Page 117 of Victorious: Part 3

Someone I could lean on.

Someone I could look to as the mother figure I needed.

She’s been my rock, and now she’s going back home, and I am going to miss her more than I ever thought I possibly could.

Because I didn’t spend enough time with her.

I just assumed she would always be here. Her, South, and little Louis.

I didn’t make the time, and she’s leaving.

And my heart hurts for a friend who’s grieving, and now I will be grieving for my friends.

We stand here for a few minutes, Phoenix holding me while I try to get my emotions under control. Finally, I pull back and wipe my eyes with the back of my hand.

“I should go say goodbye properly,” I whimper.

“You sure you’re ready?”

I take a deep breath and nod. “Yeah. I’m ready.”

When we return to the main room, I find Ingrid sitting on one of the couches, Louis crawling around on the floor at her feet. She looks up when she sees me approaching, and I can tell from her expression that she knows I’ve been crying.

She weakly smiles, patting the couch beside her. “Come here,” she says.

I sink down next to her, and for a moment, we just watch Louis try to capture Dracula’s tail. The cat is being surprisingly patient with the baby’s attempts, occasionally swishing his tail just out of reach in what looks like a game.

“I’m gonna miss you, so freaking much,” I finally say, trying to fight back a wave of fresh tears.

“I’m going to miss you too,” Ingrid replies, her voice thick. “More than you know.”

“Will you call? When you get there, I mean. Let us know you made it safely?”

“Of course.” She reaches over and takes my hand. “And Clover? This doesn’t change anything between us. You’re still going to be my friend, no matter how many miles are between us.” I squeeze her hand and nod, not trusting my voice. “Besides…” she adds with a watery smile, “… someone needs to keep an eye on all these idiots. Make sure they don’t do anything too stupid. You can be their mother figure now.”

That startles a laugh out of me. “I think I can manage that. Please give Kaia a huge hug from me.”

Ingrid fights back her emotions and nods. “I will.”

I lean in, embracing her again, breathing her in, and taking in as much of her to memory as I can. Then I let her go, she smiles at me, and she stands to continue packing.

The rest of the evening passes too quickly. Brothers drinking in celebration, everyone passing by South and Ingrid to say their goodbyes. There’s an undercurrent of sadness beneath the celebration, the knowledge that tomorrow will mark the end of something important.

Around ten o’clock, I find myself standing in the parking lot with almost the entire club, watching South load his bikes into the back of a borrowed truck. Ingrid has Louis strapped into his car seat, double-checking the buckles for the third time.

“You sure you don’t want an escort?” Alpha asks. “At least for the first few hours?”

South shakes his head. “We’ll be fine. Besides, you guys have enough to deal with here.”

Maverick steps forward, extending his hand to South. “You take care of them,” he says simply.

“Always,” South replies, gripping Maverick’s hand firmly.

South turns to Alpha, giving him a back slap. “Thanks, Pres. For taking us in when I needed it. You will never truly understand what it meant to me to be here for the final days with Bella.”

“Oh, brother, I understand perfectly. And if there’s ever a time when you and Ingrid wanna come back, our house is your house,” Alpha replies.

Ingrid smiles, a tear sliding down her cheek. “Thank you… all of you,” she says.