The Woe We Deserve

Chapter 22

Xavier spent the rest of the night trying to get it touch with his father. As usual, he was ignored. Even his near death experience hadn't been enough to earn him regular phone calls or a text here and there. Or maybe he was hiding something.

He couldn't take the suspense any longer. He also couldn't stand to be stuck somewhere thinking about Wednesday. He was sick of being ignored.

The next morning, Xavier was discharged. He was instructed to return to his room in the morning and attend classes if he was feeling up for it. Xavier played along, putting on a show for the staff as he went to his room. After a bit of a walk, he was already out of breath.

"Maybe take it easy today. You might be up for it tomorrow."

"Yeah, I think I will be," Xavier lied.

As soon as he closed the door, he got to work on his plan. It wasn't completely false that he was tired, and it was probably in his best interest to stay in and rest. But there was no time for that.

As quickly as he could manage with just one good arm, he packed his backpack. A change of clothes, his wallet, charger, and a book for the train. He also found his set of house keys, stashed in his desk drawer. Xavier was going home to face his father, granted he hadn't gone on some tour unannounced—it wouldn't be the first time. But he had no other choice; he was restless and slowly losing his mind.

He waited for the first bell to ring, then he snuck out. Most students and staff were in class, so sneaking out wasn't too hard. He had his backpack slung across his good shoulder, other side immobilized by a sling.

Driving his bicycle with one hand was admittedly more difficult that he expected, but eventually he made it to the bus stop, where he caught a bus to the airport. He locked his bike in an unsuspecting alley, in case anybody was out looking for him.

He purchased a ticket on the next flight to New York City with his father's credit card and boarded the plane just in time. As he got settled, pain and fatigue started to wash over him, the adrenaline rush quickly wearing off. The pain in his shoulder screamed This is a bad idea!

Xavier watched the town of Jericho get smaller and smaller as the plane flew south towards New York City. Somewhere in the little ant farm of a town Wednesday was blissfully unaware of his escape, but it wouldn't take her long to figure it out. He knew the consequences would be severe, yet he couldn't find the energy to care.

———————-

Wednesday was both relieved and horrified when the second bell rang and Xavier's spot remained empty. She wasn't completely surprised, given how they'd left things the day before. That part of her was relieved. She still didn't know what to say to him, how to explain her behavior without revealing that she knew what his father had done. How would he react to that? How would she

if the tables were turned?

But another part of her—the part that loved him—ached to see him so she could apologize. That naive, lovestruck part of Wednesday was full of hope that maybe they could figure it out together. But she knew better than to lead with her heart. It would only land her in trouble.

Xavier hadn't tried communicating with her after their little spat. He was usually quick to text or call when he sensed any tension between them, but not this time. He was as upset with her as she was with him, and as much as she hated to admit it, he had a right to be.

When the last bell rang and she still hadn't seen Xavier, Wednesday gritted her teeth and decided it was time for a visit. If not to mend things, to make sure he was feeling okay and drop off his schoolwork. He was still her boyfriend; she couldn't just let him fall behind in school.