Getting Out

<<font;11pt>Dear Charlie,
I want you to know that this is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. To walk away from you means to walk away life itself. I have found, in you, a love that surpasses all the obstacles of my life. Yet here I am writing this letter to you, but Charlie you must know that I don’t want to. I want to stay safe in your arms forever, but unlike mine your life here is wonderful and I would never ask you to leave all of that behind. So here I am writing this letter because it is all the choice that I have. I have to say goodbye to you Charlie, and I don’t have the strength to do it in person. If I were to look into your eyes and say goodbye, I wouldn’t be able to say it, and I must leave this place Charlie. I must. As you read this know that you gave me my life back, in fact you gave me the Life I never had.
Love Forever,
Savannah
I wept over the words that I had just written. Without Charlie I didn’t know what my life would be. But didn’t I? Without Charlie my life would be the same empty black hole it had been before I met him. I would, undoubtedly, suffer the same pain and fear that had plagued my life for eighteen years. Eighteen years of turmoil compared to eight months of bliss. When I met Charlie I thought that the pain was over how foolish had I been then. How naive of me to believe that one boy could end a lifetime of heartache. But the eight months that I spent with Charlie were more than enough to make me forget about all of the pain. Eight months had been enough to save me.

It was early September of my senior year when I first saw the boy that I would come to love as my Charlie. He was the new kid in town and besides the fact that he was brilliant, that was all I knew about him. We had a couple of classes together; Math, History, and English and he was that new kid. He was always prepared for class, he always knew all of the answers and he always made all A’s, the teachers that had him loved him, and those that didn’t wished they did. The guys had a hard time teasing him about it though, because most of their girlfriends would have dropped them flat if Charlie had shown the slightest bit of interest. All of this I knew from what I had overheard of petty gossip of course. I lived in my own world most of the time, thinking about problems at home. I didn’t pay much attention to Charlie and he didn’t seem to notice me. If it hadn’t been for Maggie Beth and her insolent little friends making such a fuss over him in English each morning, I might have never even known he existed. Our school was small, there were about one hundred people in my senior class but I stayed to myself. One day my English teacher decided to split us into teams and conduct a debate. The topic was “Our responsibility to help”.

I was tired that day, as usual I hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before. I can slightly remember Charlie being paired against a guy on the football team but I kept dosing off. Our teacher caught me and as punishment informed me that I would be next, and against Maggie Beth of all people. Teachers never called on me, I was quiet and they knew it, but I was smart. Maggie Beth on the other hand opened her mouth every chance she got and the girl is as dumb as a doornail. When the grueling moment arrived Maggie took the liberty of speaking first, “Well I think that everyone should help themselves” she declared with a proud grin. I rolled my eyes, how dumb could this girl be really. “Savannah would you like to counter that remark?” the teacher asked. I looked around nervously; it’s not that I’m afraid to talk, because I’m not. I’m just more of a listener, I like to hear what others have to say, you learn more that way. Besides I do all of my talking on paper, the red A’s and praising comments from teachers prove that. I sighed and nodded to the teacher then looked at Maggie Beth. “Are you serious?” I asked. “You mean to say that you think that all of the poor people out there should just help themselves?” “Well yes” she said all proud again. “It isn’t my responsibility to take care of them they should just go get jobs”.
“What if they can’t Maggie, and in this town finding a good paying job is nearly impossible.”

“Well… there’s the city, they can go there my dad did.” She stood there just beaming, she had been so proud of her weekly trips to the city with her father, every day after cooing over Charlie she would move on to the topic of whatever outrageously priced thing her father had gotten her during their trip. “Not everyone can get a job in the city Maggie!” our little debate had turned into more of a relentless argument. “You would know wouldn’t you Savannah?” Maggie’s friends were laughing but I didn’t care they were all dumb, rich and spoiled by their parents. None of them had plans for college as if they could get in. Last time I checked good looks, and self-righteousness weren’t qualities they asked for on college applications. It wasn’t like I had outstanding plans either but I had better reasons. The teacher chimed in then, interrupting a glare off between us. “Ok girls lets wrap up with our closing statements, Maggie go ahead first.” Maggie cleared her throat as if to say something important, yeah right like that could happen. “People have a duty to themselves to take care of themselves, if they did our world would be a better place. The government wouldn’t have to argue so much and there wouldn’t be so many bum towns like this one.”

