The Runaways

Goodybe Civilization

Lunch the next day was... Interesting. Amber noticed her friends were acting really odd. Neither were talking much, and Selena kept looking at her stomach. When she did it for the fiftieth time, Amber decided to say something.
"It's still there," Amber stated.
"What?" Selena looked up at her.
"Your stomach. It ain't gonna run away ya know." Selena's face went red, and she immediately fell silent. You blew it, Amber thought.
"Sam," Amber broke the silence. "What's up with you?" Sam's face went red as soon as she looked at Amber. Suddenly the grass was really interesting for Sam and Selena.
"Okay SERIOUSLY!" Amber yelled, losing her patience. "What is UP with you guys?!" Silence.
"Ya know I hate being left out of things," Amber growled.
"It's private," they mumbled at the same time. Shocked, they glanced up at each other.
"Maddie," Selena said. Sam's eyes widened.
"No way," she said. "Me too."
"What did she tease you about?" Selena asked. Sam blushed before replying.
"She called me a lesbian," she said under her breath.
"What?" Selena put her hand over her mouth before adding quietly, "With who?" Sam mumbled something.
"Sorry?"
"Amber."
Selena and Amber shared a shocked glance before Amber hit the ground with her hand.
"She's gonna get a beatin'," Amber grumbled. "What did she tease you about, Selena?" Selena let out a shaky breath. Her lip was quivering, Amber noticed this and put an arm around her.
"Hey, don't worry," Amber said softly. "These guys are dirt bags. Nothin' they say is true." Selena sniffled.
"They--they called me fat." Sam stood up, and stomped the ground.
"Where are they?" She hissed. "I'm gonna rip them to pieces!!"
"What else?" Amber asked Selena, ignoring Sam's outburst.
"Maddie-- she called me a hippo, and a pig... She said it looked like I put on twenty pounds over spring break..." Selena whimpered.
Amber stood up with Sam.
"Grab some popcorn, Selena, and watch us kill these jerks!!"
"Oh I don't think she needs anymore popcorn," Maddie snickered, patting her stomach to emphasize her point.
"Shut up!" Sam screamed at her.
"You always come at the perfect time, don't ya?" Amber snarled. "Now come here so we can kill you!"
Sam charged at Maddie, pulling her hair. Amber took on Rachel, grabbing her fake glasses and snapping them in half.
"Girls!" Selena cried.
They kept fighting. There was shrieking and hitting, kicking and punching. The four wrestlers didn't even notice the large circle forming around them.
"Girls!"
They kept fighting.
"GIRLS!" The group of fighters glanced up at a teacher standing over them, looking unimpressed.
"They attacked us!" Maddie said innocently.
"They actually did," Luke added from outside the arena. The teacher shifted her gaze to Amber and Sam.
"She told them to pull our hair and hit us!" Rachel lied, pointing to Selena.
"What?! But I --"
"Girls, this is unacceptable school behaviour. You three will each be suspended for three days!" The teacher announced. Maddie and Rachel held back laughter, and the circle backed away, not wanting to get punished as well.
"Detentions for you two, tomorrow at lunch," the teacher added, pointing to Maddie and Rachel. "This is not a joke. Stop laughing if you want to keep it at one detention." Both frowned, getting up and brushing off their clothes.
"Your parents will be notified," the teacher told Sam, Amber and Selena. Selena started to cry, and Sam angrily kicked the dirt.
"We are so dead," Amber's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I am so dead. My dad is gonna kill me."
"My mom is gonna kill me," Selena whined.
"My parents don't care about my life," Sam said, shrugging.
"That's depressing."
Sam glared at Selena.
"Thanks." The bell rang.
"Well good luck telling your parents," Amber said sadly. "You'll need it."
"Text me their reaction," Selena said to both of them.
"I don't have a phone," Sam reminded her.
"Call me with your home phone then," Selena replied.
"Bye."
"Bye."
"Bye."

"You what?!" Amber's sister screamed. Amber stared at her feet. "Well I'm sorry sis, but I'm gonna have to pass this by dad." Amber felt her world crumble. She was soooooo dead.

