I rush around the house, making sure that I've got everything I need. I open all of the drawers in my room to check if there's anything in them I need despite only looking in them moments ago. I'm sure nothing will have appeared in them in the space of two minutes. If there was something in them it would have been there the last time, but I can't help myself.

Once I've concluded that I've definitely got everything, I sit cross-legged in the centre of my room. It's crazy to think that last night was the last time I'm going to be sleeping in this room. I'll no longer go to bed each night and see the fairy lights strung across the walls or the burn mark on the floor from one of my futile attempts at curling my hair. Don't worry, Sophie knows, and she forgave me for it.

I won't be sitting in my room each night, knowing that Archer's only metres away in the room opposite. I won't be able to knock on the wall behind me and have Penny knock back to me. They won't be there when I go home. They'll be here and I'll be thousands of miles away.

I make sure to turn the lights off before zipping my suitcase closed. I drag it out of the room and close the door behind me. Closing the door feels like ending a chapter of my life that I don't want to end. I want nothing more than to rip the door off its hinges so it can never be closed again but that's not possible. Metaphorically and physically.

Penny's pacing the hallways in front of me. I study her with furrowed eyebrows. What's she doing? I open my mouth to ask but she says something before I get the chance. "Do you have your toothbrush?"

"Yes," I trail off still confused as to why she's asking me that.

"Hairbrush?" I hum in response. "Phone?"

I pull my phone out of my back pocket. "Right here," I respond.

"Charger?"

I realise why she's asking me this and step closer to her, placing her hands in mine. "I've got everything. Don't worry." I reassure her. It seems she's going as crazy as I am because I'm leaving soon. I think we have different ways of showing it though.

"I just don't want you to forget anything because you're not coming back." Once she realises what she said she slaps a hand against her mouth. "Sorry." She cringes at herself.

I shake my head, squeezing her hands to show her that it's okay. "No, it's fine. You're right. It would be bad if I left my phone here and had to buy a new one." I laugh lightly causing her to visibly relax. She joins me in laughing. I think we're both laughing to prevent us from crying.

I give her a tight-lipped smile. "Let's save the goodbye for the airport," I suggest, and she nods her head in approval.

The truth is, I want to put off saying goodbye for as long as possible. Saying goodbye means acknowledging that I'm leaving without knowing when I'll be coming back. It could be years from now but, right now, I'm oblivious. I'm not ready to accept it yet.

"Are you guys nearly ready?" Sophie calls up the stairs.

I grab my luggage before taking it to the car. Sophie helps me get it in. I mutter a quick "thank you." Penny climbs in the back and Henry's already sitting in the driver's seat waiting for us to set off.

I find myself looking around for Archer and am disappointed when I don't see him. I start to wonder if saying goodbye is too hard for him and he's chosen to leave for a while until I've gone. I brush the thought away. He wouldn't do that. I understand that it will be hard, but we can do it.

The sound of his motorcycle pulling out of the garage confirms that I was wrong to worry. He's here. He hops off of it and walks over to us, holding his helmet in his hands. Our eyes meet causing a smile to take over my features.

"Can she ride with me to the airport?" He asks his mum. It's strange hearing him ask for permission when he usually doesn't care.

Sophie seems to be contemplating it. "Do you have a helmet for her?"

Archer nods his head towards his motorcycle where a helmet is balancing on the seat. "Fine." She gives in. That didn't take much persuading. She did let her son buy a motorcycle though, so it makes sense.

We both get onto his motorcycle as I slot the helmet onto my head. He looks over his shoulder at me. "Ready?" He searches my eyes for confirmation, and I nod. His words seem to have more than one meaning behind them.

I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

I wrap my arms around his waist as we set off towards the airport. He speeds up slightly when we are out of his parent's sight. I tighten my hold on him instinctively. I don't have to see his face to know that he's grinning. He probably did that on purpose just to get me to hold him tighter. I don't mind though; I want to hold him tighter and never let go. That's not possible though.

My hair flies in the wind behind me. I still remember the first time I got on his motorcycle. I decided to leave after one of the games instead of going to the party. I told Penny and Brody I'd call a taxi. What I wasn't expecting was Archer to pull up in front of me and offer me a ride home. I remember how scared I was, how awkward it felt to be so close to him. It doesn't feel like that anymore. Now it feels so natural, so safe. I could do this all my life.

We make it to the airport before Penny and his parents. Brody messaged me to tell me he was coming but he has to wait for his mum to take him. He promised me he'd make it in time though. I'm choosing to believe him. I hope he sticks to his promise.

I get off of the motorcycle, placing the helmet on the seat. Archer does the same before standing in front of me. I tilt my head, so I'm staring into his eyes and sigh deeply. This is the part I've been dreading the most. Saying goodbye to him is the last thing I want to do when we've only just found each other again.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, not knowing what else to say.

He chuckles at the irony of my question. "I should be the one asking you that."

We're submerged in silence again. He breathes in deeply. I find myself doing the same. His hands move towards mine as he intertwines them. The current that has been there since the start shoots up my arms. It only makes me feel worse about leaving.

