Her purse hung on the edge of her shoulder. Her brown, untamed curls hung loosely down to the middle of her back. Her deep green eyes wondered around the sights of downtown New York. She carried herself towards the curb, sticking her hand out to catch a taxi. Not having much luck, being it was late afternoon and most of the business workers were on their way home.

When the cab eventually parked at her side, she opened the car door, pausing. She realized it was the last time she�d be spending her afternoon walking down the streets of one of the busiest streets for a while to come. After a quick sigh to herself, she hopped in the vehicle.

"Where to, Ma�am?"

#; #; #; #;

She swung the door open to her home she shared with two roommates. "Ryan, Carrie, I�m home!" She shouted, a hint of sadness sewed into her voice.

"Hey, we�re in Ryan�s room!"

She followed the voice of her friend to the back of the house to personally greet them. She stepped underneath the door frame, finding them sitting on the bed. "Hey, Girls."

"Hey, Sky. How was your class?" Carrie asked.

"It was different; not really a class."

"Oh, that�s right. It�s over with."

"Yeah," she said, looking down.

Ryan and Carrie looked at each other, sympathy written all over their faces.

"But look at it this way, you don�t have to ever attend a class for the rest of your life. You�ve graduated. You�re done."

"Yeah, you�re lucky. We still have one more year until we get out of this hell hole," Ryan laughed, trying to cheer her friend up. "No more New York University."

Sky looked back up at her friends with a weak smile. "Man, I still have to pack. I guess I better go do that." She walked out of the room, soon stepping foot in her own. She sighed again. ...And here ends my wonderful journey of New York.

She set her purse down on the bed, pulling her suitcases out from her closet and beginning to fill them with her possessions.

Ryan knocked on her bedroom door that was open, respecting her privacy before walking into her bedroom. "Sky?"

"Yeah?" She asked, taking her head out from her boxes as she sat on the floor. Her hands were grasped onto something, her eyes not seeing it yet from the disturbance she received from Ryan.

"Sweetie, you�ve been in your room for almost four hours. Do you want to come out to eat something?"

"No, I�m almost done." She smiled at her friend.

Ryan smiled back at her as she continued to clean. She set the object down on the floor, pulling more random things out from underneath her bed and tossing them in a cardboard box.

"I�m gonna miss you, Sky."

Sky looked up at her friend again, her eyes filling with tears. "I�m gonna miss you, too."

Ryan slid down to Sky�s side, wrapping her arms around her friend.

"Oh come on now, you can�t make me cry," Sky chuckled, leaning her head on Ryan�s shoulder. "Not now..."

Carrie walked down the hall, stopping when she saw the two girls sitting on the floor in an embrace. "Aw, what�s going on?"

"She�s moving," Ryan choked out.

"Right..."

"Come here," Sky held her arm open as Carrie joined the two of them in a hug. A tear fell from her eye as she hugged her roommates. She wiped it away, moving her hand so that the object that was in her hands a few minutes ago was in focus. Her eyes recognized it and she slowly pulled away from the girls. A look of distraction was drawn on her face.

Carrie and Ryan wiped the tears from their face, watching as Sky picked up the book.

"What is that?" Carrie asked.

Sky ran her slim fingers over the smooth surface of it. "My diary from when I was in High School," she mumbled.

Carrie and Ryan looked at each other.

Sky�s fingers found the lock, unlocking it. Into her lap fell a picture as soon as she opened it. "Oh my..." she whispered when the person in the picture came to view.

"Who is that?" Ryan softly asked.

"Shane..."

"Oh, I think I remember you mentioning him a time or two."

She nodded her head, turning a few pages into her diary.

A tear ran down her cheek. "I remember that day," she whispered through her tears.

"I hated reading that letter from him," she mumbled.

"What did it say?" Ryan asked, rubbing her friends back to soothe her.

Sky pulled the letter from Shane out from the back of the book and unfolded it.

" 12 June 1998

Dear Sky,

I�m not quite sure where to begin. I�m not quite sure how to even start off, so I�m gonna be blunt about it. And if I make you cry, I apologize in advance. I never want you to cry because of me.

You�re going to New York. I may never see you again. We graduate in less than 24 hours. I�m so nervous, but I know with you there standing next to me when we throw our caps in the air, I�ll be much happier than I ever will be. Sky, you keep me sane. If it weren�t for you, there�d be no me. You�re the best friend someone could ever ask for. And I know that that sounds cliché, but I don�t know how else to put it without sounding that way.

