Someone Willing to Stay

We're Leaving

"Wake up, Melanie. Get up!"
I jolt awake, looking around with blurry vision.
Adam is standing in front of my bed, he has my suitcase on the floor, throwing clothes into the bag and mumbling under his breath.
"What? What's going on?" I ask tiredly.
My clock reads seven in the morning, I have another two hours before I have to be up to go with mom and Adam to put flowers on Steven's grave.
      "We have to go." He snaps, walking over to my dresser to get more clothes.
      "What are you doing?"
      "We're leaving."
      I'm so confused, "On vacation?"
      "Damnit Melanie, Mom left. She's gone. She didn't go to work last night, she left you," he seethes, "she finally got sick of you. Child services is going to be here any minute to take you away, so we have to go.
      I sit up straight.
She left. You finally drove her away. She doesn't love you anymore. And it's all your fault.
       "No, she wouldn't."
      I feel like I can't breathe as I watch him out more of my clothes I got he bag.
      "Are you saying I lied? We knew this would happen eventually, Melanie, you know I'm the only one who can even tolerate you, let alone love you."
      My hand subconsciously goes to touch the bracelet on my wrist.
      "Just let me call her," I sob, "she wouldn't leave me."
       "Get the fuck up, and pack your damn bag." Adam shouts, reaches across the bed and grabs me by my hair, pulling me into the floor.
       I grab at his hands and try to pry his fingers off.
      He throws me to the ground, "They're going to take you away from me, Melanie! Do you want that? Do you?"
      I shake my head between sobs.
Mom left. She left.
      "Pack your bag, we're leaving in five minutes."
I watch him storm out.
I've known for years that the longer mom stayed the more it would just be delaying the inevitable. It was only a matter of time before she got sick of me.
I thought I was prepared. But I'm not. I'm not prepared for my mother to leave and never look back. She's all I have.
Adam is all you have.
What about Mason?
I shake my head.
I don't have time to think about could be's. Mason isn't my family. Adam is. And I don't want to be taken away from him. I never wanted that in the first place. So in a way, this is better. I don't have to leave him, and he won't get taken away.
I wipe my tears and stand up shakily.
He's packed most of my clothes already, so I go into the bathroom to grab my toothbrush and other things.
I grab the birthday presents that Riley got me.
When I'm done, I meet Adam downstairs.
"What about Riley and Claire? What do I tell them?"
"You don't tell them anything," he orders, "from now on, you don't speak to them, you don't contact them. You don't know them."
"But-"
He has no patience today. The slap to my check lets me know to shut my mouth and keep my head down.
"Go take your stuff outside and wait in the car." He says quietly.
I nod.
This is for the best. Now I don't have to worry about people leaving me all the time. It's just me and Adam, us against the world, like it always has been.
Just like it should be.
Ever since I was little I've know it would end up like this. So I don't understand why I have to keep wiping tears away.
      Adam comes outside a few minutes later, getting into the car without a word.
      "When are we coming back?" I ask him.
      He looks over at me as we back out of the driveway, "Never."
      And I watch the house I grew up in become a distant blue dot on a sad gray canvas.
       "This is going to be a good thing, you'll see," Adam grins, "child services would just take you away and you lock you up until you turn eighteen. Then you'd be all alone. You don't want to be alone, right?"
     "No, Adam."
      "You have me. And I have you. We're never going to be alone, you'll see. We're going to be fine."
      His voice is frantic. It's like he's trying to convince himself that the words he says are true.
      I believe him. Of course I do. Adam has never lied to me before.
      "We're going to be fine." I tell him.
      I look down at my hands and eye the silver bracelet. I brush against it with my fingertips.
Love, Mason.
      I didn't even get to say goodbye. But I guess that doesn't matter now. Nothing does.
     "We can travel the country, just me and you. I know you've always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, right?"
      I nod.
      "And Hollywood? Maybe we'll see some celebrities."
      "Sounds great."
      "Can't you just be grateful?" He snaps.
      "I am! I am," I rush out, "I'm just hurt."
He sighs, rubbing a hand through his hair, "All you need is me, Melanie. We just need each other."
He needs you.
I need him.
"I love you, you know that right? We didn't have a choice." Adam tells me.
"I love you too." I whisper.
I wonder where my dad is right now. I wonder if he ever thinks about me. He was the first person to leave, and he wasn't the last. Is my mom thinking about him? Thinking about all of the nights that she reassured me it wasn't my fault.
Daddy just has to work some things out.
What about you, Mom? Because I always knew this would happen, I just never saw it coming.
It hurts a lot worse that I thought it would after preparing all these years.
Suddenly, my phone buzzes in my pocket.
I look down, slowly pulling it out so I can see it. There's a text message.
My breath hitches in my throat.
I look over at Adam and back down the text, reading it again.
This doesn't make any sense.

Mom
Where are you guys, I          have the flowers ready. Are you at the cemetery already??

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Cliffhangers are my favorite things.

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