The Things That Make Us

Chapter 2

Hannah

It's the day before I have to be out of the house and I haven't heard from my mom. I haven't made any arrangements for where I'll go. I can't tell friends, not even Jessie, because she's got a perfect little life and her mom would freak out if she knew mine had taken off. I've spent some time at her house over the last year and I know that her parents wouldn't approve of her having a friend like me. I'm practically an adult, now. A homeless adult.

Don - the landlord - knocks on the door that evening, as if he knows I'm struggling to figure out what to do. I know it's him because he always knocks four times, fast, like he's giving us a warning it's him. I almost ignore it, but I end up walking over to the door to answer.

"I'm leaving in the morning," I say right away.

He's wearing grey coveralls and his hair is slicked back. His expression is sort of unsure as he looks me up and down. He's definitely in his forties, but seems older even.

"I... I've noticed your mom's car hasn't been here this week. But you've come and go."

Embarrassment shoots through me like a rocket. He knows. "Yeah, well."

"She left without you?"

    "I don't want to talk about it."

Don looks past me, into the house. "You need help moving anything out tomorrow?"

"No."

I don't have anything. I've been wearing the same two outfits for over a week and washing underwear in the sink. I don't have any money, because even the shoe box I kept in my closet with maybe forty or fifty bucks was gone.

"Where are you going to-"

   "Not your business, Don. Have a nice life," I finish, before he can even as the question.

I close the door before tears full my eyes. I'm not a crier. I don't care that I don't have much. I never cared that I didn't have designer clothes or a big, fancy house. I didn't even care that the guy I was dating a couple of months ago slept with another girl, at a party we were at.
I'm tough. I'm strong. I moved on.

But my mom left me behind and I'm all alone and it's all finally hitting me. God, is it ever hitting me.

*

  It's only a bit after 7A.M. when I stuff everything left in the house - my little clothes, my toothbrush, deodorant and a few other random things - into a back pack and leave. I drop my key into the mailbox and then rush down the stairs and down the sidewalk. I can't look back. I don't want Don to see me leaving, either.

Chapel Hill has been my home for a long time, and this neighborhood has been mine for three years, most of high school. Before that, we lived in a sketchy apartment building, by the elementary school. I liked this neighborhood. I would go out for walks and people watch. I'd sit in the back yard for a long time and just read books or think about things. I was alone a lot in this house, but it was still mine.

I walk for a long time. Until my legs are sore and tired. Until I find a park bench and sit, and pull out my phone. It's not going to keep working after this month, because no one's going to pay for it. I'm surprised she paid the cell phone bills this long, actually. I have instagram, but only because Jessie made me an account and set it up on my phone. I rarely use it, especially since that's how I found out that Greg - my ex - cheated on me, back in the spring. But now it's mid afternoon, it's hot and I'm tired. I need to figure out where I'm going to go, at least for tonight.

But after staring at my phone for a long time, I decide not to call Jessie, even though I want to. I need to keep her out of this.

For the last few days, I had convinced myself that my mom would call. She'd realize her mistake and come back for me. But it's so obvious now that that's not going to happen. She probably met up with friends or some guy and decided I was fine on my own.