Her way ✧ (Richie White)

9.

All morning I had been distracted at school.

"Earth to Adrien!"

Cory waved her hand in my face gaining my attention. "Huh? Sorry, I zoned out," I said. "I can tell" she laughed a little "Is everything okay? You seem like you've got something on your mind" she handed half her sandwich to share.

"My parents don't want me to see Richie anymore," I said in between bites "Speaking of, have you seen him anywhere?" I peered around the cafeteria but there was no sign of him. "I saw him earlier in the hall with Carl but haven't seen him since" she answered.

I sighed and threw the crusts down into the wrapper. "Dammit. I really need to talk to him."

"You should check behind the school. A lot of the boys hide there to sell goodies," she advised. I nodded and rose from my seat. "Thanks, see you later," I smiled before leaving the cafeteria. I made my way to the back of the school, being careful not to be spotted by any teachers.

Sure enough when I reached there, I found Richie, Carl and Claude with a bunch of other boys. They were deep in conversation as I approached. "Richie," I tugged loosely on his arm "I need to talk to you," I said.

He briefly acknowledged me. "You're lookin' good today," he winked. Then he started chatting again with Claude. I tapped my foot impatiently when a boy whose name I didn't know came up to me. "You've smoked before, haven't you?" He asked. I was startled. "Only once at a party. Yeah, why?"

He dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag of white powder. "Coke. I can give you a real good deal on it," he grinned. I was mortified. "I'm honestly offended you assume I would even take that. That's not my kinda style," I scoffed. 

"So is that a no?"

"Duh!" I rolled my eyes.

"Fine fine, if you change your mind I'll be here" he walked off in search of new prey to sell to. How the hell a kid ended up with crack was beyond me and I became more impatient. 

"Richie," I snapped "I need to talk to you!"

He must've sensed the urgency in my voice because he stopped talking to his friends and pulled me aside so they couldn't hear. "What what?" He leaned against the wall coolly. "My parents and I got into an argument. I don't think I'll be allowed to hang out for a while," I whinged. Richie didn't bat an eyelid.

"Sounds like you need a break, huh? I know a motel we can stay at for a few days."

"Were you listening to me? That's going to get me in even more trouble."

"What they don't know won't harm them."

"Oh yeah sure. Their daughter going missing for a few days won't raise alarms," I crossed my arms. "So lie about it. Say uh," he thought for a moment "Say you're sleeping over at Cory's house. Maybe Abby's. Who are you closer to?"

I shrugged "Cory I guess but it still won't work. The school will call our parents when we don't show up."

"You leave that with me. It'll be a breeze" he said but I wasn't so sure. "Oh maybe we shouldn't Richie, it's a big risk" I bit my nails, a habit of mine. Richie slung his arm around me with a smirk. "You're my girl, and that's what we do together. Take risks. Do you trust me?"

I looked at him and broke into a smile. Yeah, I trusted him so I nodded.

"Good," he kissed my forehead "We leave tomorrow."

Meanwhile, we came up with a plan. I'd lie to my parents about the sleepover with Cory to get them off my back. Then, I'd pack a bag after dinner and hide it under my bed ready for the morning. The next day, I'd say goodbye as normal as if I was going to school then make my way towards the condo where Richie would meet me before we leave together. 

The bell rang and we parted. Feeling jittery on my way back to class, I hoped we'd be able to pull it off otherwise I'd end up on death row.

---

Mom served us dinner around six pm. "How was school?" She asked me. "It was okay, lots of learning, you know how it is," I replied. Dad was too buried in a newspaper to engage in conversation. I didn't care much anyway, I was still mad at him. "Hey Mom, would I be able allowed to sleep over at Cory's house for a few days?" I plucked up the courage to ask.

"Oh, I don't know about that. It's a school week," she frowned. "I know but she's my new best friend and I really could use this time to make new memories," I insisted. Mom side-eyed me conflicted. "Please? I'll even do extra chores when I'm back as a thank-you gesture," I offered. "What do you think Samuel?" She turned to Dad.

"Hm?" He hummed, not once looking up. "Adrien wants to sleep over at her friend Cory's house for a few days," Mom explained. "Is it a boy?" Dad finally glanced at me. "No no, she's a girl just like me. You've seen her before, y'know the pretty curly-haired one," I replied. Dad considered it carefully in tense silence.

"Only on the condition that her parents have our number in case you need anything" he huffed. I wanted to shout excitedly but I kept my composure. I honestly believed the only reason he said yes was that he felt guilty about the slap and this was his way to make it up to me. I didn't forgive him yet but it was a start.

After dinner, I made my way upstairs to my bedroom and packed a bag. I made sure to fold my best clothes neatly and bring any necessities. Whilst my parents were tidying downstairs, I sneaked into their room and borrowed some money from their piggy bank. Fifty dollars to be exact. It was okay because I'd pay them back if I ever got a job.

Once my bag was zipped up, I stuffed it under my bed out of sight before getting ready to sleep. I'd done my part of the plan and I wondered eagerly if Richie had done his too.