The rest of the semester flew by in a blur of classes and weekend gigs. By the end of the school year, Bree and Sam were practically inseparable. They were even discussing the possibility of getting an apartment together when school started in the fall. Bree didn’t know how to tell Lilly, though. They’d been roommates for three years, and she couldn’t imagine leaving her their senior year.

The last day of school, Bree was in their room, packing up to go home for the summer when Lilly came in, an odd look on her face. “Hey, are you okay?” Bree asked, dropping a paperback book into a box. She’d already taken a few loads home the last few weekends, but this was the last day, so she’d have to take everything else. Sam had already gone home for the summer. He lived in Michigan, so they wouldn’t see each other for a few months, which would be hard.

“Are you all right?” Bree asked Lilly.

“Uh… yeah. But I need to tell you something.” Lilly sat down on the edge of the naked mattress that had been her mattress the last two semesters.

“What is it? Is everything okay?”

“Don’t be mad….” Lilly said, gritting her teeth.

Concerned, Bree sat down on the edge of her own bed. “What is it?” she asked again.

“So… I’ve made a decision. It hasn’t been an easy one, but it’s made. I’m… not coming back in the fall.”

“What?” Bree could hardly believe her ears. “Why not? I thought you loved your program, and you’re almost done.”

“I do. It’s just… Monica really loves her new school. And you know how close I am to my sister. So… I decided to go to school there. That’s all. I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ll get another roommate that you’ll love.”

“No, it’s okay.” Bree ran a hand through her hair. “Sam and I have been talking about getting a place together. Maybe this is a sign that we should do that.”

“Oh, you should totally do that. Sam’s great. Maybe it is fate. Just don’t be mad at me, okay? Monica and I have always been so close. It’s been crazy not being with her these past few years.”

“I understand.” Bree stood and hugged her roommate--soon to be former roommate. She’d had friends that were close enough to be siblings, though she’d never had a sister.

“We’ll still talk every day,” Lilly said, and Bree nodded. She knew that wasn’t true. She’d said that to the same friends she considered sisters, and it just didn’t happen. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. They just grew apart, and she and Lilly would likely do the same.

“I’ve gotta finish packing.” Bree let her go, and Lilly went about tossing the last of her things into a box while Bree did the same. It seemed like everything in her life was changing. Bree just hoped it was for the better.

She wasn’t even going to her hometown. Her parents had moved a few months ago. They didn’t live in Shelbyville anymore, having moved to her mother’s childhood home in Highview to take care of her aging grandmother. Her mother had always loved the large antebellum home, so when Grandma Ann got sick with cancer back in January and offered to give her mom the house when she passed away if they’d move in now to help her with her treatments, her parents had agreed. Her dad had taken early retirement from the postal service, and her mom was already retired from teaching. It seemed like a smart thing to do from their point of view, but for Bree, it was odd to think she wouldn’t be driving to the house she’d grown up in, and her summer plans to see her high school friends would be thwarted again.

It was probably just as well. She didn’t want to see Trent. Sam and Bree had agreed that they could date other people during the summer if they wanted to--just for fun, nothing intimate--because they’d be apart for so many months, but there was no sense in getting her hopes up about Trent anymore. Besides, with her luck, he would be dating someone anyway.

Bree put the last of her things in a box and looked around the dorm room. “Is that everything?” Lilly asked.

“I think so.”

She came over to Bree and hugged her again. “I really will miss you. And someday, when I get married, you’re going to sing at my wedding. I’ve been telling everyone I know how beautiful a voice you have for so long. You’re going to be famous one day.”

Bree laughed. “I don’t know about that. I’ll just be happy if I can make a living teaching other people music and performing. If I’m destined to be a wedding singer, so be it. You know I’ll sing at your wedding.” She kissed her friend on the cheek and took a deep breath before heading out the door. It was the end of an era, but with each ending came new beginnings, and that's what Bree would concentrate on now.