I can’t take any more of this now. I think spending some time away from them may help patch things up between us. It’ll also give me time to hopefully get a restraining order for Blake and maybe even find proof he hurt Seth.
Pressing my lips together, I grab a duffel bag and start throwing clothes inside. Guilt swamps me. I should have told Seth what Blake’s deal was from the beginning. Not telling him allowed this to happen.
Blake is a dangerous asshole. I should never have doubted it.
I grab shoes, socks, underwear, jeans, skirts, sweaters and books. I turn in a circle. What is important from my life here? What should I bring along? They are all ties anchoring me here, and what I need is to move away.
I pack my tablet, and I zip my bag up. Ready. I lift it over my shoulder and open the door.
“Evie?”
I freeze. Dad is standing outside, his cell phone in one hand. His gaze shifts to my bag, and he scowls.
“So, that’s it?” he asks, sounding in equal measures angry and defeated. “You’re leaving?”
“Yeah, Dad. I’m leaving.”
I expect him to start yelling, or to insult me, tell me I’m an idiot, or a slut. But he doesn’t. His body seems to deflate, sagging forward.
“You take care of yourself,” he says gruffly and before I can react—like, what the hell just happened?—he pulls me in for a quick hug.
“Dad?” I’m in shock. This must be it. “You okay?”
He releases me. “Your mom and I love you, you know that, right? Joel told us lots of worrying things, Blake, too, so we may have overreacted a little.”
“A little?” I can’t help myself. “You made me feel like crap for wanting to follow my own path, Dad. You made me feel like a loser.”
He shakes his head, paling. “You’re not a loser, Evie. You’re like your mother: quiet but strong. Whatever you put your mind into, you can do.”
Who are you, and what have you done with my dad?
I think of our arguments. I think of Blake. I think of Micah, and how I miss him already, even though it’s only been an hour since we parted.
I clear my throat, not knowing what to say. “Thanks. I’ll, um. I’ll be seeing you. I’ll visit. Tell Mom, too, please?”
I leave quickly, not waiting for his reply. Adrenaline makes my limbs shake. I cross the living room quietly, not to wake up mom. I look at her for a long moment, her face relaxed in sleep.
“Love you, Mom,” I whisper. “I think this is for the best.”
One last look, and I let myself out into the cold, clear night.
I unlock Joel’s apartment with the extra key he gave me and drag my bag inside. It’s dark and quiet. Nobody’s home. Joel has practice until late on Fridays, and the elusive Jethro is just never there.
I don’t know where to put my stuff, so I just place the bag in a corner and go take a shower and change into clean clothes. Feeling more human, I grab my tablet from my bag and connect to the Wi-Fi to check my emails and Facebook. I find a friend request from Cassie, which I accept, then find the site of the runaway board and re-read the page about the training. I jot down the numbers, so I can call them—which reminds me I was supposed to call Kayla about the apartment.
I check the time. It’s not too late. Barely nine PM.
The girl who answers, identifying herself as Kayla, is friendly and nice. She says my room would be small but that the apartment is refurbished and has lots of light. The most important thing: my share of the rent is quite low and affordable with my salary.
Excited, I ask when we could meet, and she says tomorrow is fine. Yeah! We agree on early afternoon, and as soon as I disconnect, I jump to my feet and do a
little victory dance.
Finally, finally I’m changing my life around. Away from my parents, away from Joel, I can make decisions about the future on my own, do the things that are important to me.
Be with the people that matter to me.
Micah. I realize he’s the one person I want to share my news with first, so I calm enough to call his new cell, let him know about this new development.