Taken By The Bad Boy

39 Goodbye

              <Isaac's POV>

      "'Home'?!" Raleigh demands, looking at the  plane ticket I had bought for her when I was out. I even printed it out for her from my phone.

      "DENVER?!" She yells at me and I wince. Here, I thought she'd be happy about going back to Denver. It's no secret that that's where she's from before all of this mess that she managed to get dragged into.

"Yes. I was hoping that you'd be able to get your life back this way. Look, everyone knows that's where you're from and everyone knows who you are. So it's no secret that I knew."

"Isaac, how can I possibly go back there when all I'd see is that woman ruining everything?"

"It's home." I remind Raleigh, taking her hand but she moves away from me, shaking her head.

"No. Not anymore. They say home is where the heart is but my heart is gone so I guess that means I'm homeless." She says, tears forming in her eyes. She gives me back the ticket and starts packing up her stuff, not once looking at me.

     I just stand there shocked. I probably shouldn't of made her go back to the place where she had it all. Why would she? She can't even stay at their gang house anymore because of those exact memories. What was I thinking?! Maybe I thought that if she went back, she could face her demons all at once but I shouldn't be pushing her like that. It's not fair or right. I grab Raleigh's hand just as she's about to walk out of the hotel room and leave me.

      "Let go of me, Isaac." Raleigh orders. She's calm but I can tell she's trying to hold back the tears that had already started to form. But I shake my head. I can't let her go; no matter how hard I try.

      "I can't Raleigh. Look, I know that I shouldn't of gotten that ticket to Denver, but I thought it would help you but now I realize that it wouldn't. It wasn't fair or right of me to assume you were ready to head back and I shouldn't of. Especially since you have kept telling me that you're trying to start over and move on from that life. What I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry and that I'll find you somewhere else to go, I promise."

      Raleigh looks at me with her ocean blue eyes, tears starting to fall down her soft skin and I can't help but drown in those eyes. Her light brown hair remains up in a ponytail but there's a few strands that fall in her eyes. I move them out of her face with my free hand but leave my hand on her cheek.

     "When do you have to go back? Huh? Are you just going to stay here and keep trying to get me to leave or are you going to? What if I want to stay here?" Raleigh asks and I shake my head. Why would she stay here? It's still in Pennsylvania and it's not that far of a drive than from the gang house.

      "Do you want me to leave?"

      "That's not what I'm saying. I'm just confused. Are you going to stay here until I leave? You can't just stay here and then they'll come looking for you."

       "So now you are concerned for yourself?"

     "No. Not for me. For you. How do you think they will feel if they see you here with me? Will they kill you? Kill me? Maybe we'll go like Romeo and Juliet. Or maybe we'll go like Bonnie and Clyde. Either way, we can't be caught together and I've realized that. I was stupid to think that we could. It's for the best."

      "So where are you going to go if you're not going to go to Denver?" I ask her, taking my hand off of her soft cheek but still hold a grip on her wrist.

      "I'll go to Denver but then I'll catch a flight somewhere else."

      "Where?"

     "I don't know. I've always wanted to go to Phoenix, so maybe I'll go there and explore the desert."