Leaving Castle Rock//Chris Chambers

Part Four// A Gum Wrapper and A Thank You

The following day she made her way to the treehouse after school. She brought with a single pack of Skittles but it wasn't given to her by Mr. Mattler but instead she brought it from home. It wasn't the real reason she was heading across town, just an excuse in case she needed one.

When she finally crossed the creek and set foot on the land closest to the tree, she was disappointed when she saw no one. Normally, because of her anticipated expectancy, the boys would glance out the window, so they could come running out as soon as they saw her and whatever goodie she brought with them. Today she couldn't even hear anyone inside, not even a rustle or a creek from the rotting wood.

It was time to turn around. Head home. Mission failed. Good attempt. But our girl felt a longing. She wanted nothing more than to approach the bottom of the tree, hold on tight and climb up the makeshift ladder, and open the door that led into the bottom of the tree house, like she had imagined doing so many times. She wanted to sit inside and pop open a can of soda and look out the window and for a minute imagine a world where she had accepted the ashen haired boy's invitation to come inside so long ago. The idea frightened her. What if she got caught? What if they were inside? What if, what if, what if?

Normally she would have turned around, too scared to take the risk. But it was her last day here. This very well could have been her last time to set foot in this place that had grown so very dear to her, even if from afar. So she took a step forward. And another. And another until she was at the base of the tree and then her left foot was on the first rung of the ladder and she felt a burst of excitement and comfort and happiness as she climbed even higher and put her first hand on the trap door to push it away when---

"Hey! You! Get the hell outta here! Who the hell are you?--" Her heart froze. Every rush of feeling drained out of her leaving a sort of sullen feeling left. She didn't need to turn back to know who the voice was. When she finally did turn back, she did so slowly, first backing down and off the ladder and then turning around as if to soften the blow of whatever was to come.

"Oh, it's just you. Near gave me a heart attack, thought one of the brothers were breaking in or somethin'..." Our girl was surprised to see just the ashen haired boy. Not once had she ever seen any of the boys on their own, always tagging along with at least one or two of their tree house pals.

"Mr. Mattler got you working this late after a school day? What did he make you bring out this time?"

She remembered the candy in her pocket and pulled it out. "Oh, no I came straight from school. I have Skittles but they're just from my house." The excuse didn't matter much now that it was just the ashen haired boy.

"Oh. Okay then. There somethin' else you needed then?"

The silence that rested between them hurt. Like a bubble filling with air, on the verge of popping; every second closer but never quite there.

"I---" Words had never been her strong suit but right now she needed them and she prayed over in her head that they would come to her.

Finally the words came, violently popping the bubble between them. "I'm leaving."

"Okay. Bye then. See you around at school."

"No. No I'm...I'm leaving leaving."

"Oh." The boy paused. "Oh shit. You mean?"

"Yeah." She slumped down onto a nearby stump, a tree that had been cut down and was probably used to build the treehouse which she sat at the base of. The backpack on her back slouched with her, and it weighed down her shoulders just as much as everything else on her mind.

"Are you sure? Shit it's scary out there you know? I mean have you ever been out? Do you know where you're going? No way you goin' alone are you?" The boy walked up to her bombarding her with more questions than she could possibly wrap her mind around.

Fear flooded her, the weight of what she was doing, all the things she hadn't quite figured out, as she realized she couldn't answer a single one of his questions. Where was she going? How was she going to get there? How the hell was she going to make it out there by herself?

She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, barely wobbling on top of the stump.

"Aw shit I'm sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. It's none of my damn business." He slumped down beside her on the ground, and pulled his knees up just like she did.

Tears suddenly threatened to rush from her eyes, though she wasn't sure where the sudden urge came from. Uncertainty about what the world held for her, fright from the terrifyingly large and real thing she was about to do, or because she was finally talking to the boy she had wanted to talk to for so long, just before she was about to leave forever.

She pinched the web between her first finger and thumb, forcing back the tears; she wasn't going to cry in front of him, the very thought made her cheeks and neck sting with embarrassment.

"It's just---" He suddenly began before she could think of anything to say, and she was shocked to hear his voice sounded as if on the edge of breaking itself. He spoke in a whisper so low she had to keep completely still and silent to hear him. "It's just---I've always thought about leaving too."

She of course had heard the rumors. Had seen the bruises and cuts he came into school with, uselessly covered up with a band-aid or bandage or sweater. She, like everyone else in the school, knew the ashen hair boy didn't have it good at home. Why? Why has no one done anything about it? she suddenly wondered. Weren't adults supposed to fix everything? A moment of silence passed and she almost brought it up, but rightfully decided against it.

"I'm never getting out of this goddamn town."

"You could." Her back shot up straight, a new life rushing through her words and voice. "We could leave right now. Together."

Saying nothing, he turned around to look at her. Embarrassment burned her cheeks and neck as bad as if she had started crying in front of him. How could she have suggested such a thing? They barely knew each other. And running away was a much bigger deal then she was tricking herself into thinking it was.

"Sorry....I didn't mean that. I just thought...."

"Hey don't worry about it. Here." He fished around in the pocket of his jeans, pulling out an unopened package of Wrigley's spearmint gum and holding it out for her. "For the road. And for all the stuff you brought us."

"Thanks," she couldn't help but smile as she unwrapped the package and held a piece out to him like he had always done for her. He took it, pulling off the reflective wrapper right away and tossing it in his mouth. Placing his hand on the stump where she was sitting, he hoisted himself up. "You going to at least tell me when you're leaving so when the police come knocking on my door I can make up some excuse or somethin'?"

"Tomorrow night after school."

"So I will see you at school tomorrow," he smiled, starting to walk off.

"Yeah. Yeah I guess so." She got up from the stump, not quite ready to leave, knowing she wouldn't be back to look at the treehouse she had spent all those years longing for.

Just when he was almost out of sight, words left her mouth before she could think about what she was doing. "Hey, wait!"

In the moments it took him to turn around, she had to think of something to say. "Thank you!" Is what she decided on.

"For what?" he shouted back.

"The gum!" Though she knew it was for much more than that.

As he nodded and turned back around, she figured he knew too.