Love By Our Side

The day in which Sophie had to return to Flagstaff had arrived, and no one wanted to see her leave. Beside's Stephen's usual semi-depression for a few days after her departure, Delaney was also feeling more down than usual. This would be the first time she and her cousin would be apart since they had become close. She knew the feeling of being away from John and the rest of her friends, but Sophie was her family.[/] Her group in Scottsdale had become a second family to her since the previous summer, but Sophie was the one person that had been there her whole life; the one person in her true family that she was the closest to, and now she wasn't going to be in the same town as Delaney.

Mrs. Cleary was making a big breakfast that morning, and she invited all of the girls' friends over to eat. Delaney tried to push the thoughts of being the only Westman (well, related to her, anyways) in Scottsdale, out of her mind. She greeted her friends as they walked in, save for Stephen, who practically ran over to his girlfriend.

“Guess they didn't spend last night like we did,” John whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“I don't think a lot of people spent last night like we did,” she replied, giving him a quick peck on the nose. “C'mon, let's go eat. I'm starving.” She made a move for the kitchen before John could get another word about last night in. He threw as many sexual innuendos into a conversation as he could, and Delaney got sick of it quickly.

Everyone made comments about how Sophie should stay in Scottsdale, and Mrs. Cleary chimed in that she had a place to live if she did decide to move. Sophie smiled as she replied that she wanted to finish her freshman year before deciding anything, though she would love to eventually transfer to ASU. Delaney, now more than ever, wished that her cousin would move to Scottsdale. She couldn't tell her this right now, knowing that she'd get more shit for returning home than she already was. Delaney made a mental note to discuss her feelings with her cousin on one of their promised every other day phone calls.

As the breakfast went on and visits were promised, Delaney began to feel more and more comfortable with the idea of being “alone.” If she ever had to, she could hop in the car the Clearys were letting her use, and drive the two hours back to Flagstaff. She knew that she'd be overwhelmed at points, but since she was starting college, she felt that she she had to establish a sense of independence, and moving away from her parents and Sophie was the best way she could think of doing so.

When it got closer to noon, the time of Sophie's departure, Mrs. Cleary cleaned off the table and put the leftover food away, gave Sophie a hug and made her promise to come back soon, and retreated to her room to let the kids say their goodbyes. Sophie received a hug from everyone, saving her boyfriend and cousin for last.

“Call me whenever you need anything, seriously. I can be down here in two hours flat,” Sophie spoke to he cousin, who she could tell was on the verge of tears. She had no idea why, since this move was the thing she'd wanted more than anything, but knew she'd be filled in later.

“I know, I know, now get on home. Tell my parents I miss them and will call them soon,” Delaney said, starting to walk away. “And tell your boyfriend if he starts crying I'll kick him in the ass. He's a pussy.” Sophie grinned at her cousin's comment, pulling her into a final hug before walking towards her car and Stephen who, in fact, did look like he was about to cry.

Delaney watched as her cousin relayed her message to Stephen, whose exaggerated reaction made her laugh. The two then said their goodbyes, which lasted longer than they needed to. Delaney was usually short with her goodbyes, she liked to get them over and done with so she could start the “recovery” portion more quickly and focus on her next destination. Sophie, Stephen, and pretty much everyone else Delaney knew were just the opposite with their dismissals, giving her lingering hugs and wishing her to “come back soon,” just the type of thing she hated.

Now that her cousin was leaving, she wished that she would just get on with it, so the rest of the group could get on with their day. Stephen, of course, was not allowing this to happen. He'd become very emotionally attached to Sophie, but it seemed that the feelings were reciprocal. Sophie was now apparently crying, with Stephen about to follow her lead. Delaney rolled her eyes and wandered back into the house to join the rest of her friends. She settled next to John on the couch, and joined the conversation about what they should do that night.

“We haven't been to a party yet...I vote we find one and hit that shit up,” Taylor suggested.

“You would be the one to bring that up...” Delaney stated, rolling her eyes for the second time that day. Others nodded in agreement while Josh tried to defend Taylor, saying that it was a “fresh and seemingly brilliant idea.”

“Us two can just chill tonight, we haven't really hung out since you've been here,” John softly spoke to his girlfriend, the two of whom were ignoring the oncoming argument.

“Yeah, we could do that. Let's see what the geniuses come up with first, though,” Delaney responded.

“Oh, Stephen man! You tell us, would you rather go to a party or watch a movie or something lame like that tonight?” Taylor asked his friend as he entered the house.

“I don't give a fuck man, I'll do whatever I guess,” Stephen sulked, sinking into an empty chair.

“Come on, are you seriously gonna get like this again?” Brian groaned. The others seemed to be thinking the same thing that he was, and Delaney was curious as to why. Her friends had told her that Stephen got into one of his moods whenever Sophie left, but she had never witnessed it.

“He's like this a lot, huh?” she whispered to John.

“Yeah, it's kinda strange, but I guess you'd call it cute, being...a girl, and all,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

“Okay, and you don't get sad when I leave then? Cause I usually feel at least a little sad...” she trailed, waiting for him to jump back at her, trying to take back his words.

“Hey now, I didn't say that! I just...don't get like that, he's goes a bit overboard.” Now that Delaney had the thought in her head, it was kind of cute how upset Stephen got over his girlfriend's departure. She knew that he was a good guy, and she was glad that her cousin had found him. John just didn't show his emotions as strongly as his brother did, she thought. Sure, he texted and called her all the time, saying that he missed her and all, but he didn't seem as committed as his brother was when it came to relationships. She thought this strange, considering she'd just moved from her home for him, and for the first time since the idea of the move had been brought up, she didn't feel one hundred percent about it.