Chance Encounters

thirty

[hey, guys! i'm almost done writing this story. this chapter pretty much serves as the penultimate chapter (second to the last) of this story. i say "pretty much" because there are actually 2 more chapters left after this, but the last one will be really short so it's more of an epilogue of some sort.

i m p o r t a n t:

reading through the comments on the last chapter compelled me to point out that

1.) nope, the kid on the picture (the one who proposed to reed) wasn't austin. after all, he grew up in michigan, so there's no way he and reed could have met before. if there's anything you guys should pretty much know about me, it's that i actually shy away from elaborate backstories.

2.) every person is different. some of you have implied that reed acting out on her father was bordering on unrealistic, pointing out that while it's normal to harbor a negative feelings for a parent who left, it's not normal for reed to act and speak like that to her father, or for her to "hate him that much." first off, read between the lines. 

this story is written in first person, which means the narrator is bound to say things that may not be true because she is blind to some things in her life. when she says she wants her father to disappear, it doesn't mean she really wants that. she only says she does. as for this story, reed, by nature, is a stubborn character, and she's often in denial about her feelings because she hates letting other people see her emotions, so she may be saying these things, completely unaware that it might only be her trying to convince herself.

more importantly, i would beg to disagree on the assumption that someone can't just suddenly act like reed did with her father. all my stories tend to have characters whose family situation is problematic, but reed's is probably the one closest to my own. my dad left around the same time for the same reason in the same manner. the argument she had with him (over the phone) largely resembles the one i had with my father 2 years ago before i completely cut off all contact with him.

you can't call reed's reactions "unrealistic" simply because you wouldn't have reacted that way. i apologize if her actions had made you uncomfortable in any way, but there are a lot of factors that could affect the way a person acts, and i'd like to think that reed's actions were well within the framework of her character.

sorry for that block of text, but in any case, thank you so, so much following reed's story until this chapter. i can't possibly tell you how much your support has constantly given me the push i needed to even get this far. love you guys!

sam xo]

Chapter 30

The car slowed to a stop in front of the all-too-familiar driveway.

I looked through the windshield at the house standing before me, debating on whether or not I should go through with this. I could easily back out. Drive away and pretend that I never even bothered.

But I had to do this.

Taking a deep breath, I let go of the steering wheel and straightened in my seat. If I wanted answers, then there was no turning back.

I turned the engine off and got out of the car, taking as much time as possible so that I could collect my thoughts, which suddenly seemed to go haywire the moment Tyler's house came to view. The fact that I went here willingly was surprising, even to me, but the conversation I had with my dad last night only seemed to bring about more questions than answers.

For the longest time, I'd always been cynical about love, but then a week ago, Tyler said something that made me question just how sturdy the walls I'd put up around myself were.