"How are we going to get out of this town?" Sleep filled Maple's voice. Her head lay in Staton's lap; slowly his fingers laced every red strand cascading down his thigh. A shallow sigh and a couple breaths later she sat up sitting on his lap leaning...
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"We've gotta go. We can't stay here any longer." Aria told the group. I couldn't help but wonder where this was all coming from. Aria had left with Breygan this morning when he stormed out of here to go get some headache medication. They were gone for a few hours and as soon as they came back, she was talking about how they just couldn't do this any longer and they needed to head home, back to Washington.
I was shocked at the revelation. How could they agree that this was the best thing for them? Why would Aria do something like that? I wasn't willing to say goodbye to my best friend.
"Julia, you have to come with us."
And suddenly it seemed the entire group was in a feud.
"I don't want to go back to Washington." Julia folded her arms, Tony awkwardly standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders.
No one was even able to rub the sleep out of their eyes before the dramatic events of this morning. Everyone dealing with the same mild hangovers, whether from alcohol or just a lack of sleep.
"What do you mean you are going back to washington?" My heart was racing in my chest. Were they really being serious?
"Breygan and I have decided that we are going to give ourselves a real chance. We are going to get our own place. We don't want to be here in California. Washington is the only real option for us. Julia has to come with us simply because my mother would kill me if I left with her, and came home without her." Breygan wrapped his arms around Aria, showing his solidarity with her answer.
"I'm an adult, you don't get to make these choices for me!" Julia shouted, throwing her hands down by her side.
"Clearly." Aria responds. That wasn't fair of her to use that reaction against Julia. Anyone would have responded the same way to being told they had to leave somewhere they were finally feeling like they belonged.
"No, Aria, you don't get to control my life. I'm happy here. I have a job I love and a new relationship that I'm really excited about. Things are finally starting to look up for me."
"It's not happening, you're not staying. So say goodbye and pack your things, we leave this afternoon." Aria pushed past her, hitting her shoulder as she did so. Before anyone else could respond Aria and Breygan were in their room packing their things.
"They can't make me go." Julia folded her arms over her chest. It felt like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.
"Staton and I's parents would never notice if the other one didn't come home. But she is right, if you don't go with them, all they are going to do is twist her arm to track you down. It might actually be smarter if you go with them. I don't think the three of you need to leave though. I don't understand why they don't just find a place here if the biggest issue is they want their own place."
"They can't afford their own place here. They have to rely on his dad to pay for it because he doesn't want to get a job. I wonder if they reached out to his dad, and he said they would pay for it if they came back." Staton mentions.
