youngblood | a.i.

seventy nine || en prise

Friday, November 13th- 7:02 p.m.

| En Prise |
able to be captured for free

 × Ashton ×

After watching her walk past over Jackson's shoulder, I thought I'd have time to catch her if I ran quick enough, but by the time I reached the parking lot with the good news, she was long gone.

I wanted to tell her. She was the only person who I wanted to tell, but I had no clue where she'd gone. I'd missed her once again.

I got into my car on a high of emotions knowing the information I held could save us in the long run. I pulled out onto the main road with her in mind, flooring it to her house in excitement.

I drove past the same places I had a week earlier. This time instead of reminiscing on all the memories I'd lost, I was hoping for new ones we'd get to build.

I pulled into her neighborhood as fast as I could, throwing my Jeep into park in front of her house. It was only then I remembered she'd left on her own, which meant she'd drove herself... And her car was still gone.

But where else would she have gone? I know I didn't beat her here. She was long gone before I even got to the parking lot.

I didn't know where she would have ended up, so I decided maybe I'd just drove too fast or she'd taken a detour. I'd try again later or maybe call her beforehand this time.

I drove home much more somber than I'd drove there. I wanted to share everything with her but I'd have to find her before then.

I got to my house quickly, parking my car and unloading all my stuff. I carried my bags inside, surprised when I shut the front door behind me and saw my mom.

"Mom," I said quietly in startle. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be the one asking you that question," she quickly responded from the kitchen. "Where were you all night?"

I was always very respectful with my mom every time I did get to see her. I never yelled at her. I never snapped. I never did anything that would remind her, or make me into, my father

So I quietly responded, "at my senior night. Ya know, the one you were supposed to be at? The one I called you to find out where you were?"

"Oh," she laughed lightly. That's when I realized she was tipsy, if not pushing completely drunk. "I forgot about that. I vaguely remember you calling me but I didn't remember what for."

"Yeah, it was to get you to actually show up this time," I muttered below my breath, starting towards the stairs.

She scoffed from the kitchen, obviously having been able to hear. "It's not a big deal, Ashton."

"Not a big deal?" I stopped myself, stepping down a few steps to look at her.

I didn't want to snap. I knew how much I scared Auni in my most dangerous moments and I hated how much it made me feel like him, so I tried to remain calm. With every word I spoke, I inched closer to her in the kitchen. "That was my senior night, mom. Everyone else's parents were there to walk them across the field but mine. Hell, I started alone until Auni ran up. If it wasn't for her being a good person, I probably would have been alone. I broke my 100th high school career goal tonight, but I bet you didn't know that. You weren't there for the banquet to know I'd broken the previously set school record and you weren't there tonight to see my break 100. You weren't there to watch me get scouted or help me decide what to do. It would have been different if you were at work but you're here, at home, drunk."

"Who's this Auni?" she quickly asked as I stopped.

I felt myself laugh in complete disbelief. "Out of all the importance in that, all you got was 'who's Auni?'"

I shook my head at her as she just shrugged, wanting the answer to her question. "Don't even worry about it," I told her, turning away in utter disbelief of her. She had zero remorse for not being there, even though everything I had done was for her. "You were never gonna get to meet her anyways."

I picked up my bags at the bottom of the steps, carrying them up as I went to my room. I shut and locked the door behind me, not wanting to deal with her when she inevitably came asking more questions.

I paced my room for a few moments, my hands in my hair in pure frustration. I did everything in my life to impress her, and she didn't even have the decency to be there to see. She felt no guilt for not being there. She knew it was tonight and still stayed home and got drunk instead.

Like mother like son.

I ripped my jersey over my head, throwing it to the floor on my other side. I could feel myself nearing that frustration where I want to break things, and I knew I needed out before I destroyed something I shouldn't.

I grabbed my impulsive trip bag, as Auni called it, refilling it with every random essential I may need over the weekend, depending on how long I stay mad. I threw in new clothes and different snacks, rezipping it shut as I finished.

I grabbed an extra shirt from my closet, throwing it on and switching shorts before throwing the bag over my shoulder. I grabbed my phone and keys off my bed, heading for the door faster than I'd arrived.

I ran down the stairs to the front door, trying not to give my mom the time of day as I reached the bottom, but of course, she had to ask.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"No where that concerns you," I fired back, pacing over towards the door. "You lost your right to be concerned over my safety when you stopped valuing me as your son."

I walked out the door before she got a chance to respond, knowing what I said was rough. It was true, but it didn't make me feel any better about the whole situation.

I pulled myself back into my car, throwing my bag across the counsel as I started it. I didn't have anywhere else to go to escape her but to the lake. It had become my safe place as she slowly forgot about it. Maybe I found comfort in it for the memories with Auni that I'd built there or maybe it was just a home away from home, but either way, it always comforted me.

I was still annoyed about what had just happened but I wanted to tell Auni the news from earlier, so instead of going straight to the lake, I drove to her house again.

When I arrived and her car was still gone, I grew worried. Of course, I knew she could have gone somewhere too, but why would she go somewhere alone when it was getting this late. She knew how much it made me worry so she never did it. Why now?

I parked outside her house, deciding to check for peace of my mind. Maybe she'd parked in the garage.

I knocked on the back door, the one Auni always brought me in through, to receive a soft "come in" from inside. I opened the door quietly, immediately noticing her mom on the couch.

She smiled as she realized who it was, looking at me confused for a moment. "And what brings you here this late, Ashton?" she asked softly.

"I was looking for Aun- Annie, but didn't see her car. I thought maybe she was parked in the garage," I explained, walking farther inside to head up the steps like usual.

"Oh, well, she texted me almost an hour ago now," her mom explained, still looking just as confused as I did.

I nodded to her, trying to understand what she meant by that. Her mom continued quietly, trying to remain calm with each word she spoke-

"She told me she was with you."