Her friends clapped and cheered, she bowed as if she had just given a prize winning speech. The teacher nodded signaling my turn to speak. “I think that we all have a responsibility to help each other. If it were you who were out on the street or hungry, you would want someone to help you.” I looked at them all accusingly especially Maggie. “Is this your help me plea Savannah?” Maggie interrupted laughing. That was it I was going to finish this once and for all. “You know what Maggie I don’t need your help or anyone else’s for that matter, I am lucky enough to have a job, and a house, and a car. There are people in this world, in this town that are much worse off than I am! I might not have expensive things but I am much smarter than you and your little friends. Unlike you I have integrity and I’m not counting on what my parents have to carry me through life. And you know what I’m glad that I don’t have that luxury, it separates me from people like you.” The class roared, not that I cared, I walked back to my seat still fuming. Two good things came from that day. The English teacher learned never to stick me in a debate again, and for once, possibly the first time in her life Maggie Beth was silenced.


A quiet stirring in the next room reminded me of the present. From the window across the room I could see the light grayish tint of the sky, the sun would be up soon and that meant so would he. With the rising of the sun would come the awakening of a monster. I folded the letter and slipped it into an envelope. I scribbled Charlie on the front, and taped it shut. I had about thirty minutes before the alarm would sound and awake the man I so desperately wished would never wake again. Thirty minutes before I would surrender control of my life and leave everything to chance. Thirty minutes until the last time I would leave this house. I stared down at the cedar desk where I sat, the last time I would sleep in this room. I wouldn’t miss a single thing about this room, or this house. This house held every single bad memory I had, and this room, the pain of a lifetime. Just then I caught sight of my Ceiley Doll. She was possibly the only good memory this house held for me, and even she held some memories I would rather forget. She sat perched upon my made bed, dirty and tattered from years of play and love. I will never forget the day I got her.

My mom brought her home as a surprise, she wasn’t new then but it hadn’t bothered me. In my house Christmas and birthdays were almost non-existent, on holidays instead of presents and smiles mom and dad would argue. My mom worked at the local diner, and my dad at the car repair shop. We lived in a small next to a big city and the locals in our town more than often did all of their business in the city. Mom would be lucky to make ten dollars in tips a week. Every now and then someone would come through the repair shop, but the damage was never more than sixty dollars worth. I have no idea how the bills were ever paid, but they were. So I imagine that Ceily cost about a dollar from the thrift store, but it didn’t matter then, and it doesn’t matter now.

