Disclaimer: I do not own a majority of these characters.

Chapter 2

I don't want to say goodbye

Atticus sat rigid in his seat. Jean looked over at him. His face was like a statue, frozen solid. The sound of the church organ drifted up to the arched ceiling where it bounced and ringed for a long while after the actual music had ended. Jem stood up from his seat in the front row of the church and made his way over to the pulpit where Reverend Lewis stood ever Sunday while giving his long-winded homily. Jean looked over at Atticus again. His face had now melted into a warm smile that showed the world his pride. Jem caught his eye, smiled, and then began.

"Good evenin' everyone. Tonight is a special night for me and all of my friends sittin' there in the front row." Everyone in the church seemed to simultaneously shift in their seats to get a better look at the fourteen young men and women sitting in the row Jem had pointed to. "It's a night when we can look back on fond memories of the past and at the same time look forward to the future. We can reflect on how lucky we have been to receive as good of an education as we did and that all those you have helped us to achieve this much. I know that I feel lucky. I have grown up with a father who is like no other father, a sister who is like every other sister and not afraid to put me in my place when my head gets to big, and a cook who is like part of the family and has disciplined me in the way my father never could." The audience laughed. "And I am so sad to leave and so scared, but I know that it'll all be alright. They'll always be there and those people in the front row, they'll always be there too. After twelve years of learning together those fourteen people have become like my honorary brother or sister. We all care for each other and that is what has made learning in Maycomb for the past twelve years so incredible. I know, and I think we're all aware, that no university will ever be like that and so I'm glad to have had this experience before having to enter into the chaos of a university. I love each and everyone of those people who are graduating with me tonight and I want to wish each of them all the luck in the world as we move on in life. Thank you." Jem left the pulpit and sat once again with those fourteen other graduates. Atticus was still smiling and continued smiling the whole night. He smiled as Jem received his diploma and smiled as he walked up the aisle with his classmates and out the door. He was even smiling when Jem walked up to us later with his arm around the waist of Carry Ann.

"Well what did ya' think of the speech Atticus."

"It was good, not too long and not too short." Was all Atticus said. He had a tendency to not tell us when he was extremely proud of his children so as not make them arrogant.

"I told ya'!" Carry Ann smiled. "I told ya' it was just fine."

Jem gave her a smile that apparently melted the hearts of every girl from the eighth grade up. "I know, but I just wanted to hear what Atticus had to say."

Carry Ann her head as though she didn't understand and then left his side to come to talk to me. "I've never seen a boy more attached to his father than Jem is to Mr. Finch."

"Atticus is just about the only older person we've ever met who talks with some sense. Miss Maudie and Calpurnia are the only other too."

"He's a smart man Mr. Finch. Jem n' you are just like em'."

"I know Atticus is a smart man, but I'm not sure if we've taken after him that much. I think ya' give us too much credit Carry Ann."

"No, yer wrong Jean Louise. Jem's gonna go far n' so will you. I just hope he won't leave me behind."

"Jem wouldn't do that n' if he did I'd sock im'." Jean punched the air pretending as though it were Jem. Carry Ann laughed.

- - - - -

Jean peeked through the door that connected her room to Jem's. He had pull out ever drawer in his entire dresser and was simply dumping them into the few suitcases and bags that he had laid out on the bed. "I thought you told Calpurnia that you had already packed? N' that was yesterday!" She watched as he continued pouring the drawer's contents into one of the bags. When it was empty, he turned to look at Jean, who was leaning against the doorframe.

"I was too nervous to pack."

"Yesterday?"

"Yes. It'd just remind me how I'm leavin' in the mornin' n' I don't want to be reminded of that."

"Well like you said in your speech, we'll always be here; me, Atticus, n' Calpurnia. Carry Ann will always be there for ya' too. You know she's crazy 'bout ya' n' your crazy 'bout her."

"Don't quote my speech Scout…"

"Jean!"

"Sorry,…Jean, I don't wanna think 'bout what I'm leavin' behind. Atticus, Calpurnia, Carry Ann, n' you. I don't wanna go Jean. I don't wanna go." He placed his head in his hands.

"Don't say that Jem! Your just a lil' bit nervous, that's all. Ya' know ya' wanna go n' ya' will go. You'll adjust to college life within a few days. You just watch." Jean put her arms around Jem.

Jem let her remain there for a few seconds before he shook her off so that he could stand up again. Lifting up another drawer he said, "I guess your right Jean. Ya' know. You've really grown up in the past few years. I guess I was just to blind ta' see it 'til now. Thanks for the pep talk n' all, but now I should get back to packin'. After all, I'm leavin' in the mornin'."

Jean nodded and went back to her room, closing the joining door behind her. As she sat on her bed, she heard Atticus say to her from the door that led from her room to the hallway. "That was a nice thing you did for Jem, Jean. He need to hear from someone that he was ready to go."

Jean looked up at Atticus. His once again resembled a statue. Then she whispered so that Jem wouldn't hear her through the wall. "Atticus, I don't want im' to go."

She began to cry, softly so that Jem wouldn't hear her sobs. Atticus sat down on the bed next. He didn't say anything; he just sat there and waited until the tears ceased to roll down her cheeks. "I know Jean. It'll be a hard thing to adjust to. You've grown up with Jem always being there so not having him there will be hard at first, but you're a strong girl and you'll get through it."

"Do ya' really think so Atticus?"

"I do." Suddenly Jean felt like she was seven again and Atticus was telling her that everything would be okay even though they had declared Tom Robinson guilty. She missed when she was little and she had felt that Atticus was her god, but she knew that growing up was part of life.

"Jem'll do good won't he Atticus?"

"Yes, he'll do just fine, Jean. He'll do just fine."