Road Trip 1:Hitch Hike

chapter 24

But before we started the car. I saw a figure running towards us.

It was Chase.

What the?!

I quickly jump out of the car and run towards him.

He's still here. He never left yet

He squeezes me in his arms. The hug seemed forever. I missed him. His smile. His stupid remarks.

And when he's gone I'll miss him even more.

We pull away.

I can see that something is wrong. And he has bags under his eyes and around his pupil it's bloodshot red.

"Chase? What's wrong?" I ask worried.

"Something happened." He said. He held a bunch of his hair in his hands and he was looking down. He sighed and said.

"Uhm........Mom's in rehab."

What the fvck?

"Why is she!?....... What happened!?..... How the!? .......When did she!?" I am practically shouting though tears.

"Kyli. Please calm down. " he said with his hands on my shoulders.
"Come sit down and I'll explain everything." He said gesturing to a bench.

I don't want to chew on my nails or lips, so I find myself gnawing on the inside of my cheek. Soon the taste of blood fills my mouth.

He starts to play with his fingers nervously. His head is down and I can see the tiredness in his eyes.

"Okay.......uhm......We do I start. Well as you know you were in the accident right?"

I nod

"Well when we got the news. I was already on my plane boarding to go to Australia. When I heard, the first thing I did was try and get connections to fly back. I was so worried Kyli. And I think mom felt worse. She was taking the news very hard. Because when I went home I saw mom laying on the floor. She was shaking. There was puke all around her. And pill bottles and bottles of beer and alcohol everywhere. I didn't know what to do. But I remembered what mom said with the number to call if this would ever happen. I ran to the fridge and I saw "Orlando Rehabilitation Centre" - that's all the sticker said, then a phone number in black letters. It must have been on the fridge for a very long time, sitting there, waiting for the right eyes at the right time......and i guess the time has come....I...I couldn't stop looking at it. But then I heard mom get up. She was screaming, crying. She was chugging down a whole bottle of wine. I tried to take it away but she started going insane. Throwing things. Screaming. Swearing. But she stopped when she saw the Rehabilitation number. She...she took the knife and started screaming at me. Telling me to phone it. I...I..I couldn't do it. But.....but I had to. Or else she would've killed herself." He says between sobs.

"I couldn't refuse Kyli. Mom's in rehab and it's all my fault." He says crying his eyes out.

Why would she do that though?

I pull him into a hug. His body shaking with sobs. I couldn't resist the tears. They were flowing down my cheeks.

I felt safe in his arms. I didn't want to lose him or my mom. They meant so much to me. They were all that I had left. And they meant the world to me. I couldn't live without them. I made a promise that I would come back. She knew that.

Our embrace was like a wall. Nobody could break through us. The hugs that we would normally have would be short and unintentional, but this one it was long and meaningful.