I quietly crossed the room to sit on my bed. I picked Ceily up from my pillow to look at her one last time. She wore the same blue dress and shoes she had since I was five. Her hair, chestnut brown, like mine, was neatly pulled into two braids that hung over her shoulders. Her eyes were not like mine. My eyes are blue, like my fathers and Ceiley's green like my moms were, a similarity that still hurts every time I look at her. I grew up in the house that used to be my grandparents. When they died they left it to my mom. My mom said that they were really wealthy people, they owned the house by the time they died, as well as their car. They loved my mom and when she got pregnant with me, they wanted to make sure we were taken care of. But no one expected the life we would all lead here. When my grandparents bought this house, in the sixties, the town was booming. The city had not yet become a big deal and this town was full of wealthy people. This house in fact was the place for social gatherings. Wealthy southern woman would gather here and sit on the front porch drinking lemonade and telling gossip. That’s actually how my parents met. My father’s mom was very good friends with my mother’s mom, and every day they would come together for their daily gossip and lemonade. My parents met after being thrown together one day to play while their parents diverged into a delightful afternoon of lemonade and scandal. My mom said once that she believes my grandparents had her and my dad set to be together even before either of them was born. I don’t know if that’s true but I am proof that my grandparents were at the least persistent. Anyway the city quickly grew and with it this town slowly dwindled. People began to move to the city in hopes of a better life, and those who stayed, did so only because of emotional attachments to their homes. Still this town and its popularity had withered away by the time I was three.
My grandparents had been spenders and so their wealth had run out long before they died. My mom and dad tried to get jobs in the city but neither of them had gone to college, relying on their parent’s wealth to carry them through life. So we were stuck in this town because we had no choice. I winced at Ceiley and set her back on the bed to turn and look out of the window. Her eyes were too much like my moms and I couldn’t bear to look at them for too long. When I was eleven my mom was diagnosed with cancer, we couldn’t afford any medicine or treatments by a long shot. Two months after I turned twelve she died. Those last two months had been horrible. She was a strong woman but in that time it looked as even breathing hurt her. The funeral was small just my dad and I. The fact that he had even shown up to the funeral had been a miracle. Three months after my mom was diagnosed he began drinking and I began to hate him. Every dime he made at work he would spend on liquor the same night, and things got out of hand quickly. I feared for my mother’s already delicate state and so I asked Ms. Anderson, our neighbor, to let my mom move in. She reluctantly agreed and my mom lived with her until she died.

Every morning before school I would run the house long distance that it is between my house and Ms. Anderson’s, to check on my mom. How much land a person owned was a big deal when most of these homes were built. In some areas hundreds of acres separated homes. Ms. Anderson would always ask me to stay longer than I had time for, her husband had died several years ago of a heart attack, and she was lonely. We talked mostly about how much she missed her husband. When my mom died Ms. Anderson prepared the funeral. She paid for everything and when I told her that I would someday repay her, she wouldn’t hear it. She said she did it because she was grateful for all of the time that I had spent with her. Ms. Anderson was one of those people who stayed in this town because of emotional attachment, after her husband died she just hadn’t been strong enough to sell the house, and as far as I knew she didn’t have anyone else. But unlike my grandparents she hadn’t been a spender so she didn’t need to sell her house, she lived comfortably in this little town. Ms. Anderson was there for me even more so after the funeral. My dad’s drinking got even worse and he began blaming me for my mother’s death. My parents argued constantly when my mom was alive. I don’t have a single memory of them ever being truly happy around each other. When I was little I used to pretend that I just missed those parts that maybe when I was sleep or at school my parents would smile, but time proved me wrong. I don’t know if my dad ever realized it but I don’t think that my mom ever loved him, she only married him to please her parents, or at least that’s what she insinuated. When I was little I would ask her to tell me stories about how her and dad fell in love, but the stories were always short and she would always say, “Your grandparents adored him”. Then I would say “Just like you huh?” but she never showed any sign that she agreed, so I eventually learned to sleep without the stories.

After mom died dad began to come home drunk and when he got angry he would break things. Everything seemed to make him angry, and because except for the eyes, I look so much like my mother, he was angry often. I continued to visit Ms. Anderson but I would try to hide the pain and she would pretend not to see it. When I was fourteen Ms. Anderson told me that I was to move in with her, after one night my dad stormed into her house and demanded that I come home. But I continued to go visit her, sneaking around this time. I ate most of my meals there, when I could work up an appetite, which wasn’t very often. School became all I cared about, sometimes after long day I would come home and emerge myself in books.

