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As the sun set into the horizon and the waves flapped gently against the side of the dock, Erin and Alli sat barefoot, the tips of their toes gently brushing against the waves, to exchange a fond goodbye. They had just left a going away party that Erin had thrown, and as such were still in their dresses—Alli in a pastel colored one that shimmered when she walked, and Erin in a shirt-dress made of white silk.
The two girls sat for a moment in silence, admiring the view. They were at Erin’s home by Lake Superior. Alli had always been jealous of how nice it was. “I’m going to miss you,” she said softly, “this place, Wisconsin—I don’t want to move.”
Erin sighed, not saying anything. She didn’t want her friend to move, but was beginning to grow tired of her whining. This hadn’t been the first time she’d done it. “Alli,” Erin comforted, “This doesn’t have to be the last time we ever see each other. You have my Facebook and my cell, and maybe I can come to California to visit you one day.”
“One day,” said Alli with a sigh. From the way she stared blankly at the water, Erin could tell that she was still upset.
“Hey,” said Erin, placing her hand on Alli’s shoulder and rubbing in gently. “Perk up a bit, okay? Don’t be so down. You liked the party, didn’t you?”
“It was wonderful,” she replied, “But during it, I just kept thinking about how I’m going to miss everyone, if I’ll adjust at my new school, and Zach…Zach…”
“You guys can facebook and call each other,” Erin said, reassuring her, “And maybe he can visit you too. It won’t be bad.”
“Will he be able to keep it up?” Alli asked. “Long distance relationships can be hard to maintain. He’s going to be spending a lot less time with me, and the internet makes secrets easy to keep.”
Alli broke into a soft chorus of tears and lay her head down on Erin’s shoulder.
“But you’ll always have your friends.”
