I Have to Go

New York; 3.42 a.m.

   I didn't say something, I just walked throught the quiet sidewalk and the cold. I can hear the sound of our shoes hit the sidewalk. After a minute we walked, I can see a payphone about a meters from where we stood. "Did you have any coins?"
   Jase gave me some coins then I used the phone. I stood there for about a few minutes, waiting someone would answer the call but there's nothing. So I go back to Jase and he said, "It works?" but I ignored him. I just wanted to cry and I can barely speak. He looked so confused when he looked at me, I just walked over then I hugged him and he hugged me back and I've never felt more at home. He asked if I was okay and I said yes and he pulled me in tighter and I could feel his hands tracing on my back. There's no amount of words I can describe the amount of comfort I felt. I was broke and he could understand. It was like when you get home after a long day and just feel safe. He kept rubbing my back and making sure I was okay. He almost like he was trying to get me to stop shaking.
   "You know, this might be a little awkward," he said while he still rubbed my back. "but I'm sure you'll be fine."
   I released the hug, moved back and smiled. "I really hope so, but thank you."
   "Is there something I can help you again?"
   "What do you want to do? It's over. I can't get home on time."
   "No, I mean, at least I can help you soothe your feeling." he stopped talking. "Or I'd be glad to take you to my house because I know this is the tiring day for you, if you don't mind."
   I didn't answered any words from him. I just looked at some cars that passing by the street.
   "Or we could go to somewhere, going to bar, or make a mess again. What do you want?."
   I didn't answer. I take a sit in the bench on the side of sidewalk, he followed me and we starred blankly to the street.
   "Where do you want to go? I can show you the places you might like and buy you some drink. I can—"
   "This morning," I started to talked. "is my mom and dads divorce session and I should get to the court."
   He looked at me, shocked. "Why don't you tell me?"
   I ignored his question, "Can you just imagining that you being ignored for about 2 years past? They never check to see my grades, they don't even care with whom I lived. What a fool I'd be to start complaining now. And in the morning, I'm not there."
   "I'm sorry to hear that." he looked at me and there is a space between our conversation. He jumped out of the bench and stood right in front of me. "Come on, I promise you when we reach my house, I'll drive you home with my dad's car. I'll take you home until all of this is really completed. Come on, don't make me feel more guilty."
   I smiled and he helped me up, we walked again down the street.
   About fifteen minutes we walked, there's still no talk between us before I said, "I shouldn't have brought you into this kind of problem."
   He looked at me in silent a few second then he looked around, enjoyed the dawn breeze. "You know I thanked you, you make me enjoy the city at this time." he stopped talking. "I'm not that type you think about, I could stay at home playing video games or read a book or even spend the weekend at Cody's house. Went to school in a rush because I should get the bathroom earlier before my parents." he laughed. "Really I never realized that the world is so beautiful." he pointed to one of the houses where we can see a small family inside the house were doing their activities through the window. "Did you see that? I just realized that life is not always started when you wake up or after we're graduated from school. Life is always running. I think about what is their job when they're just ready with a breakfast and starting to live their life this early whereas normally I still asleep in the dream." he took a breath before he continued talking. "When I'm sleep, maybe there's someone who go to work, or in a car accident, getting married, fight, laugh, or maybe there's someone who just leave this world with a rocket." we stopped walking and we're standing face to face. He looked at me and said, "Thank you for introducing this all to me. I can't wait with what else will happen if I go with you to the city that I never visited before."
   A little smile was playing on my lips and then we chuckled before we walked down.
   "Now it's your turn to tell me your story." he said.
   I sighed, "Okay, I'm the girl who can't stand stay in the home with my parents. You know, it's full of ghost." I tighten my sweater because the wind blew harshly. "I used to run away from home and I'd love to spend my weekend in my friend's house or walking around the town." I licked my lips, "You just spend your whole day with a video game or reading some books? You are loser, you're really don't know the real world." I chuckled, "Still far, huh?"
   "Soon we get there. Why? Already getting cold? Now you are a loser." we laughed together.
   After we walked so far, we reached Jase's house. A two-storey house with a yard and a garage. It looked so cozy.
   "Welcome to my crib."
   We walked to the front door and he opened the door. "Mom, I'm home!" he get in and I stayed outside, he looked at me, "Hey, come on, we don't have time." so I get in.
   Jase was running to the room and I can see a woman wearing a nightgown walked down the stairs. "Where have you been? And who is this?."
   That lovely lady—which I guess is his mother—walked to me and smiled.
   Jase came out, he changed his jacket. "Yes, the sleepovers was exciting. This is my classmate and we have to go now because there is a museum tour that we couldn't miss as the final project of the school. So where's the car key, Mom?"
   "Your dad was going to a meeting outside the city, he just went and will return at night."
   Jase and I were looking into each others. Panic. We don't know what to do. We just looking at each other in silent when we heard a car horn outside the house. "Jase!"
   Jase were looked outside through the window before she smiled cheerfully and pulled me out. "I gotta go, Mom!" then I see Cody and Danny were on the car waiting us. We jumped into the car on the passenger seat.
   "Alright, let's ride!"