Remember me

Chapter 29

Mia

Mia: Hey.. what are you up to?
I text Nick, feeling the need to talk to someone who will actually listen. My phone beeps almost immediately.

Nick: I'm in our treehouse

That spurs me into action. I smile while kicking off my heels and slipping on a pair of sandals. I grab Marilee's keys and am out the door in seconds.

I park the car next to Nicks truck in front of the place of my nightmares. But it's doesn't feel so scary anymore, not with the trailer gone and knowing Nick is nearby. I trudge through the sandy lot until I reach our tree in the back corner. I look at the worn wooden footholds and wonder for a moment if it's safe.

Well if Nick made it then so can I, I think as I shake off the concern and begin to climb. My eyes haven't adjusted to the darkness yet so I can't see much when I reach the top. I feel a sense of relief when I hear "You came" and a hand grasps mine to help pull me up the last step.

Nick clicks on his phone flashlight and I look around our treehouse. "It seems smaller" I say.

"Yeah" Nick nods "I guess we're just bigger." I take a step forward and Nick grasps my arm "Watch that back right corner, there's some rot that I'm not sure will hold." He leads me to the left instead where I see a rolled up sleeping bag and a gallon of water. He motions for me to sit.

"Do you sleep here?" I ask.

He shrugs "Sometimes.. something about this place calms me."

I smile at that, "I can't believe I never came back before you brought me."

Nick turns to look at me, leaning his elbows on his knees, "A lot of bad things happened in that house, I can see why you wouldn't want to return." I just nod my head in reply, I avoided this entire neighborhood for a long time after that night.

We're both silent for a few moments, just staring out into the darkness and listening to the crickets chirp when Nick finally asks "How was tonight?"

"Weird" I sigh.

"He tried to get you back" Nick states.

"How'd you know?"

He shrugs "He'd be crazy not to try."

I nod my head "Yeah, he did try. But it was more than that.. His parents..Marilee." I scoff, "They bought us a condo in California. What am I suppose to do with that bombshell?"

Nick keeps his eyes straight ahead, focused on something, anything but me. "So are you considering it?" he asks.

"What?" I reply. "Of course not"

Nick tilts he head, "it would be the easier way. A good life for you."

"That's the thing Nick. I don't want the easy way. I don't want other people to plan my life out for me."

Nick nods, finally looking me in the eye. He reaches for my hand and squeezes before dropping it. "You're right. You never were the type to let others make decisions for you. You're a fighter, Mia."

"That's the thing though" I sigh. "I was that type. But after you left, after I realized you weren't coming back at least, I just wasn't. The truth is I've been gliding through life superficially, Its no wonder Cole thinks he can make decisions for me."

People see me as the lucky, popular girl with the star baseball player on her arm and the best friends by her side. But they have no idea who I really am. Where I came from. It's all a facade, one that I was content with living up to until Nick showed back up.

Nick just looks at me with an open expression, willing me to continue with no judgement in his eyes.

"Its like I was asleep and now I'm awake. I don't want to be that girl anymore who just does whatever makes everyone else happy."

"Who do you want to be then, Mia?"

"I don't really know yet" I shrug, "I just know I want to be the one to find out."

"You will" Nick says, leaning back onto his hands.

"You really think so?" I ask, mirroring his position.

"I know so."

I smile "What about you, Nick Parker? What do you want? Who do you want to be?"

He looks at me and there's an emotion in his eyes that I don't get to read before he looks away "I want what I can't have.. and I want to be a person worth having it."