The Football Player's Roommate

29.

"Amaya. Pull over. You're falling asleep."

I ignored him and kept on driving. We needed to get to Louisiana and soon. There was no time for any interruptions.

A few minutes passed before he was yelling at me once again.

"I'm serious, Mya. You're tired and you can't be driving. Just pull over so I can." He shouted.

I could hear Gracie whining from the back seat. It was almost as if us arguing made her sad. Like a child crying when parents were in the middle of fighting.

"Oh, Gracie." I sighed while I quickly glanced into the back mirror.

I put my blinker on and pulled off to the side of the road. After putting the car in park I rested my head against the steering wheel and let my eyes flutter shut.

I was exhausted. With the whole Mike situation, the tension of seeing my family so soon, and the one event I knew had to take place before I went home. That's the one thing that had me the most nervous.

The fact that there were only hours left till that moment took place had even more on edge. I still hadn't told Theo about the surprise visit I was going to make and I felt like I was going to have to tell him sooner or later.

Right now I was going to keep that little secret locked up safe and for a better time.

"Mya?" I heard Theo whisper beside me.

I kept my head down, not wanting to show my face. I could already feel the teardrops streaking their way down my neck and onto my shirt.

"Princess?" I felt his hand rub my back in a soothing and comforting way, but someone feeling sorry for me was the last thing I needed right now.

It wasn't a foreign feeling anymore. Being at the receiving end of the never-ending pity was the absolute worst. Everywhere I went I was forced into to conversing with people who were trying to be supportive, but really were just suffocating me with their attention.

I thought moving away to a distant college would free from the prison full of constant sympathy and sad looks, but it seems to have climbed in my suitcase and traveled the whole way with me.

Now Theo too?

I know he had no idea what was going on. Theo had no idea why my emotions had more than doubled with every mile we got closer to my hometown. For all he knew he probably just figured it was nerves about seeing my family.

I wish that was all, but sadly the truth was much worse.

The whole situation that had just happened with the Mike kid had only brought down my spirits even more. He was just a troubled kid looking for a way to help out his mom and it all went down the drain. His peers pressured him into doing something extremely ignorant, and now he'll have charges permanently tagged with his every move.

I felt bad for him. I really did, but I guess the past is the past, right?

Which is why I shouldn't be making such a big deal about coming home. Because your previous actions shouldn't define who you are or predict your future. But in my case, it's really difficult to get past everything that's happened. Especially since my actions nearly destroyed my own family in the midst of it all.

I lifted my forehead off the wheel and whipped my head in his direction.

A hateful glare was sent his way before I turned away from him and was about to put the car back into drive when he reached his hand out and stopped me.