Someday

I was lying on my back in my bed when I heard it. I was just letting my mind wander as I waited for it to get dark and my parents to fall asleep. It was the only time I felt semi-normal, or even okay. It was quiet and eerie, but in a good way. I was about to check the time again when the light, little pings started on my window.

It scared me at first. I sat up and my eyes went straight to the clock. Ten-thirty flashed at my face as I swung my legs over and hurried to my window. The sound made no sense and I was worried it might be too loud and would wake my parents.

I kneeled on the window seat and quickly pulled my curtain aside. Its dark out, but I can make out a familiar figure. There on my front yard stood a goofy, grinning boy. I furrowed my eyebrows but I couldn’t stop the smile that spread on my face, like his was contagious. It’d been a week since I last saw him. I found it slightly odd that I hadn’t seen him much lately. I usually saw him every day after school; he’d stop at the driveway and wave.

Now he was standing in my front yard, hands waving above his head as he had the widest grin I’d ever seen. I placed my hand on the glass to signal a returning wave. He bent over once he knew he had my attention and picked up his dry erase board from the ground. It was too dark out to read the words, until a light appeared. That’s when I realized there was another boy standing on my front lawn, and he was holding a flashlight pointed at the dry erase board.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

My breath catches as I read it. How does he know it’s my birthday? How could I forget it’s my birthday? I’m officially eighteen today. Free and legal, supposedly. My parents sat me down for a talk after dinner. They told me how good I’ve been and how proud they are of me and all my success in home schooling. They were planning on keeping me throughout college too. They’ve already signed me up for internet courses. God only knows what they have planned for after that.

My mind’s running away with itself as he bends down again to erase the board. I watch him write as the second boy holds the flashlight down for him. I can tell they’re talking by the way he looks up from time to time at the other boy holding the flashlight. He stands up again and holds the board above his head.

ready to make someday, today?

My breathing comes uneven again as I comprehend the words he’s scribbled out and the goofy grin that won’t leave his face. It’s not but seconds later that my body is moving without much interference from my head. I grab the sharpie and the paper. I’m desperate. Desperate to get out of this house and to talk to people, to breathe.

OF COURSE !!

I hold the sign up and watch as he throws the board down at his feet. The two are talking again as the flashlight gets turned off. My heart falls into my stomach as I watch the two walk back to his house, across the street. I frown as I wonder what’s going on. It’s not like him to trick or tease, at least not with me. But the fact that he just walked away befuddles me.

I drop the curtain and decide not to let my heart dwell. It’s silly to even think about getting out. My parents have done everything in their power to make sure I don’t ever get out. The world’s too dangerous, they say. I’m not strong enough to fight for myself, so they have to protect me. The question that always dies in my throat though, is protect me from what? What is so awful out there?

I calmly sit down at the bottom of my bed. I’m stuck. It plays in my head over and over. I am stuck. I am screwed.

There’s another tap on my window. It’s louder, and closer, and I fall off my bed as I jump from the freight. It’s almost like there’s someone outside my window. I hold my breath and stand up, softly rubbing my aching thigh as I step toward the window.

I can see the figure before I pull the curtain back. There he is again, smiling like a goon. My eyes widen as they connect with two, dark brown eyes that I haven’t seen in so long. He’s outside my window. The thought doesn’t completely process until I fall onto the seat. As I brace myself against the wall, I can see he’s standing on a later, and as I look down, I see the other boy at the bottom, holding the ladder.

My attention’s back on the boy in front of me as he points toward the middle of my window, where the lock should be. I shake my head and point to the bottom left hand corner, where the outside lock is. He follows my finger and his eyes light up. There’s a few seconds where he fiddles with it, and then it clicks. The window slides up and I’m almost knocked back.

It’s freezing outside and I’m only in my boy shorts and tank top. I start to shiver and hug myself desperately. My teeth are already chattering as I raise my head to see him. I can see the warm clouds of his breath as they hit the frigid air.

“I’m leaving in a few hours to go on a national tour with my band.” There wasn’t a very strong accent anymore as he talked. But one corner of his mouth was itching higher than the other. It was giving off an untouchable feeling in her gut. “You want to join?” I opened my mouth and then closed it. “You are technically eighteen now, and leaving wouldn’t be considered a crime anymore. Have your windows always been locked on the outside?” He looked back down at the lock disgruntled. I nodded and he arched one eyebrow at me. “Okay, your folks have officially freaked me out.”

