now or never - charlie gillespie

chapter thirty five

"Lake?" I heard someone say. I was currently hiding in a corner in the hall just outside the boys' room. I looked up from where I was crouched down and saw Ava standing there. I pulled my sleeve down and wiped my tears away. "What's wrong baby girl?" She said getting down on her knees.

"I told them I couldn't go and then I just ran out. How stupid am I? They came all this way just for me and I-I" I sobbed but Ava raised her hand to my back and began rubbing it.

"Shh. It's okay, we'll figure it all out. Just calm down for a second," I stifled and nodded my head at her. "Can you help me close this room up so we can get the hell out of here?" she asked mischievously.

"Sawyers?" I asked.

"But of course, darling. Where else?" I nodded and followed her into the room. I looked around the room, shocked. The room was spotless.

"Ava... how many rooms have you done today?" I asked.

"All of yours and mine," she shrugged her shoulders. "Why?"

"You did all of the rooms today? Where was this enthusiasm when we worked together?" I asked completely forgetting about how sad I was.

"I'm not completely daft you know. I've watched you do these things a thousand times. And who knows? Maybe I can get a kick ass promotion someday."

Was I hearing things?

"Ava! I'm so proud of you! Look at you," I said pinching her cheeks.

"Alright, alright, that's enough," she said, swatting my hands away. She pointed at the pile of dirty laundry. "Don't tell me you've been gone one day and already forgot how it goes," she teased. I stuck my tongue out at her.

How could I ever leave my life here? It was just too much for me to let go. I couldn't possibly...

After we finished Ava turned in her uniform. We passed Mrs. Roberts room on the way out.

"Have you.." she began to say but I shook my head.

"I'm meeting her tomorrow," I said and she nodded her head. We walked to the car in silence and then she started laughing and shaking her head. "What?"

"You know, I don't get you sometimes," she said, putting the car in reverse.

"What do you mean?" I asked, scrunching my nose in confusion.

"I just don't get you. You say you want to get out, get away from your restrictive father. You get the perfect opportunity to do so, like it's literally hanging by a thread, dangling in front of you and you won't take it!" she screamed.

For a second I had forgotten how passionate Ava was.

"I can't bring myself to leave, Ava. They're my only family. Maybe I was wrong about wanting to leave," I whispered.

"I don't know why I bother with you. You're so frustrating," Ava said, banging her head with her hand.

I sank down low in my chair. The only thing I could hear was the voice in my head saying the one thing I was forcing it to. You're doing the right thing. You're doing the right thing. I just kept repeating that to myself over and over until we arrived at Sawyers.

"We have arrived," Ava yelled, walking through the door. I walked in after her, carefully shutting the door behind me.

"Hey ladies," Jesse said, turning around from his seat on the couch. "Look who's here!"

"Gillespie?" Ava questioned.

"Well if it isn't my favorite passive aggressive girl," I heard someone say. My head snapped in the direction of where the sound came from. Charlie sitting on the chair in the corner.