Eleutheromania (GXG)

3: "Run Free"

Tay's POV:

I ran inside, but stopped in my tracks once I was inside. I heard the TV on in the living room.

Fuck. Are my parents home?!

Why wouldn't they be home dumbass? It's past midnight and they live here.

Just play it cool.

I casually strolled into the living area to find my dad sitting in front of the television eating chicken and watching football. I rolled my eyes. Eighteen years of me being his daughter he was still eating some sort of heavy, Southern food while watching football. I walked up to him. He didn't notice me. He was too busy sloppily shoveling mashed potatoes into his widely opened mouth. "Dad." I said. "Papa." "Father." "Sperm Provider." I groaned. I walked around him and stood directly in front of the TV.

"Hey! I'm watching that!" he yelled. I sighed, irritated that I wasn't with my girlfriend.

"I understand that. Luckily the remote has a rewinding option. Yay, AT&T!" I commented dryly. He raised an eyebrow at me. I could tell he wanted me to watch my tone, but I was eighteen for fuck's sake. Screw those ancient rules intended for children. "Daddy...Um, Can I sleep over at Race's tonight? We just want to do girly things and reminisce on high school."

"No." He retorted, emotionlessly. I bit my lip, angrily.

C'mon, dad. Budge. I need to have an excuse to be gone and not sneak out.

"Well, okay, I guess. It's just that everyone else in the Senior Class of 2019 is out at some loud, drunken, drugged up party, while I just planned to be with my best friend of ten years and watch old movies. It's okay. I guess I'll just go write. Maybe unpack my backpack. I dunno." I slowly slumped up the stairs for emotional affect and so that he would give in while I was still somewhat downstairs. About eight steps up, I heard his final verdict.

"Taylor." I turned around, false ignorance covering my face.

"Yes, daddy ?" I answered in a child like voice. I could see that I'd melted his heart by the determined look in his eyes. He was determined to make me happy. He always wanted to make me happy, no matter what. Now, if I asked to go smoke crack behind the local CVS, he wouldn't allow that, but anything seemingly harmless, he would give in. He let out a deep breath, probably regretting his decision, but I didn't care.

"You...can go to Ra-"

"Thanks!" I interjected, dashing upstairs excitedly. I kicked open my poster covered bedroom door, ran into my poster cloaked bedroom, whipped open my poster concealed closet door, and grabbed my backpack. To the unknowing eye, it just looked like a stuffed hiking pack. To the aware eye, it was a hiking backpack stuffed with a few clothes, a towel, four phone chargers, eight hundred thousand dollars- half in cash, half on credit card, some earned, some more to as a present, some taken from my college funds-, and an extra bra. It was very light to me, considering I'd been practicing on how to walk with it facing my stomach since I was fifteen. I wanted the backpack to be facing me, so that I could see it at all times and not get robbed easily. It had a combination lock on it. No one could guess it. It was the number of syllables in Race's and my full name. 2-2-1 for my name. 1-3-2 for Race. Together, the combination on my backpack was 2-2-1-1-3-2.  I got a little beach bag and filled it with blankets and my pillow. I slipped on the hiking pack, and clutched the bag intended for vacationing as well as I could and headed downstairs.