The Long Journey Ahead

That following Sunday, I met Casey at a nearby candy shop. I bought chocolate and nibbled on some while waiting for her. She told me to meet her exactly half an hour ago; so where is she? Of course, this would be a trick. Why did I even listen to her? She's his ex for Christ's sake!

I turned my heel, beginning my way home.

"Jes come back here!"

There was Casey! How wonderful. She spent wasted minutes of my life apologizing for not coming at the right time. It was something about her parents made her clean her room before they would give her money for New York City. I wasn't listening completely. I just wanted to get all of this done.

We walked to the train station. Big surprise there. I'm starting to think this place loves me. It always finds a way to draw me towards it. Those Path trains used to look so inviting. Now, they make me want to cry. They're the cause of everything. They had to take me here. I could've been on the other side of the country but I decided I had to stop at Belleville. Now I'm stuck in Belleville and as much as I want to leave, I can't. I can't tear myself away from Frank and Mrs. Iero.

Casey led us down a flight of stairs to the subway. When going to New York City, you just have to take the subway. That's what she told me numerous times, at least.

The ride there was silent. I don't know if she expected me to talk to her like we were the best of friends, but I sure hope she knows I don't trust her. I bet she's going to leave me in New York, go back to Belleville, and tell Frank that I ran again when she was spending time with me. Then if I ever find my way back home, all my stuff is gone and Frank and Mrs. Iero are going to tell me they can't trust me anymore because I promised them I wouldn't run again.

I sighed when Casey told me our stop was coming up. We walked up the pee infested steps to the outside world. We ended up in Times Square. It was extremely gorgeous and I wanted to stay longer and see all the lights but Casey pulled on my hand.

We walked many blocks in complete silence until Casey stopped me mid-walk. She had a huge grin on her face. A huge grin that really scared me.

"You don't belong anywhere else in New York but here. This place is a Rocker's mall complete with every kind of clothing you'll ever want. This is The Village."

What was the point with the introductions? This place looks exactly like the other parts of New York City we passed. When I didn't respond to her, she pulled on my hand again and pushed me into a store. It was called Trash and Vaudeville.

I walked around, looking at all the clothes. They did have nice clothes. They had all the different types of jeans, sweaters, shoes, and some shirts. Casey left me to go to the back. I didn't complain.

A few minutes later, she walked to me and pulled on my hand. "I think you'll like the things they have upstairs better," she muttered, taking me out of the store. We went up the stairs to the upstairs of the place.

I was floored with so many bright colors. A smile spread on my face as I looked at the unique shirts they had here. "I like it here," I told her.

She smiled triumphantly and led me to the back of the store. We were stuck in a room with dresses and corsets. I always wanted one.

After a few hours of shopping throughout The Village, Casey and I decided to rest. As much as I hate to admit it, I like Casey. Maybe she didn't have any bad intentions with taking me here. Maybe she really does only want to help me out.

After I was done shopping, Casey took me around Times Square, showing me all the stores here. I wanted to go to the Hershey's store but I knew I'd burn a hole in my wallet if I bought anything else.

"Thank you for all of this Casey," I told her, smiling.

She looked back at me, smiling too. "You're welcome. I'm glad you don't think I'm out to get you. I'm really not. I-"

"Casey run!" I screamed, jaywalking across the street. She ran along side me, looking over her shoulder.

"Where are we going?" she asked, short of breath.

I kept running. Every few steps, I looked back to make sure she was still next to me. We kept running and running, pushing past people. Finally, we reached a small outlet mall with barely any people there. I sat on the floor, trying to regain my breath. Casey sat next to me, rubbing my back as I coughed.

"Jes, why did we run?" she asked.

I swallowed saliva. I should tell her. "I saw someone I know," I whispered.

"Someone back...there?"

I nodded. She bit her lip and rubbed my back some more. What are the odds of me seeing someone I used to see everyday here? There's millions of people here and I just happen to see him? That's scary.

"Jes!"

Casey and I turned around, finding him there. Fuck.