Run Away With Me

Chapter 20 (Jack)

The silence after Davey finishes is almost tangible. Nobody speaks. Nobody moves. The words of her letter echo in our minds. Finally, Jojo stands up and heads for the door. When he sees that no one followed him, he stops. 

"Come on guys, we gotta go get her!" There's a sense of urgency in his voice and something like fear in his eyes. 

"Yeah!" Race and Albert join him. I get up and walk over to them. 

"Ya, c'mon Jack, let's g-" 

"No, no. You guys don't understand. She chose to go. We can't bring her back. She chose to leave. She- she-" I can't keep it together anymore, and I run down the hallway. In true Disney princess fashion, I throw myself onto the bed. Katherine's bed. I pull the covers over me and take in her familiar scent. The tears come hot and fast, falling onto her pillow. She left us. She chose her father over us, her father!

I turn, and try to get some rest. But I can't, my brain won't shut off. It seems to be going through a slide show of my life with Kathy. The day we got stuck in Central Park, the days driving here. Our graduation day. Her birthday. Davey's graduation. The time I tries to get her to be my valentine. The day we met. On and on, the trip down memory lane turning to be a lot longer than I would've supposed. It all begs the question; why would she leave? Why weren't we enough? What does she see in her father? Maybe it's something I can't know. Growing up an orphan, I didn't really have a family bond. I had my boys. They were- they are- my family. I'd do anything for them, and I know they'd do the same for me. Maybe that's how Katherine feels. 

On and on my brain goes, trying to make sense of everything that's going on. Crutchie comes in at some point, and he sets something on the desk. I don't get a good look at it before he climbs into the bed next to me. He takes my hand in his and looks me in the eye. 

"Are you okay?" I begin to nod, but I end up shaking my head. A fresh sob escapes me and Crutchie pulls me in close. I lay my head in his lap and let him comfort me, running his fingers through my hair. My sobs shake my whole body, and all the while Crutchie tells me that it's gonna be okay. Eventually my sobs fade into spastic breaths. And, eventually, I fall into a fitful sleep. 

~~~

I woke to sunrise streaming in through the window. Groggily, I get up and head out to the kitchen. Somethings off, but I push away the feeling. Everyone looks up when I walk in, eyeing me warily. It catches me off guard, but I ignore it and grab a donut out of the box on the counter. 

"Mm. Donuts. What's the occasion?" I ask, taking a bite. 

"Um, I just thought we could use something special today. A little pick-me-up," Davey says. 

"Oookay. If you say so." I take another big bite of donut and sit down at the small table. Crutchie gives me a sympathetic look. Spot, who usually shovels his food in, sits barely picking at his breakfast. Even Race, Jojo and Albert, who can usually be counted on to be loud and obnoxious, sit in silence. I push back my chair and stand up. 

"Alright, what is going on? You all are acting weird. What is wrong with you people?" Everyone exchanges looks, like a silent conversation without me. Finally, Davey looks at me. 

"Jack, do you remember what happened yesterday?" I think about it. 

"Yeah. Let's see, yesterday was Friday, so I had my job interview, got the job, went out for lunch with Katherine, we g- what?" Everyone had started another eye conversation. Davey crosses the room to me and sets a hand on my shoulder. 

"Jack, yesterday was Saturday." I chuckle. 

"Davey, did they bust up your brains or something?" I shake his head playfully. 

"He's telling the truth Jack," Spot intervenes. I turn to him. All the boys' heads hang defeated. I shake my head. 

"No, you guys are just messing with me. Where's Katherine, she'll set this straight." A new layer of sadness seems to fall on the room. "What, where's Katherine?"

"She- she's in Kansas. Jack, think really hard. Remember? Yesterday, her father. He came and he- and he-" Race trails off. I sit down, and a dam seems to break in my mind. Now I remember. How could I forget? Everyone seems to sag into their seats. Davey seems to take our defeat in stride though. 

"Hey guys, lighten up. No one died." I look up and him. He seems to realize he's said the wrong thing, and I see him shrink. 

"Is that what you're aiming for?" 

"I don't know Jack. We can't just sit here and wallow in self pity. Is that what Katherine would want?" 

"No, Davey's right." Albert says, standing up. "We can't just sit here and be sad. We have to keep going. Right guys?" 

"Yeah," Race says, standing up. Reluctantly, Spot follows. Crutchie soon joins them, and their familiar smiles return. Davey stands up and walks to Jojo, who up until now has remained in his seat. 

"C'mon Jojo," Davey says softly, extending his hand. "For Kathy?" Jojo stands up. 

"It's Katherine." He pushes past Davey to his room. Davey turns to us, fear and confusion in his eyes. I shrug, and head to Katherine's room. 

I sit down on the edge of the bed and take notice of something on the bedside table. I remember Crutchie setting something down last night. Now I see that they're two envelopes. One says Crutchie, and one with my name. I remember Davey saying that Katherine had written us individual letters. I pick up mine and feel it. Fairly light. I guess she didn't have a lot of time, especially if she had to write eight. I fidget with the edge of the opening, but eventually set it back down on the desk. I'm not ready to open it yet.