There was a stir in the next room, my time was up, the sun would be rising soon. I got up from my bed and grabbed the suitcase that had been my mom’s from where I hid it in the closet after packing it with what little clothes I had. I wore a blue dress that Ms. Anderson had made me the day I told her of my plans to leave, a year ago. I had been planning this escape long before Charlie came but once he got here I couldn’t bring myself to leave. This dress was Charlie’s favorite, he always grinned when I wore it. I walked over to the desk and grabbed the letter, trying to fight back tears. I left the room in one swift motion but once I got into the hallway I stopped. I looked over into the next room at my father, thinking of all those horrible nights with him. I hated him, I hated him more than I could ever dislike anyone else. I would be happy to never see him again, I shook the thought and tiptoed down the hall to the steps. I quietly descended and walked out of the front door, the hard part was over.

The hardest part had yet to come. It was emotionally easy to leave my house. It wouldn’t be so easy to go to Charlie’s house, leave the letter, and force myself to leave without waking him and telling him how much I loved him, then I would never leave. Charlie saved me, he was the one and only reason that it was so hard for me to just drive right out of this town and never look back. Getting anything past Charlie is impossible, he could always sense when there was something wrong. He wanted my fathers head when I finally told him about my life in that house. “Why do you stay there, and you don’t deserve this” he would say. The truth is that I was afraid, not of anything my father might do if I left, but of what I would do when I left. I don’t know any of my other family, or if I even have any. But Charlie gave me the courage to believe that no matter where I went or what I encountered, it had to be better than this.
I threw my suitcase into the back of the car, anxious now to be near Charlie and away from here. Sometimes just being near him, just seeing him could make everything better. I backed out of the driveway slowly trying to make as little noise as possible. Once I was on the road headed to Charlie’s I was nervous all over again. The closer I got to his house the more temptation reared it’s head, and the harder it seemed to be able to just drop the note on the door step and walk away. My heart pounded and my stomach did all sorts of flips as I thought of the boy that would be sleeping soundly in that house, only to wake up and read a letter that would break his heart to read as much as it had broken mine to write. Then the worst thought entered my head, what if he wasn’t asleep, what if he was up and getting a drink of water or tossing and turning because he couldn’t sleep. If he was awake and were to see me drive up he would come out for sure, and then I’d be trapped, one look was all it would take to keep me glued here in this town, glued in his arms.
I could remember the day I met Charlie like it was yesterday. I had seen him plenty at school my I kept to myself, and as I liked it, he never bothered to interrupt my silence. It was a Saturday and him and his father had been to the repair shop. I watched from the diner as they headed across the street. I started working in the diner after I turned fifteen, with mom gone I had to find a way to pick up the slack. I was pouring Mr. Floyd, the owner of the grocery store in town, a drink when they walked in. They were both dressed pretty well, the older man stood straight and tall and had a very businesslike look about him. A younger clone stood next to him and I immediately recognized him from school. “Oh what does he want” Mr.Floyd grumbled. The feeling must have been mutual as the father took one quick glance at Mr.Floyd and walked to the other end of the diner. They didn’t seem to be any trouble, but then again this town is full of people set in old ways so new comers with bright new ideas were never really welcomed. I set the coffee pot on the counter and walked over to the booth where they were sitting. The father waited for me to introduce myself and then ordered a cup of coffee. I turned to the boy then and for the first time really looked at him. He had chestnut brown hair just like his father and eyes that danced from brown to green under the diner lights. After I delivered their drink orders I brought the burgers that they ordered. I couldn’t help but steal a glance at them as they sat and ate. They were so comfortable in each others company, there was a warm matter in the way that they regarded each other. The dad surprised me the most he’d walked in like he was going to buy the place and yet there he sat laughing with his son like he hadn’t a care in the world. "You're the mechanics daughter aren't you?" the dad asked as I handed him the check and began to clear the dirty plates from the table. "Um, yea" I replied a bit shocked that he knew who I was. "Did he......" I prompted. "You have his eyes" the boy interrupted. Ugh I thought to myself. I hated any shred of evidence that linked my father and myself, and I really hated that this had been the first thing that the boy had noticed about me. "Except yours are softer, they're warmer" he added with a smile.I could feel my face turn red as I quivered a quick thank you and then turned to walk away dishes in hand. I lingered in the kitchen for awhile trying to compose myself and to figure out why I had even been blushing in the first place. I mean sure the boy had been good looking but so what, he was just some rich mans kid who I wasn't interested in. After a deep breath or two I went back out to retrieve the money from the table but as I came around the corner I could hear them laughing. I stopped right before I rounded the counter, just far enough where they couldn't see me. What were they laughing at, me? That the boy had made me blush or that I was the daughter of a pathetic mechanic in some rundown town and even thought for a second that some rich, handsome guy had been flirting with me? Either way I squared my shoulders and gathered the courage to go to the table, after all what did I care what they thought. "I'm sorry that we scared you" the man began. "My son is a bit of a charmer". And there I was blushing again, this time they tried their best to ignore it. "My family and I are staying here in town while I tend to some business in the city" Ugh! Mr. Floyd let out a groan from across the room but we all ignored it as the father continued. "You know Mr.Cooper don't you?" Old Mr.Cooper was, next to my family, the poorest resident in this little town. However unlike us he lived in a fairly nice home, drove a very nice car, and wore the most expensive clothes. There had always been talk that he had a rich son who was an entrepreneur, and that he received money from this son all the time. "Yea I know him" I recalled. "Well we were only supposed to stay with him for a couple of weeks, but I've been looking for a new project and the more time I spend here the more I think this town could be it." Ugh! Mr. Floyd almost roared and then stormed out of the diner. "Don't worry about him" Mr. Cooper said frowning. "My dads kind of obsessed with fixing things" Charlie cut in. "And well he thinks your town needs fixing, no offense." I hadn't taken any offense at all I totally agreed but it was obvious that Mr. Floyd didn't share the same sentiment.

