Little White Lies

Chapter 2
Izzy

After hours of walking, running, sitting, then more running, I finally manage to find the bus station. It’s almost six in the morning now
and I know Joel should be leaving soon. I enter the number to my old phone and stare at the time, waiting for 6 o’clock to pop up. I
glance at the bus schedule on the streetlight pole. I don’t even know where I’m going. My friends don’t know what my life in that
house is like, they don’t know what happens when I leave school, they don’t know what happened all those years ago, and I don’t
plan on telling them. Or anyone. Ever.

My parents and I used to live in Manhattan before Joel came into the picture. My father, Eric Presley, was a lawyer and he worked for
a really big law-firm in the city. My mother used to be a nurse, but she gave that up when we moved in with Joel. She had planned on
taking up a nursing job at the hospital in Buffalo, but life had a different idea for her, for all of us. Marcy Grace-Presley was a lot
different then, she was kind and compassionate and she used to look at me like I was everything she had ever wished for. But Marcy Grace-Shaw looks at Joel that same way now.

My phone vibrates in my hand, pulling me out of my trance. I see the contact pop up on
my screen; it’s my old number.

“Hello?” I say hesitantly. I hope it isn’t my mother, or worse; Joel.

“Izzy?” Kaden’s voice lights up my whole life, instantly putting me at ease.

“Hey, buddy. Are you okay?” I try not to cry. I miss him so much already.

“Yeah. He left just now when he dropped me at school. Where are you?” He’s talking louder now. I can hear the chatter of school
children in the background. I don’t think he gets the full concept of a secret phone call yet. But he’s only five, so that’s understandable.

“I’m at a bus station.”

“Oh.” He sounds disappointed.

“I miss you, Kaden.” The lump in my throat is growing.

“I miss you more, Izzy.” He’s holding back tears, I can hear it, I can feel it.

“How much?” I swallow my tears.

“More than anything in the whole wide world.” He starts sniffing, then he starts crying and I try to pull myself together before I
shatter. I hate when he cries.

“I’m so sorry, Kaden. You know I didn’t mean it. I’ll be back, I promise.”

“Okay” The sadness in his voice pushes me over the edge.

“I’ll be back. I love you okay?” I wipe away my tears with the back of my hand.

“How much?” He says softly, almost like he didn’t want me to hear him.

“More than anything in the whole wide world.” I say it loud, so he knows I mean it.

The call is ended and I shatter into a million pieces. The bus pulls up and I get in and walk straight to the back. I throw my bags onto
the seat. This is going to be hard. Harder than anything in the whole wide world.
 
                                        ***
I’ve been on the bus for over three hours now. I decided that I’d just go to Manhattan for a few days until I figure out what my next
step is. It’s only three hours from Joel’s house in Buffalo and at least I know how to get around. I’ve lived there most of my life
anyway.

There are four people on the bus now and I’ve noticed for the past twenty-minutes that the bus driver keeps looking in his visor at
me. I watched the sunrise and I started sobbing like a damn baby. He’s probably worried that something might be wrong with me, which is mostly true, but that’s none of his business. A few people get off at the stop and the driver looks in his visor again. I meet his gaze and shake my head slightly, indicating that this isn’t the stop I’m getting off at.

I think about my mother and how I’m more sad for her than anything else. She’s living with this man who ruined her life, all our lives for that matter. I don’t know if she’s too afraid to leave him, or if it’s because he has rights over Kaden and she’s afraid of what he’s able to do with those rights. I don’t blame her, I fear that too.

I stare out the window and try to pull myself together. It feels like a dream; just yesterday I was telling Kaden that I’d take him for Pizza and Ice cream. It’s his favourite thing in the whole wide world. God, I miss him. I want to call, but I can’t risk it.

                                    ***
I get off at the next stop and give the bus driver thirty-bucks and jump off. It’s almost ten-in-the-morning now but NYC is surprisingly pretty sunny today. “Great!” I mutter in frustration and the bus pulls away. Not only is it hot and I’m dressed in all black (as always) but I have to carry these bags and it feels like they’re getting heavier every second.

I pass the first block of apartments and come to a halt when I notice someone pulling out of the driveway a little too fast. Before I
have time to yell, my body meets the ground, hard. Ouch. I blink, and wish away the last ten seconds of my life, but it only becomes
more real when his face is close to mine and he’s searching my head for injuries.

“I’m fine.” I say, grabbing onto his hand to lift myself up. “My backpack broke my fall.”

“Are you sure? I’m really sorry. I didn’t see you.” He’s dusting me off. This guy, this stranger is actually touching me, and I’m allowing it, I’m not screaming, because I’m not scared. You hear that brain? I’m not scared that a man is touching me.

I laugh, “I tried to warn you.”

He laughs too, “A little too late for a warning, don’t you think.” He takes a step back.

I finally manage to get a better look at him and I immediately thank God for my eyes. This guy is...gorgeous. I have never believed in magic, buy holy hell I think I might have found it in the form of a human. This human, right here in front of me.

He looks about twenty-one/twenty-two. He has long dark hair that trail just above his shoulders. He has olive skin, and it reminds me of my mother, and myself oddly enough. His pink lips are pursed into a smile. His dark eyes meeting my stare. He’s watching me,
watch him.

“Yeah.” My brain is failing to come up with words. Come on, Izzy! They’re just words.
He seems to notice my inability to produce an actual sentence, so he reaches for my hand and shakes it.

“Alex.” He smiles at me.
I capture his smile with my mental camera and use it as my screensaver. It’s so perfect. It’s the kind of smile that doesn’t hide
anything, it’s unapologetic, it’s simple, but intricate, and it isn’t just a smile, its utter perfection.

“Alex.” I smile at him. Then I realise that I said his name instead of mine. I think I’m still smiling, I don’t know, everything in my body
has stopped functioning.

“Your name is Alex?” He raises an eyebrow in disbelief.

“Huh?” I say, releasing his hand, “No, my name’s Isabella, but everyone calls me Izzy.”

He giggles, watching his feet. I think the sound of him giggling is my new favourite sound.

“Well, Isabella. I’m sorry for hitting you with my car.”

“You’re forgiven, I think.” I smile, but I can feel the sweat trickle down my temple.

“Where are you off to, Isabella?” He points to my suitcase. But his eyes trail along the rest of my body.

“Just a few blocks from here actually.” I say, looking down the road and it feels like Ray’s apartment is further than just a few blocks
from here.

“In that case, I insist on giving you a ride there. It’s the least I can do for almost being the cause of your premature death.” He grabs my suitcase and loads it in the trunk before I can object. I smile, because I wasn’t going to.