3 ~Rash Decisions~

The table was quieter than usual. None of us were close, but it seemed like I was the only one who wasn't good at pretending. Usually, I was the only one who wasn't talking and laughing. Somehow this silence was even more isolating. Jeffrey sat at the head of the table like the dictator he was. My mom sat quietly next to him, listening as my sister Sophie rambled on about school. She'd never been good at reading the room.

"So, Sin" Jeff's penetrating voice ruptured the semi-silence. His fist rested on the table as he leaned in. He reminded me of a cartoon detective and I was to be interrogated. "Care to tell me what the call was about?"

"I'm assuming you mean the one from school?" I raised my brow and gave him a little smirk. "Yeah, I don't know, maybe they wanted to give you an award for your parenting skills." I could see his jaw clench as a vein popped out on his forehead. I felt a twinge of satisfaction every time I struck a nerve with him.

He scoffed and flashed an angry smile. "You think you're real funny huh kid? Well, how's this? You can forget about seeing your dad next week!"

"That's not fair!" I slammed my fists on the table so hard the plates rattled. "You can't do that, He's my dad and its Thanksgiving!" I'd been counting down the days until fall break. Visiting my dad was the only break I got from this place. I'd been waiting for this, and now he wanted to just rip this away from me. Part of me was sure he'd been waiting for a chance like this, a way to punish me for all the trouble I'd given him.

"Oh Yeah? Well, guess what I don't care."

"Jeff, Honey maybe we should talk about this?" my mom cut in trying to soothe the conversation.

"No Melissa, We're not wasting gas money to drive this little shit anywhere. With his behavior lately, he's lucky I haven't put him in the hospital yet!"

"W-what does that mean?" He'd never threatened me like that before. He hit me often, but nothing I'd need medical attention for.

"What do you think kid?!"

"Mom?!" I looked at her with as much desperation as I could show. I don't know why I expected anything from her.

"I-" One look from Jeffrey and any support I might have had vanished. She nodded silently and looked down at her plate.

"Discussion over. Now shut up and eat,"

"Go to hell!"

My feet thundered down the hallway to my room. I slammed my bedroom door shut so hard I thought I heard the wood crack.

"FUCK!" I screamed as my bubbling emotions erupted and flowed out of me. I picked up every throwable object I could find and hurled it across my room. An old 'Magic 8 ball' I'd gotten one Christmas; I threw it against the wall so many times it left a noticeable dent over my bed. My room looked like a disaster dome by the time I'd cooled down enough to stop. I couldn't do this anymore. I'd held onto a bit of hope that my mom would finally dump that dickwad and we could get on with our lives. But tonight, It finally sank in; I was all alone. I had no one here. Sure there was Hannah, but she couldn't help me. My dad was far from perfect, but anything beats this. Anything. Jeffrey couldn't stop me if he didn't know I was leaving. My mind was made up.

I spent the rest of the evening in my room, running my fingers through Shelbey's shaggy fur. I felt a tear push its way out of my eye and down my cheek. I pulled her close and buried my face in her neck.

"I'm gonna miss you girl, I wish I could take you. Keep Sophie safe ok?" I know she didn't understand, but the wagging of her tail and her pink tongue on my cheek made me feel like somehow she had.

I waited until I was sure everyone was asleep before I snuck out of the house with a backpack slung over my shoulders. I tiptoed down the hall and out the front door. My bike leaned against the side of the house waiting for me to use it. I was about to ride off when I had a spark of inspiration. I picked up a sharp-looking rock from our driveway and ran it across the shiny blue paint of that godforsaken truck.

A little parting gift as I peddled off down the driveway headed towards freedom.

The fading sound of Jeff's car alarm was like listening to the bells of heaven. The quieter it got the better I felt. I pedaled my bike as fast as I could, cutting through a few yards until I reached the treeline. My neighborhood was separated from the main part of town by a small stretch of forested area. It's a popular walking spot and I'd been down the path countless times. Sure, all those times were during the day, but trees are trees.

Sometimes in movies, the main character stops and looks back at what they're leaving behind, pausing before crossing the threshold to their new life. I'm not a main character. The bike didn't slow down for a second between the pavement and the dirt road, and I never looked back.

It was dark, but the moon was full and bright, beautiful even if you like big, grey, sky rocks. It lit up the path enough I didn't even need my flashlight. I had one strapped to my bike for late-night cruises with Hannah, we weren't allowed to leave the neighborhood, but it was always fun.

The sound of small rocks and dirt grinding under rubber sent a surge of electricity through my body. I hadn't felt this free, this careless, in a long time. Every tree I passed was like a token of my freedom, a sign of acknowledgment that I would never go back.

My excitement was short-lived, however. Barely half a mile along the trail a loud crack came from my left. I halted immediately, momentarily paralyzed by the sudden loud noise that had left my ears ringing a little.

It almost sounded like lightning striking a tree, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky as far as I could tell. It hadn't rained for several hours and the sky had been clear all evening. My next logical thought was guns, Maybe the sound had come from a shotgun fired nearby. That thought was more unsettling than the lightning, I can not tell you how much I do not want to get shot by some drunk pleasure shooter.

As I sat there trying to think of some other logical explanation, I noticed a white beam of light from deeper in the trees. Rational thought told me it was a flashlight, but it didn't really look like one. I wasn't quite sure how to describe it. The light seemed warm and inviting, but I could feel a shiver crawl down my spine. The longer I looked, the brighter it got like it was coming to consume me- draw me in and devour me. Despite how unnerved I felt, it was impossible to peel myself away. It seemed to want to trap me in that maddening light. Every muscle in my body felt frozen to the spot, like a deer in headlights. That was... until I heard a scream.

It was a familiar scream, coming from somewhere behind me. It was a girl's scream, the kind you'd hear in the cafeteria or at a pool. The bonfire. As I didn't want to be surrounded by drunk high schoolers right now, I was starting to dread the idea of being alone out here. All of my excitement, my energy, my courage, gone.

The bonfire was everything I expected from an unofficial senior class bonfire with no adult supervision. It looked like 15 or more people, only a handful of whom I recognized.

"Hey, who are yo...Carter!? What are you doing lurking in the bushes like that!" I jumped hearing my name so suddenly. Hannah told me he'd be here. I shouldn't have been surprised.

"Oh, hey Jake, what are you doing here?" I mentally slapped myself.

"Well, I am a senior. What's with the backpack?"

"Oh…" I instinctivly looked down at the backpack. I forgot I was still carrying it. "I'm-I'm going to my dad's house, I was taking a shortcut to the bus station and heard you guys, thought I'd come to check it out." His eyebrow arched, I could tell he didn't believe me. Still, he didnt say anything.

"Well… Why don't you come have a drink with me, then I'll walk you back up to the trail." A drink. Alcohol. I couldn't remember the last time it sounded so enticing. I wanted nothing more than to drown this whole evening in beer.

All I did was nod and in what felt like the blink of an eye, I was siting by the fire with a plastic cup in my hand