Saved: A New Beginning//Sequel to Saved

Goodbye for Now: Part One

The week seemed to fly by and, before I knew it, Billie was packing to leave. It's about 8 in the morning and he seems to be shuffling around his and Adie's bedroom, grabbing various clothes, toiletries, and Converse. As I stand in the doorway, he pauses and stares at me like he's thinking deeply about what to say. I turn away and walk downstairs into the kitchen where Adie's making a cup of coffee for herself. "Can I have one?" I ask her, motioning towards her mug. She looks down at the liquid and back at me with a cocked brow, "Are you sure? Jake and Joey don't even drink it." I nod my head and she shrugs, giving me permission to make my own. As she sits down and opens up a book, I reach into the cupboard and make myself a mug of coffee, being sure to add cream and sugar like I've seen Adie do countless times. Joey sits on the couch, reading something on his phone. Since nothing eventful is happening, I decide to go back to my room to enjoy the hot drink under the comfort of my blankets. I turn on the TV and search around for shows to watch, but lately, I've only been watching the news since that's what Billie always seems to watch.

I eventually hear footsteps from Jakob's bedroom since our rooms are right next to each other. As he walks by my open door to go to the bathroom, he appears to be unfazed that Billie will be leaving tonight. I take a sip of my coffee and continue to watch the news without actually paying attention. Billie lightly knocks on my door, even though it's open, and stares at my coffee while tilting his head ever so slightly, "Since when do you drink coffee?" "Well, I've seen Adie and you drink it before and it doesn't taste terrible, so..." I trail off, before turning down the volume of the TV. "And you're watching the news?" he inquires suspiciously, furrowing his brows together. "You always watch it...don't be all hypocritical," I quip. He sits at the foot of my bed, forcing me to move my legs and sit up, nearly spilling my coffee on my bed in the process. "Are you upset at all? Because I know this is all new to you and—" he starts. "I'm doing fine...it's not like I'll never see you again," I shrug. He nods his head, seeming to be shocked by my reaction, and decides to head downstairs with everyone else.
*
I finish my coffee and turn off the TV with a quiet sigh. My phone buzzes with a text from Andy, and for some reason, I don't want to answer him at all. He didn't do anything, so why am I feeling annoyed with him? I ignore it and go downstairs to put my mug in the dishwasher. As I approach the kitchen, I hear muffled conversation in the living room but I can't make out what they're saying. Billie walks into the room as I close the dishwasher door. "So, Jake and Joey wanna go out for breakfast before I have to leave...do you want to come with?" he asks, leaning his forearms on the countertop. "Okay," I force a fake smile. He smiles back, seemingly unaware of my false joy, and goes back into the living room.
*
"Can I back it out of the driveway?" Jake asks Billie in a hopeful manner. He is fifteen after all, and eventually, he'll learn how to drive for his permit. Billie looks at Adie and smiles, "If you promise to drive safe, yes." Jake excitedly switches seats with Billie and begins to back out of the driveway...not even reaching 3 miles per hour. Wow. This is a long driveway. Once Jake successfully backs out, him and Billie change seats again, and we begin our drive to the diner. I stare out the window at Oakland's quaint community and get lost in deep thought.

Why aren't I feeling anything? I guess I feel happy but it's like it's muffled under the other emotions. I don't know how I'm feeling. I should feel sad that Billie's leaving, but...I just don't. It doesn't really matter if he leaves or not because no matter what, people will always leave. But he's going to come back. He has to because he has all of his family here and he wouldn't just leave them. Would he? He couldn't. He wouldn't. He wouldn't unless something better came up. What if something does come up? Then what? Would he just leave? He couldn't. I mean, he has some morals, right? He has to...or...maybe he doesn't.

"Whose turn is it to pick music?" Billie asks us, turning the dial of the radio in the car. Jake smiles at me, "If you want, you can pick." "I don't really want to," I respond, trying to sound polite, but I don't think it came out that way since Jake's smile dissipates. "I'll choose," Joey volunteers. I zone out, not even paying attention to everyone else. I want to be involved but it's like I don't know how. In the last few days alone, I've felt more distant to them than ever before. I feel more distant than the night Billie picked me up from the police station when we first met. I could be at the other side of the planet, but that wouldn't even sum up the distance I feel with this family.