Just Hate Me and We'll End It Here

Bailey

I hate him.

I wish I could, anyways… I watch the door close, my eyes having been locked on watching him go…

How I hate his smirk.

But it’s just…so…

“Bailey?”

I visibly jump and twirl to Missy who’s smirking at me. “It was nothing,” I mutter stubbornly.

“It was everything,” she corrects me, walking over with her hand on her hip. “You’re going, Bay.”

“No, I’m not,” I frown.

“You’re acting like a kid,” she rolls her eyes. “You have to go. Because of everything. Him, and him.”

I shudder at the last ‘him’ I know she talks of. Swallowing, I shakily sit down on the sofa. She comes over and sits next to me, putting her arm around my shoulder. “I thought he was gone,” I whisper.

“It was good while it lasted,” she offers. “But come on, they know to watch out for him, now, right? He’ll be caught, I’m sure of it,” she says, but she convinces neither of us.

Slowly I shake my head and drop my face in my hands. “I can’t. I’m too scared. I- I have to go…”

“Go where?” She asks. “I know you won’t do a safe house. And you already took on another name.”

“I… I’ll hide. In the city somewhere. He won’t find me,” I mumble.

“Bailey, come on…”

I shake my head. “No. I can’t do it. Both of them scare me too much to do anything.”

“But something good can turn out if you’re with Alex,” she reasons. “You know, some people can have happily ever afters, you know.”

I laugh scornfully. “There’s no such thing as a fairy tale ending, Missy.”

“You don’t know that,” she says. “And come on. You know you have to. You can’t stay here, not with knowing he’s coming your way.”

“But… but what if he finds you?” I ask. “I can’t do that. I can’t have that happen.”

“I’ll be fine,” she says, rubbing my back, knowing that’s the one thing that calms me down. “I talked to Matheson and he said I should take some safety classes, like karate and stuff. So I’ll do that. Plus he said to get some alarms. Here, and at your place, even though you’ll be gone.

My chin quivers and I bite my lip, my eyes going a little glassy in fear. “Missy… he nearly killed me. He tried to. I can’t… I…”

Missy wraps me in a tight hug. “You’ll be fine,” she soothes me. “Okay? You know you want to go with Alex, understand? So you’ll go. You’re gonna go with Alex. You’ll be going all around the U.S. and constantly on the move, while still having a good time, understand? It’s going to work out. And by the time you return, I just know he’ll be caught, and everything can- it will go back to normal,” she corrects herself.

I let go, and take a deep breath, looking her in the eye. “Promise?”

“I promise,” she nods emphatically.

I swallow hard and stand, shoving my cell phone in my pocket. “You’re right,” I nod. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be safe. I’ll be with Alex. Things will work out right. He loves me.”

“You love him,” she adds helpfully.

I send her a dark look.

“Or…almost…sorry?” she offers.

“Almost…” I muse, thinking about it… but then I shake my head. “There’s no more time,” I realize in a panic. “I’ll never catch him!”

“Yes you will!” Missy slaps my arm. “Find my keys, I’ll call him real fast.”

Hurriedly I nod and start looking around quickly. Missy never leaves her keys in the same spot, where would they be now? I watch as she nods on the phone, talking but I’m too busy to try and listen. After a few minutes, I find them in the pantry behind the cereal.

“Got them!” I cry and rush out to her.

“And Alex is waiting!” She adds, raising her arm in victory. “Let’s go!” And she drags me out.

Rushing, we run to the car where it’s packed with two suitcases plus a backpack… what? Missy packed for me, duh. Don’t know where I’ll be able to put it all, but there we have it.

The engine... doesn’t start. “No!” I slam the stupid piece of crap. “Work, stupid!” I hit it a few more times as Missy hurriedly tries to make it work. “I’ll kill you if you don’t work!” I snap.

It starts.

We shout in victory and Missy cheers as we start on the road. Quickly I try to calm my breathing. I’m really going… I’m seriously doing this, aren’t I?