Run

Chapter 2

After about an hour or so, I pass a sign saying I had just left New York, and I was now in Pennsylvania. I let out a sigh of relief, already starting to feel a bit better.
That is until I hear my phone chime. I look down at it, and not surprisingly, it's Jess.
"I'm so sorry, please talk to me," it reads.
God will she just give it up?
Here I am trying to forget that my best friend since 2nd grade was secretly seeing my boyfriend of 2 years behind my back for months, but yet she keeps texting me about it.
Great.
At least she cares enough to try and fix things between us. Meanwhile Dylan hasn't even texted since I found out. I quickly grab my phone and put it on airplane mode so no notifications come through.
I try to push the thought of her out of my mind, not to successfully of course.
I can't stop thinking back to that one day, only a week ago, just days before break-when I was hanging out at Dylan's house.
He had left his phone on the couch when he had gotten up to get a drink.
Just jokingly I had grabbed his phone and opened up the camera roll to scroll through some of the pictures we had taken together.
I remember exactly what happened next.
Suddenly I started coming across pictures of him and Jess.
I thought that was kind of weird.
I opened up his texts between him and Jess, and my stomach dropped.
He was cheating on me with my best friend.
I didn't have much time to process anything, because almost right away he walked back into the room.
He saw me sitting there, his phone in my hand, and tears in my eyes, and his smile disappeared.
"What are you-" he began.
Before he could finish I threw his phone down and pushed past him, leaving his house and slamming the door behind me.
That was the last time I saw him.
He hasn't called or texted since.

I push the memory from my mind and glance at the clock.
6:25.
I should probably stop to eat soon.
I pull off the road into an Applebee's.
I sit down at one of the tables in the corner. I can't help but feel pathetic- this is my first, and probably not my last time ever eating alone at a restaurant.
I order some nachos and check my phone while I eat.
Missed call from Jess and Mom.
A half hour later I've already paid and tipped, and transferred the rest of my nachos to a takeout box.
When I get into my car I pull out my phone and text my mom,
"Sorry, can't talk right now. Call you tomorrow."
She responds immediately,
"Okay. Love you, be safe."
I start up the car and pull back onto the road. The sun has just finished setting. It's now I realize that I still don't have a plan. I don't know where I'm going, how long I'm going to be, or what I'll do when I get back to school-if I even get back before it's over.

At around 9:30 I pull into a Starbucks and order myself an iced coffee with two shots of espresso- I had decided that I would drive through the night, or least as long as I could manage without falling asleep at the wheel.

I sip on my coffee as I drive through the last stretch of Pennsylvania.
I look around at the surrounding darkness, only lit up by towering street lights and passing cars.
I realized how safe I felt.
More safe than I would've felt at home with all this drama going on.
Safe and at ease-a feeling I didn't think I could have while driving alone at 10 o'clock at night, hyped up on caffeine, with no idea where I was headed.
It was that feeling that kept me driving until one in the morning.
At that point I had gotten so tired I could barely keep my eyes open.
I managed to find a pharmacy that was open all night and parked there. I reclined my chair and tried to sleep, but I felt too exposed knowing anyone could look in the window and and see me.
I moved into the back and laid across all 3 seats , covering myself with a spare sweatshirt for warmth.
Lets just put it simply and say that I did not sleep to well.