I covered the phone with my hand and sniffed hastily. “I’m just worried you’ll decide not to come.”

“I told you I’ll come, and I’m going to come. And guess what else?”

“What?”

“Fabien is going to move to Québec! He’s been dreaming of it for forever, and saving money, and they’ve finally processed his immigration papers. We’ll be leaving almost on the same day.”

I remembered the threesome braking with all their might to escort me down a hill on skates. “How is Éric taking this?” That was, how was he taking the sudden vast hole opening in his life, his two best friends from childhood moving across the world? He was the only one who wasn’t replacing the friends with a new adventure, who was going to be right where he had always been but minus the two people he did everything with.

There was a long pause. “Well, none of us are taking it very well, shrump. But—that’s life. Sometimes things have to change.”

When he hung up, I lay awake all night, imagining how he must be feeling as he left all his friends, left his family, came to a country that had never held much interest for him, and where he knew no one . . . all for me. I had at least had practice at it, from so much traveling; Sébastien had never done it before. Would he be able to do it? Would he be okay?

A week later, he called back, troubled. “I got my tickets. But they won’t let me take Indy.”

“What? You can take cats on an airplane.”

“No. Maybe it’s something to do with the new security measures, but they won’t let me take him. I’ll have to leave him with my mom.” I could feel the frown in his voice, the worry. “But he’s my cat. I’ve always taken care of him.”

“You’re still going to come?” I asked fearfully. I mean, I’d choose me over Indy, but then Indy had tried to eat my teddy bear, so I bore a grudge.

“Yes,” he said. “I got my ticket. I’m coming. I just . . . feel bad about Indy.” Maybe he had counted on having Indy as his one friend.

Two days before his flight, his grandfather went back into the hospital.

I closed my eyes, feeling sick to my stomach. “Do you want to postpone your flight?” I made myself ask. Don’t be selfish, I told myself. Even if you know this is the breaking point, this is the moment when he backs out—for a very good reason—and never gets up the courage again to come.