Becoming Flynn - Noah's Story

Seven - Endgame.

My grand gesture had turned into a grand old mess. After Elle had fled the scene, people pushed past me awkwardly avoiding my gaze. This was a moment in which I wished I had not just many friends but a 'bestie' the way my brother had Elle. Someone to have my back when shit hits the fan. The thought made me cringe as I remembered that I did not play any part in Elle's life anymore. So I left prom the same way I had entered it– sneaking alone through the backdoor.

I went straight home this time, ripped off that stupid tuxedo and threw it right in the trash. A shower cleared my head. There was only one thing I could and wanted to do – leave. I was not planning on taking more than a suitcase anyway, so I could just pack a back and get on my bike. A trip across the country should help reset my mind for college and my new life coming up. I just needed to say goodbye to my parents. Running the idea by them could prove tricky though.

My mom was waiting for me in my bedroom. Her sixth sense must have worked overtime. She tried to look busy by tidying my bed sheets but we both knew this was just an excuse to talk.

"You are home early, Noah. How did it go?"

The question came straight out of the playbook for sensitive moms. There was no need to mention Elle as she had helped me pick out the tuxedo last minute.

"Oh darling, I am so sorry!"

I had not said a word but my face must have given me away. Without dwelling on the gory details of my humiliation, I let her in on the basics:

"Not well."

I give her that she didnot ask any question. Otherwise, this could have been the first time since kindergarten for her to watch me burst into tears which might have been awkward for both of us since I am not the type for sentimental hugs. Luckily, she told me not to take it to heart since we were both still 'oh so very young' and focus on my future. That was my cue to tell her about my plan to leave early. She was quiet for a long moment but eventually sighed and said:

"Okay."

She nevertheless did not leave me off the hook without some conditions:

"But sleep on it for at least one night. I would really appreciate it if you did not leave without mending the situation with your brother. I can't stand to see that the two of you are at odds."

I suppose she had her ideas about what had caused us to fight like never before but again, I was gratefully she left out the semantics. Since the conversation had gone smoother than I anticipated, I readily agreed to her terms. She even offered to talk to dad for me which was more than I had hoped for. I thought about what I should say to Lee while packing mybags and when I heard him come home, I went straight to his bedroom before I could give the thought that it was actually his turn to apologize to me any more room. After all, mom had asked me to be the bigger person.

The talk with Lee was short and one-sided. I offered the monologue I had rehearsed well in my head while packing and got a silent nod in return. He can be so hardheaded. Drifting off to sleep, I realized though that my little speech would allow me to sleep a little better that night.

Mom made good on her promise to talk to dad, so when I told him about my plan, he had no objections, just wanted me to stay until after Lee's birthday. Maybe I should mention that birthday celebrations are a big deal in my family. I agreed because 'staying' did not necessarily mean joiningin on the party. I made my appearance at our family-only birthday lunch and excused myself afterwards to my room to pack my bags.

Truth be told, there was nothing more to do. My single bag was already waiting for me completely packed underneath my bed. All I had to do for the rest of the day and the night was play with my computer and listen to music before I could leave early the next morning. The music was necessary after Elle came over to drown out her voice. More people kept coming and it got noisier downstairs but I canceled it all out with myheadphones. Night fell and I did not switch on the lights in my room. Like a creep, I peeked out on the dance floor below from behind the curtains every now and then to catch a glance of Elle. No way was I going to miss out on her blowing out the candles on their cake one last time before leaving for good. I was happy to see that she did not seem to enjoy herself too much either. A few times I caught her just staring into space.

Then I heard someone thunder up the stairs towards my room and jumped back on my bed not to be caught stalking. Lee barged in my room and threw his mask at me, pulling off the rest of his costume. The little bit of light entering from the hallway was enough to make his excitement obvious. He was bursting with energy and talking at lightning speed.

"Get up. Elle wants to go looking for you, she will be in the car in a minute and expects me in the passenger seat."

My mind blanked and I just stared at him. He pushed the costume hard against my chest.

"Get it? Put on the costume and be me, for Christ's sake!"

My mind was racing, Ellewas going to try to find me – to do what? This got my hopes up. Mybody could not keep up with the pace of Lee's rambling and mythoughts but Lee literally dragged me into his costume and pushed metowards the door. He finished his stunt by saying:

"Look man, I am sorry, Ireally thought...", he trailed off, then a huge grin spread againacross his face:

"Good luck, batman!" He pushed me towards the stairs and my body finally snapped out of slow motion.

**** YOU KNOW HOW IT ENDS– THANK YOU FOR READING! ****