"Are we going to be okay?" He asks, insecurity shining in his eyes, so quickly that I'm not sure I heard him properly.

A crease forms between my eyebrows. "What did you just say?"

"Are we going to be okay?" This is all I need to hear to confirm that what I heard was true. He's really asking me to reassure him. I never thought this day would come. "Your silence is scaring me." He chuckles, a blush creeping up his cheeks.

I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing my lips to his. "yeah, I think we are." His smile's wider than I've ever seen before. I'm happy that I got the privilege to make him smile like that. His lips connect with mine. It takes my breath away as it did the first time.

"I can't believe I'm actually leaving today," I say, unable to comprehend that my time here is over already. He doesn't say anything, instead, he rests his forehead on mine. It's just as hard for him to say goodbye as it is for me. "I don't want to say it." I blink back the tears.

"Then don't," he states as if it's that easy, "we'll just say goodbye as if we're going to see each other tomorrow."

I agree with his suggestion because I can't think of any other option. If I act like I'm not going to see him for God knows how long, if I admit to myself the truth, I'll break down. I don't want to leave Portland crying. I want to leave with a smile on my face.

"Oh, I need to ask you something before I forget," I announce, taking his silence as a sign to carry on. "What happened between you and Levi?" His gaze drops to the floor. He knows exactly what I'm asking. "He told me that he wanted to get revenge on you, why?"

He takes a deep breath before answering. "Well, his hatred towards me started way before you came. He always had a crush on Beth and when she chose me over him, he was pissed. Although she didn't want to be with him, he still vowed to protect her."

My lips form a tight-lipped smile, encouraging him that it's okay to tell me. I'm not going anywhere no matter what he says.

"When she died, he said it was my fault that she lost her life. I believed him; I still do. He vowed to make my life a living hell and he did. That day at the party, I lost my nerve because he reminded me over and over again of what I did. The alcohol didn't help either."

I rest my head against his chest. He runs his fingers through my hair, releasing a shaky breath. My gaze moves to his through my eyelashes. Tears are present in my eyes at the thought of him suffering at the hands of someone like Levi.

"He's not worth your anger," I whisper soothingly.

"I know."

We step away from each other as Penny and his parents walk towards us. With one last look in his direction, he gives me a genuine smile. I take my luggage off of Henry and follow them inside. We reach the terminal that I need to be at before Penny unexpectedly crushes me into a hug. My eyes widen but I eventually relax and wrap my arms around her.

"Call me every day," she demands. I nod but she doesn't accept that as an answer. "You promise?"

I smile, "I promise to call you every day no matter what I'm doing."

"And you better book a plane ticket over here as soon as possible." We both laugh but it doesn't take long for the conversation to turn serious. "What am I going to do without you?"

"You still have me. I'll only be a phone call away." Usually, it would be her reassuring me on these things but, at this moment, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I turn to Sophie and Henry once she has released me and hug them both. "Thank you for everything."

"Of course, honey. Come back anytime. You're always welcome." She smiles sweetly.

"You're part of the family now." Henry supports his wife causing my smile to grow. How did I get so lucky to live with a family like theirs for the past year? It all feels like a dream, one that I don't want to wake up from.

My attention's snatched away from them when I hear someone running towards us shouting, "wait! Don't leave yet!" When he gets closer, I realise that it's Brody who's shouting in the middle of the airport. Penny and I exchange an amused look.

He places his hands on his knees and says breathlessly, "I made it."

"You made it," I confirm.

He hugs me once he has caught his breath. "I know you're going to miss me; you don't need to tell me." He admits.

"How did you know?" I ask.

He holds me at arm's length. "I'm psychic." He wiggles his eyebrows causing me to giggle with an eye roll.

"You better send me photographs of Toby when I'm gone. I know that he's in town, so you don't have any excuse not to." He chuckles. "And the next time I come he better be calling me Auntie Madison or I'm leaving, okay?" He nods in understanding.

An announcement comes over the speaker signalling that I need to get on the plane. My heart drops when I hear those words. This is it. This is the end. I've been dreading this day for so long and now that it's finally here it still hasn't hit me.

My eyes instantly find Archer as he walks towards me, wrapping his arms around me. I etch in my mind every feature of his. His dishevelled brown hair that I always want to run my fingers through, his lips that always have a grin playing on them, and his eyes that I long to stare into. I make sure to remember his scent and the way his touch makes me feel. I need to remember everything.

"See you soon?" He raises an eyebrow, waiting for me to respond.

"See you soon." I smile against his chest.

When I board the flight without another look back, I place my luggage into the holder before taking my seat. I stare out the window at Portland for the last time and struggle to believe that I was lucky enough to have this experience.

My phone buzzes in my pocket seconds later. I look at the message that comes up on my screen. It's a message from Archer. All it says is 'hi'. This is all I need to see to know that we're going to be okay. I smile at his message. This is how I want to leave Portland, with a smile on my face.

Thank you, Dad. Without you, I wouldn't have experienced any of this.