“Freaked you out?” I repeated slowly. My parents were only protecting me after all.

“God, your voice is just as elegant as I imagined.” There was a peculiar look in his chocolate brown eyes that sent a shiver through me. It was unlike the cold shivers I was fighting. These shivers felt good.

“And you lost your accent.” I noted as he let out a low chuckle. “You said something about leaving,” I hesitated and bit my bottom lip. His eyes light up again.

“Yes! Come with me.” He extended his hand to me. I stared at it. Was I really ready to leave? Was it possible to leave?

“I’m scared.” I admitted sheepishly. I wasn’t used to talking to people, let alone telling them my feelings. I wavered as I held my hand above his. It hovered there for what seemed forever as we both stared at our hands. Then he grabbed mine and squeezed.

“I’ll look after you, I promise.” He whispered and my eyes rose for our hands to his face. I was positive he was sincere and suddenly my worries melted away.

“Okay.” I seized his hand in mine and took a deep intake of air.

“Okay? You’ll come?” He asked hopefully while I nodded vigorously. “Sweet, okay, um, I guess we should go down the latter then. The sooner we get going, the farther we’ll be from here when your rents wake up. Are you cold?” He stopped his rambling as a forceful shudder racked through my body.

“Yes.” I confessed and felt his hand let go of mine. My chest tightened as I stared at him in horror. Surely he wasn’t already turning back.

“Here.” He shrugged off his leather jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders before I could blink twice. It was warm and smelled good. I retracted into the warmth and slid my arms through the holes. “You can borrow my clothes before we leave, but we have to leave now.” He laid out his hand again. It was a gesture. He was telling me I didn’t have to go if I didn’t want to. I could choose to stay or leave on my own terms, or I could take his hand.

I didn’t need to think about it twice this time. I placed my hand in his and griped it tightly. “I’m ready.”

A crooked smile spread on his face. He let go of my hand to climb down the ladder. I followed carefully, stopping only to close and re-lock my window. Once I made it on the ground, I clutched his jacket close to me. It was colder out here than just the air that came in from my window. Now I could see my own breath in the air.

“Wow.” The boy that held the ladder muttered. He was staring at me. It frightened me a bit, but then a warm hand found mine and held it firmly.

“Sophie, this is my best friend Jack. Jack, this is Sophie.” He introduced us and I couldn’t help but feel a bubble of excitement explode in my abdomen. He remembered my name.

“I am sorry I ever denied your existence.” Jack laughed and held his hand out toward me. I shook it and then watched as he gave Alex a strange look.

“Jack here, thought I was crazy and that I made you up.” Alex explained as he smirked a little at his best friend.

“Which I realize was a complete mistake. You can say ‘I told you so’ some other time. Right now we’ve got to get this ladder back in your garage, get Soph here some clothes, and get our asses over to Matt’s before he decides to leave without us.” Jack started to pull down the ladder. Alex quickly let go of my hand to grab the other end of the ladder before it crashed to the ground.

“Right, right, we’ve got to get going.” Alex said with a bit of sarcasm as the two carried the ladder across the street, stumbling over pot holes and pebbles.

As they were putting the ladder perfectly back in its place, I glanced over my shoulder to look at my house. It was my prison for the last ten years and it felt eerie to stand on the outside and stare at it. It didn’t feel completely right to be leaving like this, but then I guess it was the only way to really get out.

There was a light touch on my shoulder and I turned toward it. My eyes focused first on the warm light that crept through a doorway, the one Jack was standing in and looking in my direction. Then there was Alex. His eyebrows were scrunched together in a concerned way and his eyes shined from the one street light that barely lit the driveway. He looked like the angel that just rescued me from my abyss.

“You sure about this, Sophie?” He was soft with his words and his hand gave my shoulder a squeeze. I shuddered from the cold that snuck in at the base of my neck. I took a deep breath and rested my hand on top of his as a small smile toyed on my lips.

“I’ve never been more sure.” My stomach flipped when a bright, crooked grin spread on his face and he pulled my hand from his shoulder. Our fingers interlocked as he started to pull me inside the garage and to the door.

“Let’s get you in some pants.” He chuckled and grasped my hand firmly.