It was quiet as I drove up and parked the car in front of Charlie's house, I recalled that day in the diner as if it had been just yesterday rather than eight months ago. I held the key in the ignition unsure of what I should do. I decided to leave the car running knowing that at least that served as a reason for me not to go in. I took a deep breath and opened the car door. This was it, now or never, this was the hardest thing that I had ever had to do. I struggled to keep my cool as I approached the house. I could smell the fresh honey due. I loved this house, after two months Charlie's father had decided that their family needed a place of their own and so they moved out of his grandfather's house and into one of the nicer homes in the town. I had been so happy because that had meant that I could come over more often and stay longer because we didn't have to worry about disturbing his grandfather while he was resting. The best part was that it was only two blocks over from where I lived and when my father came in drunk, like he often did, I could just walk over to Charlie's when my dad fell asleep. I knew this house inside out, in the past eight months I had spent more time here than I had in my own home. Being so close did present a problem I was constantly afraid that Charlie would finally get mad enough to come over and tell my father what he really thought about him, even though I had begged him not to on more than one occasion. Then there was the threat that my dad would find out about Charlie. Just as I started up the walkway something caught my eye. A light shown in the window at the top right corner of the house. I knew this house well enough to know that the light was on in Charlie's room. I stopped dead in my tracks. Was he awake, had he heard me pull up? Just then I saw a shadow crossing the window, he was awake! I sprinted back to the car and drove off as soon as I was inside. Tears spilled over my face as I drove toward the border of the town. I had done it I had escaped, but at what cost.


WELL THERE IT IS CHAPTER ONE FINALLY COMPLETE!!!!! SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG IM GOING TO START WORKING ON CHAPTER TWO TONIGHT AND SHOULD HAVE IT DONE SOON!!! THANKS FOR READING MY BOOK, AND FOR THE AWESOME COMMENTS YOU GUYS HAVE LEFT ME!

