*ANNAS POV*

"That's it, that's the last one." The cab driver put my last bag in the trunk of the car. It's official. I'm leaving. Movement by the door caught my eye and I saw Harry running over. "I'll be just a minute." The driver nodded at me and sat in his seat. I turned to face Harry.

"What are you doing here?" He gave me that cheeky grin.

"You didn't really think I was just going to let you leave without saying goodbye?" I chuckled and shook my head at him. "The others are going to be really upset that you didn't say goodbye, or even tell them that you're leaving." I just looked down. I knew all of this already.

"That's why I wrote this. I want you to all open it together. I know they'll want to know why I didn't mention that I was leaving, but I'm never going to tell them the entire truth, and neither are you because I don't want Cat and Jade to feel responsible. Okay?" He gave a small nod and I handed him the letter. I looked at my watch. I really had to go, my plane left in and hour and a half.

"Look Harry, I need to go. Take care of yourself okay? I'm going to miss you so much." My voice wobbled. I threw my arms around him and he pulled me close. Harry stroked my hair and then planted a soft kiss where his hand left. I pulled back and walked to the cab. I looked over my shoulder as I opened the door. He gave me a small wave and managed a smile. I did the same and got in the car. It pulled away and the last thing I saw was Harry standing there waving at me.

*HARRYS POV*

By the time I had reached Cat and Jade's room, most of the heaviness in my chest had lifted, although the thought of having to tell the others that she was gone stopped it from going away completely. I pulled out my borrowed key card that I had found on the dressing table and opened the door.

I jump a little when I see everyone awake and staring at me. "Uh, hey guys. How're you doing this morning?" They didn't look convinced and Jade moved her hands to her hips. I awkwardly closed the door behind me.

"What were you doing? How come you left early? Harry Styles never chooses to be up early." I gave Zayn a sarcastic smile and went to sit with Louis on the couch. Everyone else started to talk normally again. Are they really that blind or have they forgotten about her completely? As if she read my mind, a frown appeared on Cat's face.

"Where's Anna? She was here when we all fell asleep last night." They all looked around and saw that the little redhead was right. Ok, not looking forward to this.

"Um, I have something to tell you guys. There's no easy way to say this but Anna left this morning." It was one of those moments when I just wanted to close my eyes and cover my ears until the moment was over. They all just sat there looking stunned until Jade broke the silence.

"Why didn't she tell us she was leaving?" She asked quietly. I had a feeling she might be one of the most upset. They'd grown quite close in the past few days and Jade trusted her with some important things.

"She didn't want- She left this letter, for all of us." They crowded round me and I tried to open the envelope. I'd always been crap at opening envelopes and now was no different. I finally managed to rip it open and pull the letter out. I took a deep breath and began reading.

"Hey guys, I'm sorry that this is how I'm saying goodbye. You deserve an explanation. This is going to sound pathetic, but I've never been good at goodbyes. Especially with the few people I care about. This holiday has probably been the best one of my life, and it makes me glad my mom left. If she hadn't, I wouldn't have been lonely and watching you all. That would mean Jade would never have come over and interrogated me about staring at you. We'd never have met and it would all be different. I wish I could have said goodbye properly, but I guess I never gave myself that option. This is the first time I've ever made friends for myself. All my 'friends' at home are people I've grown up with. My mom's friend's daughters and people like that. This time I've made my own group of friends, who've helped me make so many happy memories, and what's better is I know I'll remember them forever. I'll miss you guys, and I hope to see you soon.

Love, Anna xxx"

"Wow." That was all anyone said. My voice had cracked when I got to the memories part. We were all moved by what she had said. Everyone had small sad smiles on their faces. I don't know about them, but I was remembering moments with Anna. When we were looking for Niall and I gave her a piggyback. When we were just talking by the pool. Every little moment spent together was passing through my mind, until Louis broke the silence.

"Well people, I think we know what we have to do." We all just looked at Louis with a blank look on our faces. He gave a small smile. "It's selfie time." We all smiled at him, and got closer. I got out my phone and held it up. I was the only one who was dressed, everyone else was still in their pyjamas, but no one cared. We took the picture and sent it to Anna.

*ANNAS POV*

"Flight 372 to LAX boarding." That's it then. I picked up my hand luggage and showed the woman at the entrance my passport. I got to my seat and took out my earphones. My phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out and the screen lit up. It said there was a message from Harry. I opened it and smiled. The picture was perfect. I was just about to reply, when an air hostess came over. "I'm sorry miss, you have to turn that off now. We will be taking off shortly." I nodded and took one last look at the picture. "Bye guys." I whispered. Then my screen went dark as the plane took off down the runway.

