Locked Away (Preview)

Chapter 10

As the hours of the day dragged on, Kara spent the entirety of them in bed while all she could think about was Jesse. Reflecting on how she had just left him there at the airport terminal all by himself. She had kicked him out of the car, likely thinking she was a bitch, especially since he had supposedly taken care of her the entire night. Who does something like that? Kara wondered as she laid there, partially dressed in her bed. Reaching over, she unlocked her phone and then turned the brightness down so it didn't interfere with her lingering migraine. Focusing on her head, she suddenly knew something was out of place and that she still had Jesse's hat on from when they were back at the hotel.

"Shit, did he want this? Is that why he leaned toward me in the car?" Kara mumbled to herself as she took the black hat off and looked at it.

Maybe I really was in the wrong. Kara questioned, knowing that somehow she'd have to give him his hat back. Her headache was worse than she had thought since she couldn't even feel the hat on her head till now. Placing it on the nightstand beside the bed, she looked back at her phone and went into the ask me anything app. Kara didn't know what she would be looking for, though. A message from Jesse was always a possibility, but she really just needed something to distract her from reality.

Kara had no real purpose but couldn't fall asleep while her brain was occupied with its never-ending headache. She just needed something when suddenly her feed shot down and revealed a new message that had been sent to her. Swiping the notification, the message appeared, and the sender was none other than Jesse. Hey, girl. I just got home and wanted to know if I could get my hat back sometime; also, do you want to be my girlfriend? Reading the words made it feel like Kara's emotions were stuck in her throat. Her pulse was aggressive and seemed as if it was trying to force her heart out of her chest.

Hesitating to type a reply, she started to get in her head. He isn't mad? How could he not be mad after what I did? Kara wondered in disbelief but was once again excited. Her digital boyfriend was back, and that's when it finally clicked in her head. Jesse was, in fact, her boyfriend. He had asked her out, and Kara had said yes to him. Then he confirmed it again when he told her in the hotel. Yet, Kara had cold-shouldered him with no hesitation. She felt like she acted stupidly, but Jesse was giving her a second chance that she didn't feel she deserved. The least that she could do was try to be flirtatious.

"You can take your hat back next time I see you when I'm visiting your city," Kara whispered the words to herself. While in her head, she was becoming a giddy and wondered what he was doing at that exact moment.

A few minutes of pure silence passed as Kara waited. Wondering if maybe he went to take a shower or empty his dishwasher. There was an endless amount of possibilities. Except in reality, it didn't take long for her to get a message in return. I'd love to have you in town; let me know when and I'll pick you up. An immediate smile flashed on Kara's face, and she couldn't believe how happy she was. The only doubt was which form of Jesse she was in love with, the real-life version or the digital one she had imagined in her head. Either way, Kara needed to see him again to know for sure.

Taking a deep breath to settle her nerves and doing her best to relax. She had never been more thankful for her mother to be dead than at that moment. Ryan and Kara had both been gifted a sum of money, while the rest went to Ginnie and Greg to cover some of the child support costs. It wasn't much, but everyone took their share, and it would all be used to help raise Ryan. Meanwhile, Kara was already looking at getting a job for the summer and moving out before the new school year started in the fall. Kara would be leaving Ryan behind, but she'd also have her own place where no one could tell her what to do.

The thought of it all made Kara smile as she went to a travel website and started looking for plane tickets. Finding what appeared to be the cheapest one with the date closest to the end of summer. She didn't hesitate to book a round trip while giggling like a little kid. Kara couldn't believe that she was actually going to do this, and all by herself to boot. She had to, though; that way, she'd know that when she moved out, all of this would've been for something. As well as letting her be able to move on and not feel like she needed to have someone hold her hand through life.