See You Soon

Chapter 6

  I ran until everything was numb-not only from the pain, but also from the cold rain beating down onto my skin like bullets. I was far away from town, no cars had passed me for a good ten minutes, and the dim streetlights out here did nothing to light up the road. I stopped to take a breather, sitting on the curb of the road.

  Now that I was this far out, I realized I didn’t have any money, a place to stay, food or dry clothes. I obviously hadn’t thought this through. I couldn’t stay out here in the open- who knew what hid in these woods. What had I done?

  There was a small shelter in the woods, created from the massive trees blocking everything from above. I walked over there, taking my phone out to see that my dad and Aaron have called and texted me about a million times. I sent a quick short message to both saying that I was alright, and not to worry.

  My brain scrambled through possible candidates to come pick me up, immediately eliminating Aaron, Brooklyn and my dad. Then it popped into my head. James. I didn’t know if we were good enough friends to ask of this, but I guess I would soon find out. It wasn’t like I knew anyone else; he was my last hope.

  I dialed his number and took a deep breath when it started ringing. He picked up on the second ring saying, “Skylar?” he must have caller ID.

“Um yeah,” I replied awkwardly.

“What’s up?”

  “Well, I have to ask you a favor. I’m sort of out here in the middle of nowhere, and I’m completely soaked and scared and,” he cut me off then, my foolish rambling probably confusing him.

  “Whoa, slow down. Did you just say you were in the middle of nowhere?” his casual demeanor slipping completely.

“Yes,” I said quietly

“Do you see any signs anywhere? Anything that can help me figure out where you are?”

  “I passed a sign a while ago saying that I was leaving Caddeton, I would guess I’m on the main highway.”

“Already on my way, be on the lookout for headlights.” He said before hanging up.

  I was already feeling a bit better, just knowing that someone was coming. I had to go back to being in the open so I could see any cars coming, the steady rain coming down on me again. My head was turned in the direction I came, waiting.

  About ten minutes later I could see faint lights coming my way, at first thinking I was hallucinating. They got closer and I realized it wasn’t just my imagination. I turned on my phone, using it as a flagging device and started waving my hands all around the place, accomplishing at looking like a lunatic.

  The car slowed and came to a stop right in front of me, the driver’s side door opening right away. James came running towards me with a look of concern clear on his face.

  “Sky, you look sick!” at first I thought he was making fun of me, but when he opened the door for me and wrapped me in a  blanket, I realized he meant sick as in unwell. He got in the car and blasted the heater, only then did I realize how I was shivering violently. 

  We drove in silence for a while, him continuing to throw me glances. He cleared his throat and spoke words I didn’t want to answer, “How come you were all the way out there? Without a car, or anything really. You could have gotten hypothermia, for god’s sake.” He huffed, getting everything out there.

  “I, I was having a bad day, I wanted to get away. So I ran.” He put his hand on top of mine, meaning to comfort me.

“Do you want me to take you home?” he asked gently, knowing I was fragile.