Finding My Way

I made it out of town by sunrise, but with no clue where I was headed. All I could think about was Charlie and the vast mix of emotions that had washed over me in the moment I saw his figure through the window. Had he seen me? Regret plagued me now and it took all of the will power that I had not to turn around.I drove for about four hours before I decided to stop and get something to eat.I had saved every dime of my pay checks and tips for the past eight months in preparation for this trip and had managed to total about $300. The hardest part about saving had been keeping from my dad. My mother had worked at the diner for several years and so he knew about the time that Mr. Weever, the owner, gave out paychecks. Of course he only wanted my money when he used up all of his own and needed a drink, which was often. The repair shop got little to no business and when it did the pay he made wouldn't last past the night that he got it. My problem now was that I still had to find a place to stay, and save for gas, since I had no idea where I was and therefore no idea how long I would stay.So that meant meals had to be few and far between, which wouldn't be a problem because that's pretty much what they were at home, unless I ate with Charlie's family of course which happened a lot actually. His mom was a phenomenal cook and Charlie would always insist that I have dinner with them. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't stop thinking about him, and my mind began to drift back to our first date. It had been about a week after that first time I'd met him and his father in the diner. Coming to the diner became an everyday thing for him, sometimes he would come with his father but mostly he came alone. You would think that I would get used to seeing him but everyday he would come in and make small talk about school, or the weather. You would think that I would get used to seeing him but everyday he would come in and make small talk about school, or the weather and the slightest things he would say would get me. One day he told me that my apron looked nice, to get a reaction I'm sure, and he got one because my face was as red as a tomato. We started hanging out at school, walking to class together, eating lunch together. Before I knew it I had become comfortable around him and we had become friends.

It was a Thursday, he had come into the diner as usual looking great, as usual, and ordered a burger. The diner was dead that day because it was pouring out, so I had some extra time to just chit chat with him while he ate. Things were different though we weren't having the casual conversation that we usually did. Instead he was asking me about home and what my dad was like. Until now we had only ever talked about his family and what growing up had been like for him. Nervously I excused myself to get his check which I made sure took longer to get than was actually necessary. When I returned he asked me to sit. I was confused and actually really afraid I didn't want to talk about my father and he wasn't going to get it out of me. I sat and tried to change the subject. "So Charlie....." "Wait" he interrupted. "Savannah I need to ask you something." Oh here we go I thought, I mean why did he care so much about my family? "Savannah Riley" he started. Well that got my attention, why use my full name? He had a northern accent but he was definitely a southern gentlemen. "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?" I was stunned, had he really just asked me out. I thought we were just friends, I mean Maggie Beth had been eyeing him like a hungry lioness eyes her prey since the moment him and his family got to town. She might be THE worst person alive but she was still more of his type than me, for instance she wasn't poor. She had pranced around this place for him for weeks, I was shocked she even knew where the place was. He had ignored her and of course this had pleased me quite a bit. Maggie Beth and I had gone to school together all of our lives and always had classes together. At our high school graduation a couple of months ago, our names forced us to sit next to each other. Maggie sat among our small class beaming in a brand new white dress. Her parents had taken her to the city the day before to buy it. The dress was beautiful and Maggie had no problem telling us that her father had paid $300 for it. The other people in our class looked good they didn't all have $300 dresses but they looked better than I did. I didn't own one white piece of clothing and since it was mandatory that we wear white I had to go shopping. I had gotten my dress the day before at the local shop. Mrs. Mandy the owner had agreed to give it to me for $4 as long as I brought her some chili from the diner every Friday. The dress wasn't extravagant but it did the job. Charlie looked amazing as usual, no matter how casually he dressed he always looked better than the other guys.

