Saved: A New Beginning//Sequel to Saved

Regrets

The streets are busy with young kids leaving a baseball game at a high school nearby, which makes it easier to blend in. Some kids look at me in strange ways since I am in mostly black clothes and have my head down, but mainly, they don't notice me at all. I walk by a few stores but most are closed unless they are fast food places or diners. I begin to feel uneasy since I have no idea what my plan is, but I won't let that stop me from leaving. A lit up sign that says "Broken Guitars" catches my eye and I notice that it's still open. Why does that name sound so familiar? I walk inside and look around at all of the guitars. "Hello," the salesclerk says cheerfully. I give a soft smile and wave and look at all of the guitars, each one a different color than the last. I stop dead in my tracks when I read a plaque that says "Billie Joe Armstrong's guitar, Blue (replica) used in every concert and in the recording studio." I put my head down and start for the door, but the salesclerk stops me before I do by saying, "Hey, so are you new around here?" I walk over to the counter, considering that it would be rude to ignore him, and I nod my head. "Are you sure? You look so familiar! It feels like I've seen you somewhere!" he beams. "I just have one of those faces, y'know?" I articulate. "That's where I know you from! You're Armstrong's kid, right?!" he recalls, the smile never leaving his face.

~Earlier that morning~

I sat in the car with Adie after she insisted on going shopping since she needed new sunglasses anyways. She warned me before we left that she needed to make a couple stops along the way to the mall, but they wouldn't take too long. I didn't really pay attention to where we stopped and went, but I briefly remember shaking a few peoples' hands as we made quick stops. All of them were for Green Day for the most part; I'm assuming they were about the tour and the new album. Adie must've introduced me to this particular salesclerk and I had to have forgotten since I met so many people at each stop.

~Back to Present~

"Sort of...I've gotta go. It was nice to see you again. Um, also, I'm kinda sneaking out so please don't tell Adie or Billie where I am 'cause otherwise they'll ground me," I lie as I walk towards the door. "No worries! I didn't see a thing," he laughs before I swiftly exit and make my way down the street, again blending in with all of the high school students. I see a bus station ahead of me and figure that that's a good place to start my plan to run. As I walk in, a real sense of uneasiness takes over me. Many kids board a few of the last buses of the night and I see one that reads "Alameda" and I figure that that one's foreign-sounding enough that no one would really think to check there. I follow the line of people going on the bus and realize that everyone is paying before they can sit down. As I approach the driver, he looks at me with a cocked eyebrow, "It's a dollar to ride." I stand for a moment, looking around at people and then back to the driver. He sighs with a sympathetic smile and says, "It's fine...just go sit down."

I find a seat at the end of the bus near the middle exit door and watch the street lights go by. What if they did love me? No, no. I used to think Mom loved me, but look at what happened. It's all a lie. I'm not lovable and I'm troublesome for everyone. It'll be easier this way, especially for them.

Every time the bus comes to a stop to pick up more passengers and drop some people off, I get slightly on edge that it could be one of the Armstrongs, but it never is. This is what I wanted. I can't keep hoping that one of them will get on the bus to come search for me. I can do this by myself. I watch as the scenery becomes less familiar and begin to feel scared. The bus finally arrives in Alameda and I reluctantly get off of the bus after thanking the bus driver. A few people from the bus walk home, and I quickly realize that I have nowhere to go for the night. It's cold and dark. There's no moonlight either because it's overcast, and I can tell that it will probably rain soon. It's too late to try to go back home since the bus is gone, and I idiotically left my phone on the nightstand in my room. I sit on one of the bus benches and hear the humming from the lights above me.

*

Every once in awhile, a car drives by, which gets my hopes up, but I'm disappointed every time. This was a mistake. I should've stayed home. They had to have loved me. They told me so and meant it. Why would I ever think that they didn't? They're not like my mother or father! They're my only family and this is what I'm doing?! I stand up and look around at anything that looks familiar. I walk down the sidewalk that follows the street the bus drove and try to remember every turn that the bus made. As I walk, I see a group of people outside of a bar, all are smoking cigarettes and talking with each other. I don't know where I am, but I know for a fact that we drove by this bar. One of them may have a phone! Okay, who's number do I know? Joey's? No. Okay, okay, what about Adie's or Billie's? Think, think, think. No...f-ck! Jake's? Nope! For
f-ck's sake! Okay, okay, calm down...I think I remember one! But I don't know who's it is! Whatever, the least I can do is try! I anxiously walk up to the group of people and wait for one of them to hopefully notice me so I don't interrupt their conversation. They seem completely blind to my presence, so I'm forced to speak up. "Excuse me?" I say softly, but not loud enough for them to hear. I tap on one of their arms and they finally notice me. "Um, I was wondering if I could please borrow one of your cell phones? I...I tried to run away, but it was a mistake," I explain, guilt engulfing my mind. "How far away are you from home?" one of the men asks in a deep voice. "I'm from Oakland...I just wanna go back home," I say, hoping that the conversation will end and one of them will just hand me their phone. "Oakland? So you have money?" another man asks, tossing his cigarette on the ground and stomping on it. My heart begins to race and I feel more anxious than I ever have. "N-no. I have no money; I don't even have a phone with me. Um, I'm sure if my parents picked me up, they'd be willing to give you money, but–" I ramble nervously. "We're not interested in money; we're just trying to figure out why a privileged kid would want to run away," the only woman of the group says as she reaches into her pocket and pulls out her cellphone. She hands it to me and I quickly type in the number that I remember. Please be the right number. Please. "Hello?" a familiar, but unrecognizable, voice answers groggily. "I need help...it's Chelsea by the way," I say. "Chelsea?! What number are you calling from? This isn't your number! What happened? Why do you need help?" Mike responds frantically. "I'm gonna sound like a complete idiot because I am," I begin, starting to tear up, "I tried to run away, but I realized that I want to go home. I made a mistake and I'm scared." There's silence on the other line for a brief moment and I finally hear a soft sigh. "Okay, where are you exactly?" he asks calmly. I point the phone away from my mouth and ask the group. "I'm in Alameda at a place called 'Dave's Bar and Grill,'" I reply, hoping that he'll know where it is. "How the hell did you get to Alameda? Never mind. I'm on my way now...don't worry, okay? Just try to find a safe place to wait. I'll be there as soon as I possibly can. Thank god you're okay," he sighs with relief and hangs up. I hand back the phone and say thank you to the group. "You can wait here with us until someone picks you up...we don't want you waiting out here alone," the woman states with a smile.

Thank god I'll finally be home! But then I guess I'll have to face the consequences, which will suck, but I'm looking forward to be grounded if it means I'll be home again.
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A/N: heyyy beautiful people! I hope all is well! I'm really looking forward to u all reading the next chapter! I hope u enjoyed this one! Please leave a comment and vote if u liked it! Ilyasm XOXO
-Victoria