*LOUIS' POV*

"So what did you boys think of Mean Girls?" Cat asked us. We all looked at each other sheepishly.

"Actually, we've all seen it before..." I mumbled. Jade looked at Cat and burst out laughing. When they finished laughing Jade turned to Liam. "Why on earth have you already seen Mean Girls?"

"We wanted to see what all the fuss was about! Girls are always talking about it so we just decided to watch it." The girls looked at each other and shrugged. Acceptance is a lovely thing. Especially when you're as crazy as me.

"Sorry to break this up guys, but I'm going to steal Jade for the next couple of hours. That okay with everyone?" We all nodded at him. He looked at Jade. "You coming?"

"I need to get dressed before I can do anything, but of course I am." He looked at her like she was crazy. "Well get dressed then." Now it was our turn to look at him. "Liam, she would get dressed, except we're all in her room." He looked at the floor and left. We laughed at him and followed him out. Cat followed us and shut the door.

*LIAMS POV*

Okay. Everything was ready. I went up to where I left Jade and put her blindfold on. She held onto my arm as I guided her through the trees until we reached the clearing. "Okay, you can remove the blindfold." Jade uncovered her eyes and gasped. "Liam, it's beautiful! You did all this?" I nodded. I was pretty proud actually. She went and sat on the picnic rug and I joined her.

We talked and laughed for hours, eating and drinking and just soaking it all up. There was something I said, I can't remember what, but it made her laugh. It was in that moment that I realized just how beautiful she was. Yeah, the first time I saw her I thought she was beautiful, but I've realized that I'd never seen anyone like her before. She was unique. She was proud and not afraid to say what she felt. Her strong personality made her stand out, and when she threw her head back with laughter, her eyes closed, her mouth in an open smile, it just proved that anyone can change. When she arrived, she was dressed almost entirely in black. Now she was in a floral summer dress without her heavy eyeliner and colourful highlights. She looked natural. Relaxed. Happy.

The spot I'd chosen was by a pond. It was quite big, with reeds around it. When we'd eaten, we just sat there and watched the dragonflies skim across the surface of the water. Jade rested her head against my shoulder and sighed. I put my arm around her shoulders and we just sat there. Jade suddenly lay back and looked up to the sky. I did the same. I just wanted to freeze time, and capture these little moments forever. Jade's phone started to vibrate in her bag. She rolled over on reached for it. She took out the phone and a sad look crossed her face. "That was Cat. It's time to go."

******

*JADES POV*

Everyone was in mine and Cat's room. "Right, everything is packed. I actually need to call my parents." I've barely spoken to them since we got here, I don't even think they know about me and Liam. I dialled my Mom's number.

"Hey Mom... Yeah, I'm all packed... Where should I meet you?... What?... You can't do that!... But Mom that's not fair!... Who cares about school?... Why am I the one who gets the selfish parents?... No I will not calm down! What you're doing is cruel and unfair. I can't listen to anymore of this."

Everyone was staring at me now. They all looked shocked at my outburst and I tried to calm down. I wasn't really sure how to do that, I normally just let my anger run it's course. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples to try and relieve the pressure. I took a few deep breaths and opened my eyes. Everyone looked at me expectantly, waiting for an explanation.

"My parents aren't coming home. They want to stay for a while longer." A smile stretched across Liam's face, and I'm guessing the others looked the same. I didn't look at them. I was focusing on Liam.

"We'll that's great, you can stay and we'll-"

"No Liam." He looked confused. I took another deep breath. He looked so happy and I didn't want to ruin it, but I had no choice.

"I said my parents were staying. I have to go home. They don't want me to miss the start of school." I closed my eyes. I couldn't stand to see the look on his face. "I'm sorry, they're just so SELFISH, I-"

"Hey hey, calm down. We can't change it, so just accept it." Although I hated to admit defeat, Liam was right. I nodded and he took my suitcase. We headed for the lobby in silence. Liam went over to the reception desk. "Can we have a taxi to the airport please?" The woman nodded and he came back over.

