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Let’s never forget what we’ve learned here and the people who taught us well. We will carry them with us as we march on, toward the unknown. And let us never forget that as long as we always remember, we will never be alone. Thank you.”
    Sutton soaked in the applause as she searched the audience for her parents. Her heart sank as she saw the two empty seats they had been sitting in. Had they really left? Had they not heard the words she’d so carefully chose? Could they really care so little?  
    Sutton nodded and feigned a smile as she headed back to her seat. She choked back the tears as she attempted to mask the sadness behind her eyes. She always thought her parents viewed her as a disappointment. And now she knew they did.

    Sutton shuddered at the memory. She knew she had to let it go. She needed to let go of the resentment and the sadness. She had to be proud of herself, even if her parents couldn’t be.         

    COLE HAD NEVER really cared for goodbyes, especially difficult ones. As he drove away from the hotel, he didn’t turn back around to look at Sutton one last time, though a part of him wanted to. He was glad he had gotten to spend one last night with her. He wondered if he would make friends at school. He never really had a problem making friends, but it was going to be a whole new world for Cole. Then he found himself wondering where his mom was, and what she was doing. He hated that he no longer knew her, even though a part of him didn’t want to because he could never forgive her for what she’d done to him and his dad. He would never forget the day she left….

    Cole sat at the dinner table as he observed his parents. They appeared to have been growing apart for a while. His mom was never home anymore. She was always working. Cole felt like she didn’t even want to be around them at all. Maybe it was just a phase…. It wasn’t like they fought. There was silence more than anything. But sometimes silence was worse than the fighting. His mother’s indifference appeared to be growing stronger every day and Cole knew there was nothing he could do about it.  
    “How was work today, mom?” Cole asked, breaking the silence.  
    “Stressful. I need to go in after dinner for a meeting,” Cole’s mother replied.  
    “Another one?” Ralph asked, seemingly dejected.  
    “Yes. This is an intense time,” she replied coldly.
    “It’s always an intense time,” Ralph added.  
    “My work is what keeps this roof over our heads. You seem to have forgotten that.”
    “Believe me, you never let me forget it. You throw it in my face as often as possible.”
    “Cole, go to your room.”
    “Why?”
    “Because I said so,” she replied sternly.  
    “Fine.” Cole threw his napkin on the table and headed to his room. Once he was around the corner, he stood and listened to the conversation between his parents.  
    “Ralph, I have something to tell you.”
    “I know.”
    “You know what?”
    “I know there’s someone else,” Ralph replied, in a low voice.  
    Cole felt sick. There was no way his mother would do that. She loved his father … right?
    “How do you know?”
    “I saw an email. I didn’t mean to snoop. When I went to check mine, you were already logged in. I only needed to see a couple words to realize what was going on. How long?”
    “It doesn’t really matter, does it?”
    “How long?” Ralph repeated, raising his voice in a way Cole had never observed. Ralph was typically very timid and quiet, the opposite of his mother.  
    “Four months.”
    “ Four months?” Ralph asked, his voice becoming even louder.  
    “You asked,” she replied flatly.  
    “What does this mean?” Ralph asked, lowering his voice once more.  
    “I’m leaving.”
    “You can’t be serious. What about Cole?”
    “I can’t stay for him,” his mother replied, colder by the minute.  
    Cole’s hands were shaking and his heart was racing. Was this actually happening? It felt like