage following, "What's up bro?" Gage yelled as we
walked up the stairs.

"Jenna has
more than just a few boxes. She has about thirty of them. I don't
know where you’re going to put all this crap? The girl has packing
issues." Dylan said.

We rounded the
corner and walked into my room. Maybe I did have more than a few
boxes but I'm a girl and you never know when you might need
something, right?

"You have got
to be shitting me, babe?" Gage asked.

"What?" I
asked innocently.

Gage started
opening boxes, "We have my truck and your car. That's it." He
grabbed a few things out of a box asking, "Why the hell are you
taking our fuckin’ high school yearbook? You packed a lot of stupid
fuckin’ useless shit. We need to go through and limit all this
random shit."

"Memories,
Gage, memories." I smiled trying to calm his nerves.

"Seriously
babe, cut the shit. Whatever fits in your car and my truck is all
we take. So you need to figure out what you want the most. The rest
fuckin’ stays here. And by that I don't mean when we come home on
break you drag more shit back with us."

"Gage chill.
I'll go through it and only bring what I need. I have one box in
the bathroom. Dylan can you grab that and put it in my car so it
doesn't get lost or broken."

"Sure, Jenna,"
Dylan said as he walked out my door.

"Dylan have I
told you lately that you’re my favorite?" I joked.

"And you
wonder why he's in love with you?" Gage asked.

"Shut up and
help me go through these boxes, analsucker."

Gage and I
spent the next three hours going through all the boxes and
narrowing all of my stuff down to what I needed and to what I
wanted to take. Gage gave me one box and that’s all I got for
everything I wanted to take.

"You still
have this?" Gage asked me holding up a stuffed monkey he got me
when I was six and had my tonsils removed.

"Of course I
do. You gave me that monkey and it has slept with me every night
except for when you were here."

"Fuckin’
weird, babe,” Gage said laughing.

I snatched my
monkey from his hands and tossed it in my 'want' box. "My monkey
goes. You touch him again, you die."

"Are you
choosing a stuffed monkey over me Jenna Reylan?"

"You better
believe it Gage Tucker."

Before I saw
it coming Gage was lunging at me and tackled me to the floor. With
his weight holding me down he grabbed my monkey from the box and
dangled it over my face. "I have a problem with this
monkey."

"Gage, I'm
warning you. Put my monkey down and no one gets hurt."

Dakota walked
into my room, saw us and started laughing. "And you call me the
weird one?"

"Kota get my
monkey from Gage," I demanded.

"No way sis,
Gage would kick my butt," Kota said, shaking his head and backing
away.

I tried to
wiggle myself free but failed. Gage just pressed more of his weight
into me. "Gage have you gained some weight?" I asked trying to keep
a straight face.

Gage tossed my
monkey to Dakota and said, "Run Kota. Hide the monkey."

"Kota I swear
if you step out of my room with my monkey I will give you a wedgie
from hell!"

"Kota she
won't do a damn thing. I have control of her, now go,” Gage said
through his laughter.

Kota turned
and ran out of my room and down the stairs. Next thing I heard was
the back door sliding open then closed. "Gage I'm going to kill
you. Now get your fat ass off me!"

Gage
snickered, "Babe, you don't scare me.”

"Well I
should. I'm one badass bitch."

"You’re a
short shit who wouldn't hurt a fly."

"I am not
short! And I would hurt a fly, I've been known to kill a few in my
day."

Gage kissed my
forehead and pushed himself up. He grabbed my hand to pull me up.
"Let's go shorty. We have some packing to do and I think our
parents have some dinner thing planned for tonight."

"I am not
short asshole! I'm not going to dinner until Mr. Squibble is back
and safe in my hands."

Gage burst out
laughing wrapping me up in his arms and asked, "Mr. what? Babe it’s
a stupid monkey."

"Hey don't
talk about him like that. He means a lot to me."

"Why? It’s
just a stuffed monkey I got you when you had your tonsils
out."

"I know but
you told me you got the monkey so I would smile and
laugh."

"Ok?" Gage
looked at me confused.

"You told me
you missed my smile and monkeys made people happy. So I kept him so
I would always have a reminder to smile and laugh. That monkey has
gotten me through a lot, Gage."

"Woman, I
swear you’re a pain in the ass and the most frustrating female on
the planet but, I love you."

I put my arm
through his and said, "I know. Now let’s go get my monkey. My fat
ass is hungry.”

CHAPTER 2

After getting
my monkey, we packed the last few boxes into my car and Gage's
truck. Our families decided to have dinner at our favorite
restaurant, but that also meant an hour drive to Pensacola,
Florida. Atlas Oyster House had the best sushi around.

"So are you
two ready to live in the real world with bills and responsibility?"
Tamra, Gage's mom asked.

I nudged Gage
with my shoulder and said, "We all know Gage will never be ready to
grow up. He will be the sixteen year old boy forever."

"I'm not that
bad." All eyes fell on Gage and he continued, "Ok maybe I can be
immature sometimes but I like to have fun."

"Sometimes?" I
asked looking at Gage.

Tamra shook
her head stifling her laughter. "Gage, you sure do know how to have
fun. Maybe you can take some of that excitement and focus that
energy on school?"

"Mom, no
worries. I got school covered. I need to focus on
football."

"Gage sweetie,
I really wish you would focus on school more."

Mike, Gage's
dad broke in, "Son, we know you love ball and we support you but
what if you get hurt, then what? That won't pay your
bills."

"It will when
I make the NFL dad, and I won't get hurt. I know I can do
this."

Tamra shook
her head. "Honey we are just worried and thinking of the
'what-ifs'. We support you no matter what you decide but as your
parents we want what’s best for you."