Secret Lovers(HOLD)

Something Like a Fugitive

H A R L E Y :

My chest is burning and I can barely breathe; heart racing, feet barely touching the ground as I run faster than I've ever had to. I don't know where I'm going. All I want to do is get away. As I run down the not-so-busy sidewalk, people look at my inquiring about why I'm running so fast. I wonder what I would say should someone ask me aloud.

Oh, my mother is in labor. I have to get to the hospital, quickly.

My brother's been in an accident.

Who am I kidding? Like anyone cares what I'm doing or why I'm doing it. It seems I've forgotten how society works these days. I haven't exactly gotten a chance to figure it out, what with being locked in my room; can't go outside, no sleepovers. Am I too old for those kinds of things? I've forgotten that, too.

Eventually, I stop running. I'm not exactly sure where I am. Honestly, all I'm really focused on is trying to catch my breath. My adrenaline is pumping and I feel like I'm on a very high cloud. I wonder if this is what people feel like when they go sky diving or when Usain Bolt is racing towards the finsih line. Finish line. I don't really have one of those right now, do I?

I don't know why. I struggly to control the urge, but I start laughing; and quite hysterically. Am I insane? I feel like I've done something really bad, but I feel great. My entire body is tingling. This is so bad. Mom is going to kill me.

If she finds you.

My conscience voices its unknowingly needed opinion. I shake the voice out of my head. It's right, though...

Then reality hits me square in the face with a vengeful seriousness.

I have no plan. I have no where to go. What can I possibly do? I look around and take in my surroundings, which I haven't done since I stopped running. I'm in front of an italian restaurant. Denario's. I wipe the sweat off of my forhead and walking inside. I sit at a random table and pull out my cell phone. I scroll through my contacts and atop at the first promising name.

Cloud.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Yep?" Cloud answers.

"Cloud?" I call her name, as if wondering if it could actually be her on the other side of the line.

"Oh, hey, Harley!"

"Yeah, hey." I say, hesitantly, questioning what I'm about to say next.

"Whatsup? You sound like your're out of breath. You okay?" Cloud asks.

"No, no. I was actually calling to tell you that I changed my mind about going to get a bite to eat with you guys today." I say, shutting my eyes.

There's no way she'll let me go now, after I've denied her so many other times previously.

"REALLY!?" She screeches into the phone. I pull it away from my ear for a second and replace it when I can't hear her excited screaming.

"That's great. So, you wanna go?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure where you want to-"

"Me and Sam are still at the shop. Tell me where you are and I'll come grab you." Cloud offers.

I guess that was my best option. I couldn't risk going back to the coffee shop. My mom has, by now, gotten there. She's probably looking for me, now.

"Yeah, I'm at an Italian restaurant." I say.

"Harley. There are plenty of those around here. What's it called, silly?"

"Umm," I look around the restaraunt. "Denario's."