"Savannah" his voice had snapped me out of my reverie. He sat across from me, his deep brown eyes locked on mine and a wide smile across his face. "Like on a date?" I sputtered. His smile dropped and his eyes looked worried now. Oh no, he was going to change his mind I thought. "Well yes" he started. "But if you don't want to or don't see me in that way than..." Was he kidding of course I wanted to! "Well what time should I expect you at my house?" I asked gaining a small bit of confidence after seeing how nervous I had made him. His face lit up again, and this time so did mine. "How about six?" he laughed. "Sounds good" I said. He stood and threw $26 on the table. "Charlie no", I started, his bill had only been $8 and though his dad usually left a good tip I couldn't take this. "I'll see you at six was all he said oh and dress up", and then he was gone. After he'd walked out of sight I stared at the money on the table and decided that I wouldn't let him pay for my dinner. Now the hard thing would be finding something to wear, dress up? I had nothing to dress up in and no matter what I wore I would look like I didn't belong with him.

When he picked me up I was pleasantly surprised to see that he drove a Ford pick up. I had never seen him drive before, this town is so small that pretty much everyone walks where they need to go. I remembered seeing his dad's Lexus and thinking how silly I would look if Charlie had a car like that and people saw me getting out of it. Thankfully my dad hadn't gotten home yet when Charlie got there. He strolled up to the door wearing khaki dress pants and a button down. I wore the nicest thing I owned, a black dress that Mrs. Anderson had surprised me with after lunch in the city one Sunday. My hair is naturally curly so I had just let it air dry after my shower, and then brushed it a bit. He walked up to the door as I peaked out at him from behind the curtain, all I could do was drink in the sight of him. His white shirt had the sleeves rolled up and the first three buttons at the top were undone. He looked great and I was self conscious all of a sudden. "Wow, you look beautiful" he said after I opened the door. He opened the car door for me and I let out a small laugh when I caught him starring at me. We ate at some fancy place in the city, the food was delicious and I had a lot of fun talking and laughing with him. When the check came I refused to let him pay for my meal but he slipped the waiter a card and told me that it wouldn't count as a date if I had paid for myself, so eventually I let it go. The car ride home however was weird, neither of us said a word. The conversation at the restaurant had been light for the most part until he asked about my father again but I had done a good job deflecting it. When we pulled up to my house he pulled up to the curb and shut off the car. "You didn't have a good time." he said looking over at me. "No I did." I replied shaking my head. "But?" he prompted. I was hesitant to answer. "Well, it's just that I feel bad, I mean going on this date with you, letting you pay the $100 bill and tip the waiter after you left so much money at the diner this afternoon. I'm not used to this, it just all seems absurd really." "Oh" he said looking shocked. No, that's not the way I had wanted that to come out, I was sure he thought I was ungrateful. "I'm sorry I really did enjoy myself." I said my eyes on my interlaced fingers in my lap. To my surprise he covered my hands with his own. "Well we will just eat in next time" he said. My eyes shot up. "Next time?" I said. How could he possibly want to go out with me again after I sat here and complained about a perfectly wonderful dinner. I could see that worry in his eyes again as he moved his hand back to his own lap. He opened his mouth to speak but I spoke first. "Next time" I said with an assuring voice. We just sat there for a minute smiling at each other, I could look at that boy smile all night, but he opened his door and came around to open mine. I wasn't ready to leave as he walked me to the porch. I could hear my dad stirring upstairs when I opened the door so I gave Charlie a quick smile, thanked him for the wonderful evening, and said goodnight.

