I awoke bright and early the next morning. I wanted to check my emails immediately, and so I did that, to find that I had a response to one of my job applications! I would have an interview in the fall, which gave me plenty of preparation time. I walked downstairs with a spring in my step after discovering this, but when I got downstairs and found my family all sat there, it did make me come to a certain realisation. The job was only a few states over, sure, but at times it did feel strange to think about. I had always been there for my family and I knew that once I took this job things would change. I would be moving away.

Nonetheless, as I looked between each of their faces I knew that they would only ever cheer me on. It was what my family did, and it meant that I always had the courage to go after the things that I wanted.

I couldn't help but remind myself of the fact that they wouldn't be the only people I would be leaving behind, though.

Perhaps Kendall had a point. Perhaps I really should make the most of the time that I would have with her this summer.

I looked towards my brother for a moment, and knew well and true that he had initially tried his best to balance between his career and his time with Kendall and the rest of us. I couldn't help but think at times, though, that he had become more integrated with his work than anything else. I suppose that was business, and he was driven to accomplishing a lot with it, so it was only fair to give him the space to pursue that opportunity, right?

I just missed him at times, I supposed. My brother had always possessed an incredibly strong will. It was loud and clear that he was going to do whatever he could to become successful. His rapid typing away at his laptop keyboard reminded me of that fact. He would probably be sending a well-written email to the rival company as I watched him. He had a good point, though, they had sort of copied his idea. It wasn't a great thing to become aware of.

Then again, my mother had always told me that copying is the greatest from of flattery. I doubted that Jake would agree with such a statement, though.

My father waved to me in greeting, probably not wanting to speak and disturb my brother from his work, and then he headed outside into the sunny and dry weather. I noticed that he had a paint bucket placed outdoors. My father could be a very protective person- both over his family and his material possessions. My best guess was that he wanted to get some painting done and repair the damage that had been caused in the storms California had experienced during the spring. My father usually noticed such issues and got around to fixing them right away, but I supposed that he had been fairly preoccupied with his business.

The paint work wasn't the only thing that he was protective over, though. The previous summer my father had installed a security system on our house. It was understandable enough when you took into account how famous his business was at this point- and more to the point, how famous he was. Paparazzi was not something they prepared you for in the parenthood guide. Either way, my dad had got it down by now. The security worked wonders. The only people that frequently visited our home were Kendall and her family, on occasion. Even now, I still wasn't sure whether her mother, Kalie, liked us. She had always come across as slightly envious of the wealth that we had, and that wasn't all. For one reason or another, she had disapproved of my friendship with Kendall. Parents could just be weird at times, to put it simply.

I turned my attention away from my father, and to my mother who had joined him. She looked perfectly petite beside him. She had always been much smaller than I was. I was almost convinced that she ran laps for a living at times, or unlike me just had extraordinary amounts of self-control when it came to food. She got to work gardening, while my father continued to paint up the house.

I decided that I should probably join them. Family was incredibly important to me, and I knew that if I didn't have long before I would have to regularly leave for my new job. I wanted to make the most of the time that I had with them over the summer.

Making my way through the sliding door to meet with my mother in the garden, I soon assisted her in harvesting fruits and flowers from our plants collectively. Anne had always been practical when it came to matters around the house. She had a good skill set across her work, around the house and in looking after our family, and I had always admired her for that. I was proud of her, and I was proud of myself, too. I sort of had to be- my mother had a big role in my childhood and when I was growing up, and it was thanks to her that I was the woman I was today.

The sun continued to rise in the sky above us, and after a while of working, Anne and I decided that it was about time we took a rest break in the shade that could be found indoors. I fetched the both of us glasses of lemonade, and we sipped away at them. My mother smiled at me, and I made to say something, but no sooner than I could, I heard the doorbell ring again.

"I'll get it!" I said quickly, having a feeling that it may be Kendall.

I wandered down the hall to find her stood there. She smiled brightly when she saw me, and then glanced to my mother who was stood behind me.

"Good afternoon, Anne," she said with warmth, before her gaze returned to me, and she placed her hands in the pockets of her denim jacket for a moment as she smiled. "Hey Ally," she added.

"Hi," I said, with my own half-smile.

Before I could say anything else, my mother spoke again.

"How have you been, Kendall?" she asked. Of course, my mother's caring nature extended past our immediate family. She cared deeply for Kendall, too.

"Good. Thank you, Anne," she said, "How are you doing?" she asked then. Kendall had a loving nature. She was always incredibly kind to our mother, too. She had such a strong relationship with Jake, and that care she had for him just seemed to extend to the rest of us.

"Well, thank you," Anne replied, "I'll let you two catch up. I'm going to go and do some more work," she said.

The two of us gave nods in response as we watched her walk away for a moment.

Kendall then stepped over the threshold to wrap her arm around my shoulders.