I felt like crying for so many reasons. Frustration and actual sadness. And dread. I know I shouldn't dread going home, but I can't help it. As I've said before, there's no room for change. I felt a lump grow in my throat as I tried not to cry. If I started crying I wasn't sure I'd be able to stop. I know this sounds extreme to some people, but being trapped by yourself is a horrible thing, and they gave me release from myself here. I was just about managing to control my tears, until I heard Cat sniffle beside me. Then another one, and another, until she was full on sobbing. Everyone else seemed lost in their own thoughts so I turned and wrapped my arms around her. It was the first time I'd initiated a hug between us for a long time.

Cat collapsed against me and I just held her and closed my eyes. I suddenly felt a pair of arms around both of us. I opened my eyes to see Liam looking down at me. He gave me a small smile and I couldn't hold the tears back any longer. They silently spilled over my cheeks and I rested my chin on Cat's head and leaned against Liam's strong embrace. A moment later I felt more arms which I saw belonged to Niall. Louis, Harry and Zayn came over and joined in. We all just stood there until the taxi arrived. We released each other. Niall and Liam were coming with us to the airport, so they went and waited in the cab while we said goodbye to the other three.

I went over to Zayn first. "So I guess this is it..." He said looking down at the floor. I nodded slowly and was surprised when I heard Zayn start to chuckle. I gave him a confused look and he explained. " I was just thinking how it feels like only yesterday when I first saw you on webcam, and then tried to flirt with you." I laughed along with him. And gave him a hug. "Bye Zayn. See you soon, I hope." He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a quick kiss on the top of my head. "Me too darlin'." I released him and moved onto Harry.

"Hey Harry, before I say goodbye, I wanted to say thanks. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about, and even I didn't realise it until now. If you hadn't skyped Liam that night, you probably wouldn't have come, let's be honest." He gave a small laugh and nodded his head. "That was also the first time I properly spoke to Liam, so... Thanks." His long arms wrapped themselves around me and I returned the gesture. "It's okay Jade, if it weren't for you, none of us would have met Anna." I could see that he already missed her terribly, and felt the need to comfort him. Except now, it feels natural, unlike whenever Cat was upset back home and comforting her felt forced. "It'll get better Harry, I promise. You'll get over her." I gave him a kiss on the cheek and looked him in the eye. "Trust me." He nodded, and Louis yelled. "Hey, it's my turn! Stop hogging her!" We both laughed and I waved at him before I walked over to Louis.

"Yes hello Lou." He suddenly picked me up and twirled me round. I laughed until he put me down. "Oh Louis, I think I'll actually miss you and your stupid jokes." He laughed and poked my cheeks. "Don't let that smile disappear when you get home. Be proud of it and let it shine. For me?" I nodded and did a huge grin just for him. Louis nodded in approval and pulled me into his chest. "You had your request, and now I have mine." He narrowed his eyes at me and I gave an 'innocent' smile. "Remember to let your inner fan girl out more often, she needs the exercise." I poked him in his flat stomach and he repeated the gesture. "Bye Lou."

I stepped back from him and Cat finished her goodbyes with Zayn. She came over and put her hand in mine. I wrapped my fingers around hers and we walked to the cab together.

As we drove away we waved through the window until they were out of sight.

******

Our flight had just been told to board. We'd been putting goodbyes off for as long as possible. I said a short but sweet goodbye to Niall, just as Cat did with Liam. I wanted time to say goodbye to Liam properly, although time was the one thing we didn't have. Cat went over to Niall and they began whispering together, saying their goodbyes. There was so much I wanted to say to Liam, but I didn't know where to start, so I followed my instincts.

I reached up and pressed my lips against his. They were warm and familiar and provided some sort of comfort. I trailed my fingers through his hair and put everything I was feeling into the kiss. We were getting stares from people by now but I barely noticed. I wanted to remember how he felt, how he tasted. Our tongues danced until we couldn't breath and we pulled apart. I saw that his lips were a little swollen and smiled. My arms snaked around his waist and I never wanted to let go. I rested my head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. He kissed the top of my head and stroked my hair. We stayed like that for as long as possible, then he whispered that it was time to go and I forced myself to let go and stand up straight.

He gently placed his hand on my cheek and kissed my forehead, before giving me one last peck on the lips before I boarded the plane.

Cat and I sat down, me by the window, and Cat next to me. I gave her a small smile and felt her wrap her fingers around mine again. I looked out of the window and saw the huge windows into the cafe where you wait for your flight. I imagined that I saw Liam standing there, waving goodbye to me. I took out my phone and put in my earphones as we started off down the runway.

See you soon.