Her parents held the lot, but continued to look for houses all across Kitchener, in many well-recommended places. Why? Sarah asked herself. Don t we already have the perfect place?

That night, at the park, she told Brittany about the new lot. Brittany was thrilled for her, and happy that they d still be able to spend time together. Besides, in two years we'll be piled with homework, and when we re not we can easily take a city bus, right? she asked encouragingly.

Right, Sarah replied dubiously, leaving out the fact that the move to the lot wasn't finalized. After all, there was a good chance that Mom and Dad wouldn't find a better house, and really, in two years she d be 13, and quite able to bike back or take a bus, like Brittany said.

Friends forever?

Friends forever!

Sarah and Brittany walked away together to the swings, swinging lazily back and forth as they discussed ideas for beating the boys at Manhunt. Pretty soon Sarah and Brittany s younger sisters and brothers (Brittany had two sisters and one brother, and Sarah had two brothers) joined them and they all went into the forest to look for a new place to build a fort. Some older kids had destroyed their last one, and everyone was determined to build a newer, better one; two if they could.

Things were just perfect. A new house, new friends, and a big gap between then and now. Funny how these things don t work out the way you want them to.

Yes, Sarah s parents had found a better house. Huge house, huge yard, friendly neighbourhood, and it was all affordable. Good enough, even though Sarah had grown rather used to the idea of moving to the lot. Moving Day: August 23rd that year!

Goodbye life.

Sarah spent every minute with her friends, shoving away the day when she d be gone forever. She went to the park more than ever before, finished the fort and spent hours hanging around in it, spying on the boys fort, sat for long periods of time just chatting with her friends, and played every game they'd played before, even some they d never thought of playing. They even had one big party, with a picnic lunch, a hike up Chicopee, water balloon fights, sports games against the parents, a barbecue, and, finally, a camp-out in Sarah s backyard, with four tents set up, two for the girls and two for the boys. Everyone grew closer and had more fun than ever before, all because they were preparing for some of their friends moving.

Why didn't we do all these things before? Sarah asked herself.

But the new house never left Sarah s mind, even during the swimming in Freddy' s pool. The worst thing about the new house was that it didn' t have a second floor. Sarah would have to sleep in her dad s office, with her younger brothers, for two months! Not the perfect situation for an eleven-year-old girl. She needed privacy and lots of personal space, like anyone else her age. It looked like she just wasn't going to get it. Not only would she be up late every night listening to the clicking of her dad on his computer, but she would have to survive without any jewelry, and live out of a duffle bag for the first week. What kind of life is that?!

No matter how hard Sarah tried to push it away, August 23rd came very quickly. As it came closer and closer, she clung even harder to her last days at home. She said goodbye to the house, played as often as she could with her friends, signed her name in the window seat, and prepared to leave. Sure, she'd see the house again, but this time she'd be on the outside, looking in.

Moving Day was the hassle it always is, with dust all over the floor, big, strong men carrying box after box outside to their van, furniture being loaded up, calls being made to make sure the new furniture would be in on time, running around last minute to make sure Fred the goldfish was safe in his tank, and that all those other little things (that were usually never thought of until something happened to them) were safe in the car, or wrapped up in a box. In spite of the busy, bustling atmosphere, Sarah was close to tears all day.

When they left, Sarah was really crying. Most of her friends were at camp that day, so the goodbyes had been said the night before. Only Brittany was there to wave them off. The car paused at the corner, as everyone watched Brittany and her siblings running after it waving, with tears in their eyes. Sarah remembered how she and her brothers had run after their relatives when they left, exactly the way Brittany, Casey, Bobby and George ran after them now. Now they were the ones leaving, Sarah thought.