"Suspended, huh," her dad shook his head with disappointment. "I'm disappointed in you, Amber. I didn't think this would happen." He got up from his seat on the couch and sighed.
"Well I ain't wanna reward you for the three days you'll be stayin' home..." Her dad trailed off. "So I think you're grounded for a week."
"A week?!" Amber cried. "But I was only suspended for three days!"
"I know," her dad nodded calmly. "But you need punishment so you know it's not okay ta get suspended." Amber started sniffling, and she ran up to her room.
"Don't slam the door," her dad warned. She slammed her room door behind her.
"Two weeks!!" Her dad hollered from downstairs. Amber started crying. She pulled out her phone and texted Selena.
How did it go with you
Bad. I'm grounded for a month
Two weeks
Lucky
Did you talk to Sam
Yeah her parents are making her sleep outside tonite
*tonight
Shut up
I hate this. It's not fair.
Me too
Amber put down her phone. She thought for a while as she stared at the ceiling. She had an idea. It was a crazy and reckless one, but she had an idea.
Do you have a window in your room she texted.
Yes
Could you climb out of it to get outside?
...
Hello?
Yes
Okay ask Sam the same questions
Ok??
Amber grabbed the biggest bag of hers that she could find. It was red with a picnic blanket inside, and she pulled it out. But she froze. She slowly stuffed it back in.
"I'll need a blanket,"'she said to herself. None of her other blankets were small enough to fit in her bag. She grabbed two pairs of clothes from her dresser. That's all she could fit. She still needed food. Her room had an opening to the attic, so she grabbed her stool and climbed up there. She remembered there was a fridge in there, because her dad was always wanting to keep extra food in storage just in case. Amber's dad would kill her if he found out she was sneaking food from the stash. He'd also kill her if he found out she was running away. She closed the attic door and shoved some bread, apples, carrots, juice boxes, and pudding into her bag. It barely fit. Her phone dinged. A text from Selena.
She said she has a window she can climb out of from her room, now what
Pack your suitcase. We're running away.
... Ok
Amber raised an eyebrow, thinking Selena's reaction would be more dramatic.
I have clothes, food, and a blanket so bring that too she texted.
Ok Selena replied. I'll tell Sam to bring that too
Where do you want to meet? Amber texted.
Park
Ok see ya there

Amber grabbed a piece of paper from her notepad and scribbled down a note to her family. She sniffed again, placing the note on her nightstand.
Dear dad,
I'm running away. By the time you read this, I'll already be gone. School and all this bullying is too much to handle. I don't know when I'll be back, but please don't look for me. I want to be alone. I love you.
-Amber
Amber took her phone and shoved that into her bag too, and she opened her window. They didn't have screened windows, because it was easier that way. And much cooler in the summer. She climbed out of the frame, and threw her bag onto a pile of grass. She silently prayed, and hoped the grass pile was soft enough to catch her fall.
3...
2...
1...
Amber jumped, trying her best not to scream, so her dad wouldn't hear and see what she was up to. She grabbed her bag, adrenaline rushing through her body, and sprinted to the park. Her friends were surprisingly already there, even though she packed her bags first.
"How'd you get here so fast?" She panted.
"It wasn't as hard for me, the apartment has stairs on the outside," Sam explained.
"My house is closer to here than yours," Selena added. Amber nodded, realizing those reasons were true.
"Now before we get caught, we'd better go," Sam said.
"Where are we going to go?" Selena asked.
"Across the pond," Sam answered. "There's a forest there."
"Across the pond?" Selena said with disbelief. "Are you nuts?!"
"Not swim across it," Sam said. "Go around it. I meant there was a forest across the pond, so --"
"Okay let's go!" Amber interrupted. Sam shot her a glare and Amber grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry," she said. "We just don't have much time."

They set off around the pond. It was all just grass and weeds at first, but soon after that it started to get muddy and soggy.
"Ewwww!" Selena cried as her shoe sank into some mud.
"Oh get a hold of yourself," Amber replied, rolling her eyes.
"Keep rolling your eyes, maybe you'll find a brain back there!" Selena responded. Amber's eyes narrowed, and she stuck her tongue out at Selena.
"Anyway," Selena continued. "It's easy for you to say. Your wearing rain boots!"
"I was smart," Amber bragged.
"Some off us don't want to look like barn yard animals, Amber!" Selena snapped. She noticed the hurt look on Amber's face, and instantly thought of what Maddie said to her. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it like that!! I just --"
"Whatever. Let's just keep going."

The rest of the walk was silent, besides Selena occasionally whimpering from the mud.