Running Free

Chapter 8 | Forget Him

~This gif is adorable, lol~
~Attached is Paris by Magic Man~

Toby and I met with Fay and Noah up at the Jardin Des Tuileries—a beautiful, serene park in central Paris—simply to stroll around, inhale the fresh, sweet air, and have a good time together. I suppose you could say our afternoon of relaxing was fairly well deserved—a de-stress from college, Fay had called it, though I knew that education was the least of my worries.

A gorgeous sun illuminated the world around me, a handful of light clouds gently scattering here and there. The forecast had said that there may be some late afternoon showers, but they weren't supposed to come until four.

Surrounding me, the air was crisp, and the grass swayed with the slight breeze of the wind. I admit, it felt nice to be someplace where I didn't have to worry about much.

Vibrant green trees dotted the side of the cobblestone path as we ambled along, casting shadows onto the walkway. Gardens filled with a large assortment of glowing flowers were scattered all throughout the park, from lilies, to roses, to chrysanthemums; flourishing colors were everywhere. Right in the center of the park lay an elegant stone fountain, water flowing majestically from the spouts.

I clutched Toby's hand as we continued to walk, Fay on my far left and Noah on my right. Since this was the first time Noah and Fay had met, we struggled to come up with a decent conversation amongst each other. The silence was verging on uncomfortable, and I could tell that none of us were enjoying it. Toby didn't seem bothered by the lack of speech flowing around him, though he was too infatuated with the birds fluttering above his head. I had never been much of a conversationalist, and swallowed nervously as the quiet became deafening.

Fay, who had noticed the awkward tension, decided to break the ice. "So, you must be Noah I assume. I think Mia mentioned you once or twice." She smiled, a cheerful edge in her tone.

I didn't understand how she managed to do it; to be happy almost every second of the day. She resembled the looks of a sunshine, and her attitude added to it even more. The gleaming smile painted on her face never seemed to fade.

Noah smirked to himself, most likely thinking he must have some kind of importance for me to have mentioned him. "Sure, that's me," Noah responded, glancing at me. "Huh, I don't think you've ever mentioned Fay before though."

I nervously swallowed. "To be honest, I didn't think I would need to."

Fay took this as her cue to jump in. "Yeah, we haven't seen each other for a couple years." She turned her head, now directing her speech at me. "I don't know about you, but I would've never expected to see you here. I thought after high school, you'd stay in Ohio with Jack."

Oh lord.

Shit was about to unravel before my very fearful eyes.

I swallowed the knot in my throat, trying to think of different topics to avert the conversation subject from my brother.

It was at this time Noah spoke up and asked the question I thought I would never have to answer. "Who's Jack?"

Right after that last sentence, Fay's face fell, and a guilt danced over her face. Her bright blue eyes darkened with an eerie glow of sorrow, her lips turning into a miserable frown. It was like she had shut down entirely, something I'd never seen happen before out of all the years I'd known her.

And for that slight moment, her clock stopped.

My throat tightened and it suddenly felt like the non-existing walls were caving in; each of them getting smaller and smaller until there was nothing left but a compact, claustrophobic box. I tried to choke back the tears, but I knew that by now, it would be impossible. I knew I couldn't keep on doing this forever, and that one day I'd have to explain.

But that was the thing; It wouldn't be today.

Especially not today.

My voice was hoarse and hitched in my throat as I whispered, "I have to go. I'll be right back."

Before Noah or Fay even had a chance to respond, I hoisted up Toby into my arms, turning away from a set of guilt-ridden, pleading eyes, and a set of very, ultimately confused eyes. I felt Toby glance up at me, a frown at his lips. "Mia, what are doing?"

And I ran.

I ignored Toby's bombard of questions and fled like never before.

My hands—clammy and sweaty—began to tremble. I ran as fast as I could to escape that fucking park, until my legs began to burn and my stamina began to decrease. My arms burned with fatigue as I clutched Toby's heavy body. I knew this wouldn't work out, no matter how hard I tried.

I knew today was the six month anniversary of my parents death. I knew that I couldn't just keep closing myself off every single second of the day. I specifically chose this day for Noah, Fay and I to meet, because I thought that this would distract me and that maybe I would forget. Forget about how crumbled and broken and utterly demolished my life was.

But I was wrong.

I'm always wrong.

****
So sorry for the late update! Things have been kinda hectic lately for me. I recently began working for my fire department and I have all of this training I have to do for when I go on calls. And let me tell ya, doing that while wearing about 20lbs of gear, is hard work, but I enjoy it. There's also all the practicing I have to do for marching band as I have two important parades to prepare for and we're being judged. It's kinda hard since it's relied on military precision. Anyways, short chapter, I know, but there's going to be some action coming soon, so watch out!
-Rin