Runaway

.01

The day started off unlike any other day. My mother was actually home and so was Father. And oddly enough, James was home from college. There was no break and it was Monday.

The prick was the one who woke me up. Normally I’d be pissed beyond words to be woken up, but I had fifteen minutes to get to school and three other siblings to take. The jackass smiled like it was pay day for him to see me fail…again. He simply grinned the whole time I rushed around to get ready and make sure everyone else was ready. Now that he was back, they’d never listen to me.

“Next time I’ll just stay at Mom’s!” Maddie yelled as she shoved past me and out the front door. James grinned, his blue eyes full of humor. I’d do anything right now to beat that grin from his annoying face.

“Jack, Nat, let’s go!” I yelled, following after her and pulling my boot on. Jack…swaggered out with his child-like grin and waited for Natalie to run around him. As if on cue, she bolted from the top step with her blonde hair flying behind her just to end up in the backseat by a grumbling Maddie.

“Better drive like a bat out of hell, Oliver. I’m not going to be late because of your lazy ass again,” Maddie snapped as soon as Jack was in the passenger seat. I rolled my eyes and threw my trusty baby in reverse and peeled out of our drive.

“Maddie just shut the fuck up. I’ll get you a Monster at lunch,” Jack said as we turned into the parking spot at school. We didn’t live far away but it was too cold to walk, and Jack and I had to get to work right after school.

We walked quickly up to the school and separated to get to our classes. Well, Jack and Natalie did because they had the right to choose an elective this hour. Maddie and I were stuck in English. We walked in right as the bell rang to join the chaos. Mr. Beans was laughing with Nick, super douche of the world.

“Nice of you to join us,” Mr. Beans chuckled as we walked by him to our seats. I nodded to him and sat by Farrah, a bean-pole of a girl that lacked personality but not the money to dye her hair that fake blonde.

“No, I didn’t see her this morning. She even missed practice,” Ivy whispered, her green eyes wide and staring straight at Farrah. Their gossip made me want to laugh. Don’t they ever realize that people get sick especially since it’s flu season?

“She never misses a practice,” Farrah said. Who could be so goddamned impor—?

Savannah.

It didn’t matter that she had missed last year due to an injury. Savannah was an absolute firecracker on the court and an all-around success. She wouldn’t ever think about going to college for it, but she had the offers.

But they weren’t wrong about her missing practice. Savannah was so messed up last year because she couldn’t do sports. Maybe that’s why she’d gone crazy enough to let me break her heart. God, I missed those eyes that weren’t really sure what color to be and that glorious smile that she wore everywhere she went.

She never let me see it anymore.

“The only way she’d ever miss practice is if she was bleeding from her eyes,” Jason joined in making stupid motions with his fingers from his eyes. I looked over at Mark who simply grinned and shook his head at Jason’s stupidity. But Greg, he was staring at me and just waiting for the hit to come.

“You’re a goddamned idiot,” I snapped and pulled my book out of my book bag as Mr. Beans walked in front of the class.

*

The whole day I waited for her to just suddenly appear in the hallways. That was such a Savannah thing to do, appear and wonder what the hell was going on. But she never showed up. Jack mentioned her absence at work as we were restocking shelves but nothing more.

I hated that not even he knew where she was. Jack and Savannah had become attached at the hip ever since we fell out a little over a year ago. They were best friends despite the rumors and his girlfriend, Lily, didn’t seem to have a problem with it. It pissed me off in the beginning, but soon I realized her true intentions. It wasn’t to hurt me but to find a friend, one that understood better than her own.

Jack didn’t say anything the rest of the evening but was constantly checking his phone like he was expecting her to text him. Maddie was talking non-stop about everything but the fact that Savannah was gone today. Natalie got a few words in while James sat on the couch, dumbfounded.

Normally people wouldn’t be so obsessed with the fact that someone is gone from school and practice but we’re a town of about two-thousand. Everyone knows everyone and everything is known about everyone. So when Savannah Acker doesn’t show up to basketball practice or school, there’s going to be talk.

“You’re quiet, Oliver,” Mother pointed out, effectively silencing Maddie and saving James from her constant chatter.

“Just a long day,” I said vaguely and went back to nibbling on my burrito.

Now there are two things wrong with what I had just done. No one vaguely answers my mother. She’s a woman who likes to know details—something that caused Savannah and her to get along so well. And no one nibbles on my mother’s food. The food she cooks is to die for and people made sure she knew that. I was one of the main proprietors but that was mainly because I hated to cook for anyone but myself.

“I think there’s more to it than that. C’mon boy, fess up,” Father said while looking at Mother.

He’s not even my real dad. I don’t really have to answer to him, do I?

“I meant it. It was just a long day,” I said before polishing off the burrito and disappearing to my room.

*^*

A/N: If you have any questions, feel free to message me or comment. I'm just wanting you all to see what's going on.

And thank you for reading. I don't think you have any idea how much this means to me. 

xoxo