Remember when we were in eighth grade and we carved our names into one of the trees at the park? You were so chicken to. You thought we were going to get in trouble. And when you forgot your project at home; the huge one that was due in Mrs. Kelper�s class. You were flipping out, so to calm you down, I told her I left mine at home, too. You still owe me, dammit. LoL. Just kidding. Look, I could go one with the memories, but I�m not gonna sit here and write a novel about our past. We both know I suck at writing AND practically failed English...

Sky, I love you. I know I�m not perfect. In fact, I�m nowhere near it. But, no one will ever love you the way I love you. Lately, I�ve had these different feelings for you. And I don�t know if it�s because we�re going in two totally different positions and it�s an excuse for you to stay, or because I REALLY do have these feelings for you. You have the kindest soul. The kindest heart. And have treated me with every ounce of courtesy in you. I'll always love you, for the rest of my days. You have won my heart with your sweet, sweet ways. You can count on me forever. Even if we are across the country from each other.

You�ll have my number. You�ll have my address. You�ll also have my email. And pager number. So, don�t say that you don�t have any way to keep in contact with me.

I never thought that this would happen. That the two of us would be going our separate ways. Honestly, I didn�t. And I�ll never forget this moment. Even if we�re not sitting together, I�ll never forget the fact that you and I are best friends and are still in the same state. I wish I could have taken this past month for granted; to spend more time with you instead of ignoring you. This is the end. It�s actually the end. I�ll miss you, Skylar Mercedes.

Please, don�t hate me for anything I�ve said. I love you. Always. I�ll see you around, buddy. Take good care of yourself. Don�t let anything stop you from your dreams. I know that if you were here with me you�d say the same to me, so I won�t let anything stop me. I�m gonna accomplish my goals just for you. Just for you. Always remember that.

You are my angel. Don�t forget me. I love you,

-Shane."

"Oh, wow," Carrie choked out. "You must have been special to him."

Sky tossed the letter to the floor, her head dropping to her lap as the tears freely fell down her face. "That day he gave me the letter was the last day I had seen him. And I haven�t seen him since."

"Well hey! You�re going home right? You should see him." Ryan suggested.

"Yeah, you�d feel better if you did."

Sky shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn�t know how to contact him. I�m sure he�s not living in the same place."

"Sky, it wouldn�t hurt to try."

"Yeah, I know..."

The three of them sat there in silence. Ryan and Carrie not knowing what to say to make their friend feel better. And Sky, simply not knowing what to say at all.

She wiped her eyes, closing the diary and placing it on top of her bed.

"Why don�t we go get something to eat. Let�s spend the last night out together, just the three of us. What do ya say?" Carrie asked.

"Yeah," Sky nodded her head.

"Come on."

The three of them got up.

#; #; #; #;

They sat at the booth table, shoving pizza into their mouths.

"What times is your flight?"

"9:30 in the morning."

"Are you excited to be going back home?" Ryan asked, sipping her water.

Sky shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "I dunno. It�s not like I really have anything to go back to California for."

"Come on now, yes you do. You�ve got family and friends."

"Memories..." Ryan trailed off. "Sky, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Do you feel the same way as him?"

She looked at the two girls with confusion. "Who?"

"Shane."

She swallowed her pizza, sitting back in her seat. "Um..." She didn�t know what to say. Did she feel the same? "I.. I don�t know..."

She stood with Ryan and Carrie at the airport, waiting for her flight number to be called. Her carry-on bag sat closely beside her legs on the ground.

"Sky, you better keep in touch with us."

She nodded her head and smiled at her now ex-roommates. "Definitely."

"Good. You have the number-"

"And our email addresses."

Her smile grew bigger. "I�m gonna miss you, girls!" She said, throwing her arms around the two. "Thank you for everything. For being my family for the past four years. It�s been the best time of my life."

They pulled away from each other.

"Flight 365, from New York City, New York landing in Los Angeles, California is now boarding at gate M. Flight 365, from New York City, New York landing in Los Angeles, California is now boarding at gate M," the intercom bombarded the airport.

Sky looked at her friends. "Well, I guess this is goodbye..."

"Sky, you say it like you�re never gonna see us again."

"You�re right, you�re absolutely right. I will see you girls later," she smiled.

They all hugged one last time.

"You call as soon as you land."

Sky nodded her head, picking up her bag. "I love you, girls."

"We love you, too," they smiled back at her.

Sky turned around and walked towards the terminal.

"Sky?!" Ryan called after her.