The next few weeks weeks had been perfect and the next months even better. The first time I met his mom had been a week into our relationship, they had invited me over for dinner. His mom was kind and warm, she reminded me a lot of my own mother. A car door slammed forcing me again from my memories. I hadn't realized that I was crying again until a tear fell on my hand. I wiped my face and went into the gas station that I had pulled into. I had noticed a sign on the marquee advertising a burger, chips and a drink for $5 so I decided this would be a good place to stop. I went in purchased my meal, and asked the cashier for directions to the nearest motel. He said that it was about forty minutes down the road so I took my time with my burger and then filled my tank. This was my first stop and I had already spent $35, I decided I would have to ration more carefully. When I got to the motel the clerk told me that it would be $56 a night, I hadn't slept in two days and now I was full with the burger so I decided this would have to do because I didn't know how much further I could drive without falling asleep. I paid for the night and then ventured to find my room. It didn't take long to find room number 38 and as soon as I entered I dropped my bag and fell into bed and before I knew it I was dreaming of Charlie's brown eyes. I woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a freight train, I felt heavy and disoriented like I had slept too long. I sat up slowly and looked over to the clock in the nightstand, it was 3:00 in the afternoon, the next day! Not only had I slept all of yesterday but also half of today! I hopped off of the bed, I hadn't planned on staying here for a full day and definitely not two. I tried to move quickly but I stood up to fast and was a little dizzy and had to sit back down. When I finally got my self together I hurried down to the front desk. When I got there the clerk tried to make me pay for two nights. "But the day isn't quite over and I swear I will leave right now if you just......" There was a lady at the counter being waited in by another clerk not even pretending not to listen to our argument. I was just about to cave when she stepped over and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Julie Ann Porter" she said extending her hand. "Savannah" I said shaking her hand. "Hey Daniel just let her go, I'll cover it, she looks like shes had it rough." Did I? I mean I imagine so, I hadn't stopped to check the mirror in my haste to leave the room. "My husband and I own the place" she said turning to me. "Thank you" I said grateful but unsure as to why she had done it. I was just about to walk away when she started to say something else. "Savannah, why don't you come with me, I can put you up at my house for free as long as you need." I looked at her confused, I couldn't believe she'd just said that, I mean it was nice but she was a complete stranger to me, and I to her. "No, I'm sorry I can't accept your offer." said shaking my head half afraid that she was some pshyco trying to lure me into a trap. She must have sensed my suspicion because she tried harder. "Look you must have driven here right?" I nodded. "Well I live in a suburb essentially follow me to my house and if you feel unsafe drive away." I couldn't be sure but she seemed to be telling the truth, I took a couple of minutes to think about it. I really needed what she was offering but what if she was some crazy person trying to murder me. I decided that I would follow her and if anything seemed sketchy I would hightail it out of there but just in case I had a plan of my own. "Ok I said walking back over to the counter, but first I need to call my dad he's a cop, we had a fight and I'm not ready to go back there but I should let him know that I'm ok, I kind of snuck out on him. After a day he can come and get me." I didn't plan on staying at her place very long either, even if it were safe. I went to my car and pulled out the small Nokia phone from my glove compartment. Charlie had given it to me for my Eighteenth birthday, he had been annoyed that I didn't have a cell phone and I had been annoyed that he had spent money on something that I would probably never use. At the time I pretended to love it, I smiled but I think he saw past my front, he usually did. However in this moment I was absolutely elated that I had it. I put it to my ear as Julie walked out the door of the motel. I mouthed some gibberish and occasionally threw in dad. She stopped and watched for a moment and then seemed convinced and proceeded to walk over to her car. When she was out of sight I breathed a sigh of relief and reached to put the phone back in the glove compartment but noticed that it was lit up. I had twelve missed calls, all of them from Charlie. My heart raced and my stomach dropped in my silent panic. He was already looking for me? It was harder now to resist driving right back into his arms. I threw the phone on to the seat desperate to forget about him. That's what it would take, would have to forget about him to ever be able to move on. I knew what I was giving up when I left and now I had to face the realization of it. Julie drove around the corner then and stopped behind my car. She rolled down her window and yelled out to me. "Ok just follow me." I was still concerned about the danger I might have been putting myself into, but I was no longer hesitant. I needed a distraction desperately, and the further from home I got the less chance there was that I would go back.


WELL THERE IS CHAPTER TWO, HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!! WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SAVANNAH'S PREDICAMENT? YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW INTERESTING THIS REALLY WILL BE FOR HER. LEAVE ME YOUR COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS PLEASE, I REALLY APPRECIATE THEM! THANKS FOR READING!

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 17.10.2011

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