This Can't Be Good

Chapter 37 (Parker's POV)

I let Josylne walk away from me. I have no idea why I did but I let her storm away from me, angry and irrational. I really fucked up this time. Dammit just when things were getting good something always had to go wrong.

I was still in the hallway but instead of pacing I was staring blankly at the exit. I lost track of time when she left. I knew the dance must have ended but I couldn’t muster up the strength to walk back to my car. My mind just kept going through the conversation.

I was knocked out of my trance when my phone rang. I looked at the illuminated screen to find ‘Dad’ scrolling across the screen. Fuck! I’m supposed to be at the airport.

“Dad?” I answered hesitantly.

“Parker? Where the hell are you?” my dad asked in a not so kind tone. “The plane starts boarding in twenty minutes!”

There was no way I was getting to the airport in twenty minutes, not that I really wanted to go anyway. I couldn’t tell them that though.

“Sorry dad something came up and I had to handle it. There’s no way I can get to the airport in twenty minutes...just go without me. I’ll figure something out.”

“Dammit Parker. Don’t even bother trying to get up here.”

“Dad I-” I was cut off by the line going dead. Wonderful. Now not only is my girlfriend mad at me so is my family. Tonight is fantastic.

It turns out it was ten minutes to midnight so I started walking back to my car. I was at the dance early so my car wasn’t too far of a hike. I got in, turned it on and then sat there idle. I didn’t know where to go. There was no way I was going home. I needed to avoid another fight with Josylne. I reached into my pocket to find my phone. I had a miss call from Max from an hour ago, when the dance ended. I started to dial his number but stopped. I had dragged Max in the middle of my problems far too many times. Instead I started driving to no where in particular. I turned the radio all the way up and just drove.

An hour later I found myself a couple towns over. It was getting later and I was getting more tired. I decided to park the car in some 24 hour diner’s parking lot. I reclined my seat as far back as I could and fell asleep.

My phone started vibrating from the cup holder I placed it in. I instinctively reached for it, the screen partially blinding me. It was three thirty in the morning meaning I had only been asleep for two hours. I groaned answering.

“Hello?” I ask groggily.

I had forgotten to check who was calling when I check the time so I was taken aback when Max voiced boomed from the other line. “Parker!”

“Max? Its three thirty in the morning. Why are you calling?”

“Parker where are you?”

“What do you mean where am I?” I didn’t want to lie to Max but if he thought I was in New York than I was just going to go with it.

“Parker quit playing games. I know you’re not in New York and I know you’re not at home. Where the hell are you?”

Fuck. “Like two towns over in some parking lot,” I confessed.

“Why?”

“Its a long story.”

“Well, you better start talking then.”

“Max its three thirty in the morning I need sleep!” I was getting irritated. All I wanted to do was sleep but by the way Max was acting I knew that was going to be a long shot.

“You should have thought about that when you drove two towns over and found yourself in some parking lot. Get your ass to my house.”

For the second time tonight I was hung up on. Why did I have to pick up the god damn phone? Despite everything I turned the car on and drove over to Max’s house. It was going to be a long night or rather day.