Summer 1999
Dahlia's POV--

I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Giving up my friends and family to pursue a dream I wasn't even sure I wanted. Jimmy, Zack, Matt, Brian, Johnny, and Katrina were the closest thin I ever had to a family. All of my friends knew what was best for me I suppose, always telling me I was beautiful and how going to New York, accepting the offer with Elite Models was my best chance at escaping Huntington instead of managing their 'crappy garage band' until the end of time. I got to spend one last summer with them. They called it my last hoorah, my final bow before I moved on to bigger and better things. That summer was one of the best of my life, but there comes a time for all good things to end and the day had come.

I slammed the trunk of my crappy Pontiac and looked back at six frowning faces. My heart sank. I knew deep down that this isn't what I wanted. I just wanted to make everyone around me happy and proud of me. I walked up to the guys, all standing in a line with their heads down. Jimmy was first, trying to put a pretend smile on his face. I don't know I'll be able to manage without my Jimbo. He was my rock, my best friend, and the most amazing person I'd ever known. He pulled me into a tight hug, burying his long fingers into my short, blonde hair.

"I'm gonna miss you, motherfucker. I love you." I said as the tears began to pour.

He kissed the top of my head and stroked my hair softly, "I'm gonna miss you too, brat. I love you so much."

I pulled away, wiping the tears from my face and moving on to Johnny and Matt, who gave me a hug at the same time, kissing my forehead and wishing me luck. Followed my Katrina who pulled me into a hug and buried her face into my shoulder, bursting into tears.

"I..I love you Dolly. Oh my God, I don't want you to go!" she cried and hugged me tighter.

This was making me feel horrible. I was second-guessing a choice that I had already made. There was no turning back now, I had to leave. I pulled back from Katrina and held her face in my hands.

"I love you, o..okay? You're beautiful and amazing and you're gonna...do good things here. Take care of these idiots for me." I said between sniffles.

I moved onto Brian, one I was really dreading. He was like my older brother, always pulling me out of situations I didn't want to or shouldn't be in and was always there for me in the hardest points of my life. I couldn't tell you how many times I've been drunk somewhere that I was uncomfortable and had to call Brian to come pick me up, and received a scolding every single time. I walked up to him and he was trying to be as manly as he could. Good old Brian, always afraid to show emotion. I laughed as the tears fell, trying to put a little comedy into this mess.

"Stop pretending you won't miss me, asshole." I said wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him in for a hug.

He tightened his grip around my waist and buried his face into my neck. I felt a little moisture on my neck and it was then that I realized he was crying. Big, bad Brian Haner Jr. was crying and it was my fault. That only caused me to cry harder.

"I love you, Dolly." he whispered "Be good for me, please."

I nodded and wiped my face, pulling out of the hug. His face was red and stained with tears, which I wiped away with the sleeve of my sweater. As I moved onto Zack, I had to pry my hand from Brian's, looking up to see a hurt expression his already pitiful face. I reached up and kissed his cheek before finally moving on to Zack, the one I was dreading the most. His face was already stained with tears and his eyes were puffy. God knows how long he'd been crying like this. I broke in that moment. I felt the tears explode from my eyes and I fell into his arms. We wrapped around each other like anacondas and didn't want to let go for anything. He looked down at me, tears falling rapidly from his face. He took his thumb and wiped the excess water leaking down my face and placed a kiss on my forehead. I buried my head into his chest as he played with my hair as we swayed form side to side gently.

Finally he spoke, "Dahlia, I need you to listen to me, okay?"

He let go of me and placed his hands on both sides of my face, looking directly and deeply into my eyes. I placed my hands over-top of his, listening intently

"You're gonna do awesome things. People are gonna know you. Just remember that if you want to..to come back to Huntington, we're here. I..I'm here. With open arms. I'm going to miss you so fucking much that I'm already sick just thinking about it. You need to know something before you leave. And you need to take this with you everywhere you go. I love you. So fucking much. I'm sorry I never expressed it, and I'm sorry that it took me this long to just come out with it. But I love you."

I ran my finger along his jawline, taking in what he'd just told me and having nothing but a simple response. "I love you too, Zack."

He began moving closer to my face. His lips inching closer and closer to mine. I couldn't take the anticipation anymore and I pressed my lips to his. It was the softest, sweetest, most loving kiss I'd ever had. Our foreheads pressed against each others. I looked over to Jimmy momentarily, who had a relaxed smile on his face knowing that we finally admitted the way we felt for each other after all of the denial and the lying. It was sad that this is what it took for us to admit it, me leaving for what was possibly forever.

One by one, the guys gathered around Zack and I in a group hug, all of us crying and holding onto each other for dear life. Time was wasting, my flight was soon.

"Guys...guys, I'm so sorry. But..b..but I have to leave now." I said breaking apart the group hug.

They all nodded and gave me a few final hugs and kisses before I walked to the door of the car. Zack walked up and gave me one last, tender kiss before joining the guys back in the line they were in as I was preparing to leave. With a stinging sensation ripping through my heart, I turned on the car and slowly drove off, looking back in the rear view mirror. One by one, the forms of my best friends disappeared until Zack's was the only one there, standing solidly and soon enough, even his form was a dot in the distance. I didn't see the dot walk away until I was probably a dot to him myself. And with that, I was on my way to a new life, a new world never thinking of returning to Huntington Beach.

I never knew what the future had planned for me and if I'd have known, I would have just stayed in Huntington..

Notes

I know this is a super short chapter, but I didn't want to leave much detail to Zack and Dahlia's relationship as teenagers because it isn't as important right now as it will be later. Also, I had written a long chapter that somehow got deleted and I didn't want to rewrite the whole thing. I just wanted to focus on Dahlia leaving and the affect it had on everyone, including her. Be gentle. This is my first fanfiction. :)