Home is Where You Are

Chapter 5

It's four in the morning and we're sitting in my driveway.

"Liam, I don't want to stay here."

"Alright, well, if you want, we can go to my parents house."

"I mean, it could take me like, a month to find somewhere to go."

"That's okay. Just, if I leave first, you go with me." He shrugs.

"It's so late, or early."

"They won't be mad." He says.

"Okay." I whisper.

I go inside and get both of our suitcases and everything that belongs to us.

I go back out and he helps me put all of it in the trunk, and then he drives us to his parents house.

By the time we get there, it's four thirty in the morning and we're both exhausted.

I haven't slept in over twenty four hours since we were on the plane for that long.

He parks me behind him and carries our bags.

His house is small and across the street from his old Elementary School.

He unlocks the front door.

It hits the wall loudly when he opens it from the suitcases hitting it.

He sets them down and flicks on the light.

I hear hurried footsteps, and both Mrs. Ashton and Mr. Ashton come rushing into the living room.

"Can we stay here until we find a place?"

"Of course! It's so late, honey, but why did you say we?" Mrs. Ashton asks.

I'm behind him.

I move into sight.

Both of their eyes widen.

And, to my surprise, Mrs. Ashton starts crying.

"Oh my god!" she hugs me tightly. "Look at you! Are you two back together?"

"Yeah." I sigh.

Mr. Ashton hugs me.

I'm still in Liam's shirt and a pair of sweats, and he's in his sweats.

"It's late and you guys are in your pajamas. What happened?" Mr. Ashton asks after he and Liam move our suitcases to Liam's room.

"My sister." I sigh.

I want to be a grown up and now cry about it, but I feel my eyes welling with tears.

I look down.

Liam sighs slowly and wraps me in a tight hug.

"It's okay, I won't ask."

"No, it's okay." I say.

Liam sighs.

"Her sister left to have sex with her boyfriend even though her intention was to take hr home. We were looking for her until one in the morning, and then we found her sleeping with him. Abby turned around for them to put some clothes on and her sister got in the car and took off, so we chased them. Her parents and the guys parents and Abby all had to box her in, and Abby was in the front, which was nerve-wracking enough because she was pushing one forty easily, while flying down the Courtney Campbell, and we got them stopped and in a parking lot at the beach, and her sister got mad and said that Abby was useless and ugly and that she hates her and she was going on and on about how she fucked Logan, which I don't know if you remember, but Logan was the guy that-"