Headline

thirty one

troy

"'Preciate you."

The truck driver watched the young adult hop out the diesel. Almost seven hours after running out on Courtney at the store a little outside of Sacramento, Troy hitched a ride with a stranger and end up back in Santa Barbara since the stranger was already going that way. He wanted to get better and he knew it was needed, but the painful withdrawal, he couldn't handle cold turkey. Courtney's refusal to give him what he need to what he felt would help him just pushed him towards Hailey again. There was no question, she just did it. Courtney wants him better and in his right mind but he wasn't ready for that yet. He was in love with the feeling that made him numb and emotionless.

Still in the merch hoodie and joggers, Troy had to take the long walk from the truck stop to the suburb community. He walked down the palm tree-lined stretch road until he noticed the street Hailey's family home was on. Troy arrived to the gated property, stopping at the post to buzz the button. He patiently waited on the reply, but after two minutes he never received one. He began to come up with an idea of how to hop the gate, but the iron gate start to spread open with the white Range Rover approaching.

"What the—" The driver brakes, unbuckling and hopping out in a swift motion. "What the fuck are you doing here!?" she asked angrily.

Troy eyed at Hailey's young sister, Hannah, stomping towards him in a ab-bearing white t-shirt and light jeans. Her silk pressed hair bounced effortlessly wit her movements. "I'm just here to talk to Hailey..." he looked past her and to her sister through the windshield. "Hailey!"

"Don't talk to her." Hannah said aggressively. "You got some nerve even coming back here after you ruined her sobriety, then you just up and leave her. You're fucking poison and she does not need you around. She about to go back to rehab. You're not stopping that."

"Seems to me like she don't want that." His head gesture made Hannah shoot her brown eyes to Hailey shutting the passenger door wearing a tiny black t-shirt and matching jeans. Black frames shielded her eyes and her glossy hair up in a messy bun.

"Hailey! No."

Hailey's sole focus was to reach him, unable to release the apology to give her sister—to her family. She just kissed and embraced him the moment she reached him. Her sister was genuinely hurt and disappointed again watching her sister fall back into the trauma bond.

"I'm so fucking done," Hannah expressed, walking back to her car and pulling away in a hurried pace.

"My family's gonna be done with me." Hailey revealed, staring Troy in his eyes. "You can't leave me anymore."

"I won't leave you."

Hailey grinned, kissing him a few times again. "Where have you been?" she asked, taking notice to the hoodie he wore and graphic on the front. "Why're you wearing a Cocoa pullover?"

Troy glanced down, shrugging his shoulders as he followed her up the long driveway. "Just.. somethin' I found."

"I like it. I like her music, too."

"Yeah. You gonna call ya guy?" he asked, switching topics to not think on Courtney while he was in this mode.

     "Yeah. But we have to leave here. I know my parents are gonna come."

"Then where to?"

"We have a place up in Atherton. Don't go up there much. We can grab some clothes and head there."