When sixteen-year-old Chase Henderson moves away from his old home, he doesn't expect to make friends. He was always the loner at home, so why should the small town of Ledgewood be any different? He doesn't need anyone like that to talk to, anyway...
just so you know i changed the title of this book!
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i feel like this title is much more fitting for the storyline
okay now to the chapter lol
•••
The oncoming hours were taken up mostly by driving. After a brief stop at PETSMART for a leash, a collar, and dog food, we poured a generous helping of food for Blitzen. It was unceremonious for his first meal with us, his food inhaled in the span of two minutes. Heidi was practically glowing with pride for our new dog.
We had one incident within a few hours in which we decided to let Blitzen out of the car to do his business. Not long after pulling over, we were on a main highway that was flooded with traffic.
Now, I groaned frustratedly for what must have been the twentieth time as I put the slightest bit of weight on the gas petal, the car inching forward before I had to stop again.
"Chase," Just said calmly, "you don't have to be at this place at a certain time, right?"
"No," I muttered, my fingers tightening on the steering wheel, "but I want to get there as soon as possible."
"Can you at least hint at where we're going?" Heidi sighed exhasperatedly.
"Idaho," I said flatly. I could practically hear her rolling her eyes.
"Not what I meant, and you know it."
"Does it really matter?" I asked.
"I mean, we did come all the way out here with you without knowing what we were getting into."
"I didn't ask you to come."
She went quiet after that. I felt bad, but what I'd said was true. They were the ones who insisted on coming. Something inside was telling me it wouldn't hurt to tell them what my intentions were, but the thought still made me nauseous. That was a lot of negative family history I did not want to get into. Not now.
"I'm sorry," I muttered, my hands tightening around the wheel yet again. I could hear Just shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
Traffic didn't let up for quite a while. It was another hour before we were driving at a speed that was faster than a crawling pace. I was still grumpy from the holdup. Heidi fell asleep again after a while, Blitzen cautiously sniffing at our bags of road trip snacks before giving me the stink eye via rear view mirror. With that, he curled up on the seat, resting his head on Heidi's knee and closing his eyes. I rolled my eyes. Even the dog was upset with me.
"Are you okay?" Just asked quietly.
"Yeah," I sighed. "I'll tell Heidi this when she wakes up, but we're going to see my dad." I glanced over to look for a reaction from him, but there was none, and I was relieved for that. "I don't wanna get into the reasons."
"Thanks for telling me." That was the most relieving reaction I could have gotten from him. This made me relax a little.
It wasn't long before he fell asleep, too, his head hanging to the side as dead weight. I almost winced. That would probably be achey when he woke up, so I reached across and carefully lifted his head into a more upright position, being as careful as I could with one hand on the wheel and my eyes on the road. I didn't know if he was a light sleeper.
With that, I clutched the steering wheel, driving on in silence.
•••
By the time Heidi woke up, we were in Idaho. We had just crossed the border, and it was about 4:30. The sun would be setting soon. If we arrived in Troy after nightfall, we would have to sleep in the car or stay in a motel. I didn't want to confront my father at night, nor did I want to go around town asking for the man in the late hours of the night. But it seemed as though we'd arrive after the sun set. I sighed.
"What's wrong?" Heidi asked sleepily from the back.
"Nothing," I said, keeping my eyes on the road. "I'm sorry for exploding earlier. We're going to Idaho to find my dad, but the reason for that is kind of personal."
"I completely overreacted, Chase. I was tired, and I've been really stressed lately... I shouldn't have pushed you so far." She sighed heavily. "I just didn't know what we were doing, and I didn't really realize that until that moment... Just and I shouldn't have pressured you into bringing us with you, either. It sounds like this is something you'd be better at handling on your own, and I'm so sorry we butted in."
"Hey, don't be sorry." I smiled a little. "This has been a great experience so far." Of course, we would have to see how the next few days would turn out, but so far, it was the truth. "I've had a lot of fun with you guys. Thanks for coming and being so supportive."
"You deserve it. Good luck on whatever you have to do here. Just and I are right behind you no matter what happens."
My smile widened significantly, and I looked out at the road. Since it was winter, the sun was already beginning to set, the blue sky blending into a soft, barely-there shade of pink and orange at the horizon.
Just woke up about five minutes later, yawning and stretching like he always did. "Man, I was out for a long time."
"You needed it," I reasoned, and he looked at me with narrow eyes.
"I really don't. You've gotten practically no sleep on this trip."
"I don't get much sleep as it is, and I don't like sleeping in vehicles, so I'm fine."
"What do you mean, you don't get much sleep?" he demanded, and I was quick to change the subject.
"Look, do you guys still wanna pull over somewhere to walk around and stretch our legs?" I asked. "We could pull over here. It doesn't seem to be a busy road, and it's mostly just fields and farmland here, so if we park on the side of the road, we should be all set."
"Sounds good to me," Heidi said, and Just nodded in agreement. Heidi's voice went softer for a moment. "I'm going to take some time to walk Blitzen down the road. I wanna call my mom. Talk to her for a while, tell her where we are. I haven't answered her texts, and there are a lot. I'll stay close to the car." Her voice was thick with emotion, and I could understand why. My mom had probably called about seventy times since I'd left, sending infinite urgent texts asking where I was, when I would be home, if I was okay, where she could come to find me. I didn't want to worry her, but she couldn't know about what I was going to do until after the deed was done. She'd try to stop me. Someone had to talk some sense into my father, and I knew it wouldn't be her. If I responded to her before this was over, the questions would overflow, and I wouldn't be able to answer a single one. I felt a pang in my chest.
"That's okay," I told Heidi, slowing down and pulling to the edge of the road, letting the tires on the right side of the car rest in the grass as we rolled to a stop. "Take all the time you need."
She nodded quickly before grabbing her phone and Blitzen's leash, stepping out of the car and slamming the door behind her. I sighed.
"Well, let's go," Just said. "I don't know about you, but I really need to walk around."
•••
sorry for the filler hopefully the next chapter will be better,,,