"Come on," she said.

"Where are we going?" I replied.

"On a grand adventure to your bedroom," she said with a light chuckle.

I rolled my eyes, but headed in that direction anyway.

Once we got to my room, I opened a window. It was beginning to heat up with the seasonal summer warmth. May 21st- it would soon be Kendall's birthday. That was something to look forward to. Every year we tended to talk on her birthday, at least. The two of us would eat loads of chocolate cake, her favourite, and then proceed to get drunk on prosecco. At least, I would. Kendall could hold her drink much better than I had ever been able to. In a weird sense, I supposed I sort of admired her for that ability. We all had our talents.

"Hey A-bug," Kendall said with an affectionate grin.

We may not have spoken for some time, but when Kendall smiled, I instantly felt more at peace. She had the sort of vibes that just made you feel more relaxed and valued in her presence.

"You know...Isn't it a little weird, us talking again, I mean? It had been so long after you started dating my brother before you even said a sentence to me-"

Kendall glanced at me with a slightly apologetic expression then, as she reached out to take one of my hands in her own. I don't know why I felt a flutter in my stomach at that, but regardless, I listened intently to what Kendall said next.

"You were and still are my best friend, Ally. You're smart and incredible. No amount of space between the two of us could change that fact," she told me with a sincere smile.

I returned the expression, almost instantly feeling more at ease.

Kendall had always been a genuine person, and though I may have been a follower in high school for some time- following the popular group around because I thought that was the best way to fit in, after meeting Kendall that all changed. Sure, she may have been an outsider due to her economic status and rebellious nature, but none of that had ever mattered to me, or my family, in that respect. Kendall Amor had never cared for the crowds or cliques at school. If she liked you, she would be friends with you. I was lucky enough to have made the cut, and I quickly discovered how much of a good person she was. She had always been caring and compassionate to Jake and I, and it was one of the qualities I

admired most about her.

I knew that she spent more of her time with Jake, now, yeah, but she had always still made sure I was okay when she could.

Perhaps I wasn't the only one who had become aware of the distance between us. Now it seemed Kendall wanted to put an end to it, too.

No sooner than Kendall could say anything more, Jake appeared in the doorway of my room and smiled towards Kendall.

Kendall stood up from the bed and moved over to him to meet him with a warm smile, as she gave him an affectionate peck on the cheek.

"Hey baby. How's work going?" she asked him.

"I'm working on it," my brother replied, with a determined tone. His work was not the only area of his life in which he showed determination. Back in school, people didn't think that he should be with Kendall, as she was 'different'. However, Jake didn't care for what they thought. He had a crush on her since I had been her best friend, since childhood, really. His determination was why they were now together. My brother had always been a person who was able to make things happen.

"Good. Well, let me know how it goes, okay?" she asked him, with another quick hug.

"Alright," my brother said with a wink, and gave me a quick wave before heading off down the hall.

Kendall soon turned to me with a smile on her face- an expression that signaled to me that she had a plan.

"Cookie dough?" she asked.

Alright, so maybe when we first made cookie dough when we were ten we broke my parents' old microwave. Maybe they had avoided buying me any cookie ingredients for approximately a week afterwards. Despite all that, we were older now- wiser- we could do this.

"Bring it," I said with a small smirk, and Kendall and I headed downstairs and began to put all the ingredients together before setting it to cook for a little in the oven (see, we had learnt from our mistake). As we watched it cook, Kendall turned to me and wiped a flour-covered hand across her forehead before holding it up for me to high-five it.

While Kendall kept an eye on our dessert, my father entered the kitchen, and i walked over to him to give him a hug.

"You guys have been making cookie dough again, haven't you?" he asked, with a slightly amused look on his face as he glanced down at his now slightly flour-coated hoodie.

I kept quiet, just thinking back on the memory of when we had last done this, for a moment. I tended to think more than I would speak when I was around Kendall.

"Well, just don't let your mother know," he whispered.

I simply smirked.

"How did work go today, dad?" I asked him.

"Good! I'm confident in my company, as you know, but this time I truly have reason to be. I expect more money from my business to be coming in soon, and you know I think you should publish that book of yours, too, Ally," he said supportively, "You're a very talented writer," he told me.

Kendall's eyes brightened at this comment as she took her eyes off the coffee dough for a moment- it still had five minutes to go; it would be fine.

She beamed.

"Ally cat- you're writing a book?" she asked me with slight astonishment.

"Yeah!" I replied.

"Can I read it?"

This was a big deal. I rarely ever let anyone read my works. I suppose I just had a fear of criticism at times. I know, as a writer, perhaps this wasn't ideal. Despite that, maybe I could give Kendall the chance to read my work. She was never anything other than supportive of me, anyway.

"Of course," I said, and the timer went off. We took our cookie dough out of the oven to see that it was a great success. Mission accomplished.