Love, Scars, & Shooting Stars

Chapter Fifty

Finn furiously pumped the pedals of his new bike, eager to put as much distance between himself and his mother as possible. He understood that she was nervous about his going away without her, and he appreciated that she'd taken the day off to help him pack, but enough already! How many times was she going to ask him if he'd packed enough underwear, for cripes' sake? His dad wasn't picking him up for another four hours or so, and Finn realized that he couldn't hide from his mother all that time, but a break from her was definitely in order.

Old Orchard Beach—now there was an adventure! Finn was eager to hit the road, and while he was a bit disappointed that they couldn't leave earlier in the day, he understood that his dad's job interview was just as important. As each new job opportunity came and went without success, Finn watched his father's agitation escalate, to the point that he was sometimes irritable and impatient with his son. When they went out, Finn had taken to drinking water and ordering the cheapest thing on the menu, in an effort to be less of a burden on his dad's increasingly strained resources. Of course, limited means hadn't stopped his father from ordering rum with his Coke on their most recent dinner out, but he'd been turned down for yet another job that same day, so Finn had just chalked it up to stress and let it slide. Today would be different, Finn could feel it. Today, his father would get the job, and he'd be in a great mood, and the two of them would have a phenomenal weekend together at Old Orchard Beach!

Gliding into the gravel parking area in front of the library, Finn brought his bike to a stop and parked it in the metal rack next to one with a distinctive yellow frame. Looping the strap of his helmet over his handlebar, he combed his fingers through his hair and checked his reflection in the window before pulling open the heavy wooden door and stepping inside. As his eyes adjusted to the softer indoor lighting, Finn scanned the room until he spotted a familiar curtain of shiny black hair, its owner standing back-to before a display of graphic novels. With one more attempt at taming his unruly fringe of hair, Finn started across the room. If anything could make the time fly by and distract him from his mother's annoying obsession with clean underwear, this was it.