Forever and Always

Chapter 14

  Scarlett stayed with Renny that night, not ready to go back home. She did however crawl out of bed ... more like the black sofa and shower for school.

  "So you're going back?" Renny asked as she put in large silver hoops.

  "Yeah..." was her reply.

  "Have your parents called?"

  "I dumped my phone at the bus stop." Scarlett said as she bit into a piece of buttered toast.

  "Oh..." Renny replied, her voice sounding concerned. She knew that Scarlett needed to contact her parents or else they would think the worst. She also knew if she called them Scarlett would resent her even more.

  "We need to get going." Scarlett interrupted her thoughts.

  Renny grabbed her large, canvas tote bag and  led the way out of the apartment and to her almost brand new, light blue, Prius.

   Scarlett and Levi sat on the old, dusty, couch waiting for her parents.

  "They are gonna say no," she said, convinced.

  "Just give it a chance!!" he exclaimed for the millionth time that day.

  "Levi, you know they don't like me leaving the state without them, muchless without them and with my boyfriend." She looked at him.

  He just laughed softly and kissed her lightly.

  "Maybe we should just stay here," she said kissing him back.

  "I could just kiss you all summer." he winked with a sly grin and pulled her towards him.

  "I'm good with that," she said feeling his hand run up her shirt as the kisses intensified.

  "This will be good" Paul announced as he came in the front door.

  Scarlett and Levi immediately pulled apart, his hand quickly coming out from under her shirt. Usually, they weren't so ... cliche? But sometimes they did get carried away. They dated five months before Scarlett let them go all the way, not his, but her first time.

  "Paul, hey," she said trying to be casual.

  "Hi," he said just as Chris and Emma walked in the door together looking at some sort of magazine.

  "Oh, hello Levi," Emma said with one of her warm smiles. "Are you staying for dinner?" she asked looking at the clock hanging by the stairway.

   "No, Mrs. J, we just need to talk to you about something," he politely replied.

  "Your not pregnant, are you??!" Chris' head jerked up from the magazine.

  "Oh my God Dad. No!!" Scarlett shrieked.

  Paul held back a laugh as he watched the scene.

  "Actually, we were wondering if we could go to North Carolina for a week. My Grandma lives up there and my Mom wants me to visit her and I thought it would get Scarlett out of the house for a little while this summer."

  "Um..." Emma looked at Chris in question.

  "It's not like we're going to party/... we're going to be with his grandma."

  "She lives by a small beach and it's beautiful there." Scarlett put in. "Pleeasee."

  "Okay," Chris answered with a shrug.

  "Really?" Scarlett asked in surprise.

  "Yep, your seventeen now, your no little kid." Emma said with a smile.

  "Thank 'you, thank you, thank you!" she said getting up and giving both of them a tight hug before kissing Levi quickly. "Love you," she whispered and hugged her parents again.

    Chase's motorcycle skidded to a stop and Scarlett's hands came away from his waist as she hopped off the seat. She immediately ran to stand on the edge, wanting to feel that rush again. Sure enough, everything left her as she looked down, death right in front of her. She was glad they had returned to the mountain, forest, cliff. It was many things!

  Chase didn't bother her this time, instead he sat down on the brown grass and pulled out a homework folder. The wind was actually calm today, especially up high. Her chestnut hair felt flat and she almost felt mad that no wind was tearing at her.

   An hour passed before Chase grabbed her arm lightly and pulled her back, bringing her back into the real world.

  “We need to get going," he said softly, knowing he didn't want to miss a whole day of school. He'd missed enough when Grant killed Levi, trying to avoid the glares and insults.  

  "Oh," she replied   and   turned to face him.

  They got back on the bike and slowly went down the hill. Once they were on the road Chase sped up, taking the curves sharply.

  Once they got back to the school, Scarlett left Chase and his bike immediately, hurrying off to her class. He watched her go with his dark hazel eyes and sighed, wondering if she would ever recover, ever move on the slightest bit.

   "What did you do?!" Chase had pulled Grant into a small maintenance closet as he ran down the hall.

    "I did what I had to do. He can be so arrogant sometimes ... he flaunts everything around. His girls, his athletics, his smarts, his popularity. It’s not fair!"

   "Who?"

   "Levi..."

   "Grant, what did you do?"

   Grant pushed the gun into Chase's hand, but Chase pulled away. He knew what it was, he could see it by the small light over head.

   "Don't ... please tell me you didn't."

  Grant was only sixteen, Chase knew for a fact his brother could and would be tried as an adult and he also knew Grant couldn't run fast enough. He heard the sirens from the closet.

  "I did. I had too." Grant shook a bit, but he didn't seem that sorry.

   Chase just shook his head, pushed past his brother into the hallway and started running. He ran to the gym and out the doors not caring if the fire alarm sounded. His little brother, had killed someone? It just wasn't possible.

   He kept running, he ran past the football field, through the forest that lay beyond and finally skidded to a stop by the river.

   "No..." he muttered sinking to his knees, his shoulders shaking with sadness. Grant was the only family he had left and now he was gone. He couldn't see himself forgiving Grant much less himself.