She turned around, looking at her.

"Good luck with Shane."

Sky smiled and continued her way to her seat on the airplane.

#; #; #; #;

She sat in her seat, looking out the window as the plane took off from New York. She smiled, remembering all the good times she was involved with there. She sighed, beginning to think of how she was going to get a hold of Ricky when she got back to California.

She hopped out of the taxi that took her to apartment she bought a few weeks before her college graduation. She grabbed all of her luggage and dragged it up the stairs to the front door of her new home and pulled out the key to unlock it. After fiddling with the key and unlocking the door, she slowly pushed it open, sighing when she found the miniature house that she now called home.

She pushed everything inside, finding her brand new car key sitting on the shelf by her front door. When she came back to buy an apartment, she bought a car as well. She picked it up and walked out from the apartment, locking it and jogging down the stairs to the parking lot where she found her car and got in.

"Okay...." she said to herself as she started the engine.

#; #; #; #;

She slowly drove up the street of where she used to live. She looked at her old house, flowers blooming in the front yard. A white picket fence around the front yard with green grass growing. The house was painted light blue.

She smiled at the beauty of it, a tear escaping her eye as she remembered and missed the times she had in that house, or with the family she once had.

She looked across the street finding another familiar house. She sighed, parking her car against the curb and turning off the ignition. She sat in her seat, thinking of what to say. She got out of the car, closing the door and standing there, taking in the beauty of the home.

She walked up to the front door, exhaling and knocking on the front door. She waited a few minutes, turning back around when no one answered. "This is dumb. This is really dumb," she said to herself.

"Sky?" A soft voice asked.

She stopped in her tracks, turning around. She found an elder female at the door. She walked closer to her, stopping a few feet in front of her. A smile spread onto her face.

"Sky! How are you?" She asked, opening her arms for a hug.

"I�m good. And yourself?"

"Wonderful. What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be in New York?"

Sky smiled, thinking about how wonderful it was for her to remember. "I graduated...last week."

"Oh, congratulations!!"

"Thank you. " She stood there with a smile on her face. "Um, is Shane home?"

"Oh no, he moved out a while ago. He lives with some friends."

"Oh."

"I�ll be right back."

Sky watched as she disappeared into the house. She waited a few minutes for her to come back.

"Here, this is his address. I�m sure he�d like you to visit him."

Sky�s face lit up with joy when she was handed a piece of paper with an address scribbled down on it. "Thanks so much!" She said, hugging her.

"You�re welcome sweetheart. Tell him his mother says hi."

"I will. Thanks, buh-bye." She waved as she walked back to her car. She hopped in, starting the engine again.

Once again, she parked her car against the side of the curb, turning it off. She looked down at the address she received and the one on the house, making sure it was the correct destination. She took off her seat belt and pushed the door open, getting out and closing the door.

She walked up to the front porch, slowly making her way towards the front door. Her heart began to race and her hands began to shake. She knocked on the door, scared to death of what may happen.

The door opened and a young man stood in the doorway. A metal object in his eyebrow. "Hi."

"Hi.. Is Shane home?"

"Yeah, hold on," he said, shutting the door a bit and walking away from it.

She stepped back, waiting for him to come to the door. She thought of what to say. Of how to act. After all, it was the first time she was going to see him in four years.

The door opened and her neck snapped up. She sighed when she saw him standing in front of her.

The look on his face was shocking. He pushed the door open wider so that he could see her. His hand that was rested against the door fell to his side. He stood there, nothing coming from his mouth; no words.

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She closed it, then opened it again. "I... I never had the chance... before I left, to tell you...that it wasn�t the end."

His lips cracked a tiny smile. "What are you doing here? What happened with New York?" He asked, hugging her.

She smiled, loving the feeling of being in his arms. "I graduated... And moved back here."

"Wow, it�s been four years. Congrats."

"Thanks."

"Come here," he said, pulling her to the porch swing and sitting down. "How long have you been back in Cali?"

"Not even a day."

"Oh. How�d you know I lived here?"

"I went to your parent�s house, and your mom gave me the address. She says hi, by the way..."

He smiled. "It�s so good to have you back."

She smiled back at him, the pace of her heart slowing down to it�s normal beat rate. "Can I tell you something?"

"Yeah..."

She looked him in the eye, her smile fading from her face. "Shane, I think...." She looked down at her lap, then back up at him. "...I love you."

Song: Only Hope

Artist: Switchfoot

Album: A Walk to Remember soundtrack

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