Leading You Home

Twenty-second

Sorry. Short chapter. Next one will be long though  :)

_____

Minutes later, the five of us are smashed into Dads expensive Camaro. With him driving, Mom in the passenger seat and me and my two sisters in the back, we drive to our final destination before leaving for the city that never sleeps.

It would be an understatement to say my heart is pounding as we take the short journey. This could be a complete waste of time, because as far as I know, Bradley doesn't want anything to do with me after I told him we couldn't be together. But leaving without saying goodbye would feel wrong. It would feel...like running away. And I'm done running away.

"I guess I won't be dating that boy from my social studies class, huh?" Molly utters from beside me, a light smile on her lips.

"Oh," I say guiltily. "I'm sorry, Molly."

She shrugs. "It's okay. He wasn't that cute anyway. Plus, how can I not be excited to have you back and be moving to New York freaking City?"

I chuckle and squeeze her small hand. "It's good to be back." Staring into her ocean blue eyes, I wonder, "Are you sure though? To be leaving all your friends?"

"Yeah," She says, her voice jumping an octave. "Of course. Plus, I know we don't have much of a choice."

But I can tell it's not alright. She's lived here all her life and now she has to leave her friends to go to a city she's never even visited. Looking into her face, I can see she's scared but willing to sacrifice whatever she can for her family. That's a trait I can recognize in our Mother.

The familiar drive to Bradley's takes minutes. As we swerve through the neighborhoods, I notice many front doors are open to let the warm summer air in and children play wildly in grassy front yards even though the sun is beginning to go down. None of this distracts my mind from going over what in the world I'm going to say to Bradley. It was me who said goodbye at the hospital. It was me who cut the ties. And here I go, risking mending them....

"Georgia? Georgia, which house?" My Dad calls from the driver's seat.

Looking up, I eye the two story white house at the end of the street. "That one. The one on the end."

Dad parks the Camaro where my lime green Beetle called home for two weeks. With a momentarily case of panic running through me, everyone in the car simply stares at the ordinary white house. Until Alice whacks me on the back of the head and insists we have a plane to catch.

I exit the Camaro. Different shades of purple and blues coat the sky in a mesmerizing painting. My heels click on the pavement as I walk around the car, over the sidewalk, up the driveway...

Bradley's front door is open like most of his neighbors. I make my way to it and faintly here familiar noises from the TV. Somehow it soothes me. Just a little.

Stepping over the threshold, I knock three times on the open door to announce my presents. And he's there, almost exactly how I pictured him. Sitting on the couch with his injured leg in a cast and propped up on the table in front of him. On the TV is the 1983 film adaptation of Stephan King's, Christine.

Bradley looks at me like I'm a ghost from Christmas past. From the look of his expression, he didn't plan on seeing me any time soon. And I can't say I blame him.

"Hi," I say, breaking the silence. Bradley shakes his head a little, like he's coming out of a trance, and quickly pauses the movie. When he begins to sit up, I shake my head. "You don't have to get up—"

"What are you doing here?" He asks, cutting me off.

"I know it's a surprise," I start, my fingers twirling around each other nervously. "Especially with what we—what I insisted at the hospital. But I felt I had to come by. Before..."

"Before what?" He demands when I pause. Before I can continue, Lou comes strolling out of the kitchen with a ham and cheese sandwich in his hand. He's looking down at a piece of paper in his hand.

"It doesn't look like you missed much, bro," he muffles, a piece of ham hanging out of the corner of his mouth. "Unless there's an epic after party, this graduation ceremony was a huge yawn."

When Lou looks up and sees me, he almost drops what I assume to be a program for the graduation ceremony. With a look of shock, he quickly looks at Bradley, who hasn't taken his eyes off me since I first walked over the threshold. Then, an expression of understanding melts over Lou's face and he slowly back tracks before disappearing into the kitchen again.

"Before what, Georgia?" Bradley repeats.

"Before I leave," I answer, my chest tighten with every word. "I came to say goodbye."

Bradley's quiet for a moment, and my heart begins to pound so hard in my tight chest I'm afraid I would be able to take it.

"Where are you going?" He finally asks.

"With my family to Manhattan. My Mom's been secretly saving money to finally leave Dave. My Dad was even helping her out, and he's here now to take us."

I move aside and point to my Dad's dark blue Camaro parked along the curb. Bradley looks at it, and raises his eyebrows.

"Nice car," he comments.

"He makes good money."

For the first time since I arrived, Bradley gives me a ghost of a smirk. That smirk I know so well.

"New York..." he says with a nod. "Wow. All the best stories seem to happen there. Plus, it's home to the famous Ladurée bakery you love so much."

"Yeah. I'm still pretty surprised myself," I reply absently. The fact that he remembers the name of my favorite bakery shocks me. Carrie could barely ever remember it.

"And I'm sure there's nothing I can say to make you stay."

I watch him, his blond hair messy and in need of a trim, his usual relaxed demeanor tense and strained, his chocolate brown eyes fixated on me with one last spark of hope. When I don't reply, he looks away, a bitter smirk on his lips.

"My family and I....we need this," I tell him.

"I know. You'll do anything for your family...and your friends." He said this with an intense look in his eyes, and it's pretty obvious what he's thinking about. My refusal to continue going behind Carrie's back.

"Bradley, you have to understand—"

"Georgia, I didn't mean it like that. I do understand. And I respect your decision," he says, his eyes softening. "I don't like it, but I respect it."

"Thanks." Behind me, my Dad honks the horn, reminding me I'm kind of on a time limit. I look back and Alice, looking quite impatient, gestures for me to hurry up. "That's my sister Alice."

"Seems like a nice girl," Bradley replies humorously.

"Look, I really have to go, but Bradley, I want you to know...." I start in a rush, my chest tightening and my heart continuing to try and break through. "I don't regret a thing."

"Me neither," he says without a flicker of doubt. My chest loosens a tiny bit. "Everything happens for a reason, right?"

"I think so," I say quietly, silently pleading that we are doing the right thing. That I haven't read in to this total wrong and all this sacrifice is unnecessary. But Bradley doesn't look so worried, just tired. I take him in one last time, before heading back over the threshold. "Goodbye, Bradley."

"Bye Georgia." His voice is so faint and soft, I almost miss it.