Love, Scars, & Shooting Stars

Chapter Sixty-One

Finn sat on the sidewalk, watching the feet of strangers scurry by as he waited for his fate to arrive. His mother was on her way, there was no doubt about it—he could sense her approach the way Yoda senses a disturbance in The Force. At the same time, his father was getting further away, on a first-class flight to California with no intention of ever coming back.

How did everything get so messed up? Finn wondered. All I wanted was a normal family; is that really so much to ask?

Well, obviously 'normal' wasn't going to happen, and if they couldn't all be together, they should at least be happy, right? And at the time, leaving seemed to be the best way to accomplish that, although he hadn't realized that it would mean moving to California. But Finn would've gone, and everyone would be better off: His dad could have his big break and be a dad; his mom could stop working herself to death trying to support both of them, and just focus on her own life for a change; and Cameron... well, Finn knew that Cam would gladly be there to watch out for his mom. It had all seemed so simple the night before, when he'd been lying in bed, listening to his mother crying in the next room. Finn had known then that she'd never allow herself to be happy as long as he was around, and when she'd taken off in her car moments later, he'd known that it might be his only chance to make things right. He and Zoey had fantasized about a trip to Comic Con one day, going so far as to research travel options, so he'd known that there was a bus station less than thirty miles from Lloyd's Harbor. His mom had more than enough tip money stashed away in the freezer to pay for a ticket, as well as the taxi he would need to get to the depot, and he'd gotten his dad's address weeks ago from an internet search on the library's computer. Of course, he hadn't planned on using it to run away in the middle of the night but, at the time, it seemed like his only option.

But in the light of day, sitting alone on the sidewalk outside of his father's former residence, he could see the glaring flaws in his plan. He hadn't considered the possibility that his father didn't want him, in California or anywhere else. And he'd been a fool to believe that his mother would just let him leave, that she wouldn't track him to the ends of the Earth if necessary. Geez, she'd practically had a panic attack over leaving him at the movie theater with his own father, and that was only five miles from home!

She's probably freaked right now, Finn thought, suddenly feeling worse for his mother than he did for himself. Sure, she was a pain sometimes, but she'd done the best she could for him, and he knew that she didn't deserve any of this, either. Hopefully he'd get a chance to tell her that... you know, before she killed him.

A shadow fell over the cement sidewalk, and Finn knew without even looking that it was her. He took a deep breath and exhaled, summoning the courage to raise his eyes to hers. She didn't speak as she crouched down before him, and a hundred possible justifications rushed through his mind as he slowly lifted his head. Finally, he met her gaze, prepared to launch into a lengthy defense of his actions, but when he opened his mouth, only three words tumbled out.

"I'm sorry, Mom," he managed, before completely breaking down.