I Promise

Chapter 1

I have been driving for two days straight, only stopping to fill up on gas and grab something quick to eat from the gas station. I was headed to the golden coast and I was determined to put as much space between Chicago and I as possible. I was hoping to land somewhere in California. In Chicago, it was always so cold, I wanted to be somewhere where it'd always be warm. I've been traveling on route 66, which I can finally cross off my bucket list because I've been wanting to do it for so long. At least one good thing came out of this breakup.

The sun was just coming up and I could see it over the horizon. I knew I was just miles away from California and I started getting a little anxious. I wasn't sure exactly where I was going but i knew it had to be off the radar. I would go to my dad's house in L.A, but that's too large, and busy of a city. Plus, Jeremy would come looking for me there.

As a child, when my mom was still alive, we would go camping in a small town called Beacon Hills. I was considering getting an apartment, or maybe even a small house there. It was close enough where if I wanted or even needed to see my dad, I could. Yet far enough away where the odds of Jeremy coming to look for me there were very slim.

I finally reached L.A after about another hour of driving to see my dad. I was seriously hoping he was home since I couldn't call him. I left my entire life, including my cell phone, back in Chicago.

I arrived at his small beach side home and rang the doorbell. I heard a bit of shuffling before the door opened a crack. Through the crack, I could see an eyeball, then I heard a gasp.

"Stiles! What are you doing here?" He said as the door swung open, welcoming me into the house. Immediately, I could smell him burning my favorite scented candle, cinnamon apple.

"Hi dad." I could only imagine how confused he was by the expression on his face.

"What are you doing here? Why didn't you call? Where's Jeremy? Is he in the car?" He asked.

I looked at him for a minute. I could feel the tears gathering in my eyes. I suddenly remembered what happened just two short days ago. At that moment, I couldn't contain myself any longer. The tears started streaming down my face.

My dad grabbed me, pulling me in for a reinforcing hug. I sobbed into his police uniform, damping the tan shirt. I stood there, crying for a good minute. After I pulled myself together, he asked me again.

"Stiles, tell me what happened."

I calmed down and told him everything. "And I think I'm going to go and find an apartment or something in Beacon Hills." I told him.

"If you need any help with anything, you call me. Anything." He said firmly.

"All I have is my jeep, and a small satchel of clothes. I left my phone and everything else." I sighed. "I was going to looks for places today." It was only 9:30 a.m. so there had to be relators working today.

"Do you want me to come with you?" He offered.

"Yeah, sure." I said, accepting his invitation.

"Okay. I'll call off work, then I'll change and we can go out to breakfast. You look starved; when's the last time you ate?" He asked.

"The last full meal I ate was the night I left. I've been eating little things from gas stations these past two days though." I said hesitantly. He gasped.

"Okay, I'll hurry." Then he ran up the stairs.

The house looked the same since the day I left to go live with Jeremy. I loved the fact that my dad still burned my favorite candles. It made me feel right at home. He still had all my t-ball pictures all the way up until my high school graduation photo. He still had every picture of my mother too. Even though he's been talking to another woman, he will never take down her photos.

I heard him walking towards the stairs so I grabbed my keys from the coffee table next to the door.

"What do you think you're doing?" My dad asked descending from the stairs.

"Grabbing my keys, so that we can go?" I said confused.

"You just drove for two days straight. You take a breather and I'll drive." He said grabbing his keys.

"Okay" I smiled and we walked out the door.