Fire and Matches

Part 6

Misty clomped through the sudden rain-shower in her purple boots to meet me. The rain had just appeared out of nowhere, but I guess it fit my mood better than sunshine. Misty smiled weakly at me. "Okay, cowboy, what's the deal? With you ditching school, and whatever you meant by 'my mean old dad.'"
I motioned for her to come closer into the alleyway between the bakery and the theater. If you listened closely, you could hear them playing Inside Out.
I wiped drops of water off my neck and closed my umbrella, which I had stolen from a bin in the parking lot of the theater. I breathed in, and started to tell Misty things. Every thing. My dad disowning me, my running away, my mom for once defending me, my sister Bella, and my day around town, all alone.
Misty listened, and clearly took a long thought before telling me what she thought about the whole ordeal. "You... What are you planning to do? I.. I mean, where are you going? You can't just keep going to the same diners, and alleyways. They're eventually going to notice you around town. You can't... Stay here."
I shrugged. "Where am I supposed to go? I don't have any close relatives or friends nearby our town..."
"Clearwater Beach!" Misty popped, mentioning the beach about an hour outside town. It didn't really earn its name. It was pretty polluted. "What? The beach? Why?"
Misty brightened up. Her pink lips formed a smile. "We can run away together to the beach. My... My, uh, uncle owns the place."
"Why did you hesitate?" I asked. She meant to say something other than 'uncle.' I knew it. Misty's eyes darted from left to right. "And, why do you want to run away with me?!"
Misty rubbed the back of her neck. "They're foster parents. My real parents were part of a drug ring," she whispered. "I'm depressed because of it. Kind of. Like, my emotions are always set on sad. Except, with you, I'm happy. You're different than most kids in Chicago, or in the cities. It's not love, I assure you... But you, I guess, make me happy."
She sniffed and smiled. "I know it's stupid.."
I grabbed her elbows. "Why didn't you tell me? Didn't you trust me?" Misty shook her head. "Honestly, I didn't trust you. The principal had just revealed to me that you had set fire to the mansion. You had lied to me. I'm fine now, but..." Misty breathed in and out, and took my hand. "Run away? To Clearwater?"
I nodded. "I'm gonna go empty my parents' bank account. Then, we can go."
Misty laughed and told me she was going to pack her bags. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.