Anywhere But Here

Running was Alyssa’s escape. From bad grades, when she had them during the second semester of her Sophomore year in high school. From break-ups, when Chad Cooper broke her heart the weekend before prom and ended up taking her best friend and ended up hooking up with her. And now, from the psychopathic step-father that was following her around.

Alyssa’s stomach churned and made her want to dry heave every time the psychotic expression on Richard’s face popped into her mind. Everything red reminded her of that stupid red sweater that he wore; the fire hydrant that was located outside of the Monroe’s neighborhood, and even the stop sign that she passed before making her way into a desolate breakfast joint that was located in front of the beach.

She even swore that she saw him once in the thinning crowd of people that were waiting to cross the street. But when she took a second glance, his thick framed glasses were gone.

Alyssa sat down lazily on the edge of her seat and took a quick glance down at her menu. Being the first time she was eating since she got here, everything looked good.

A burst of laughter forced her to look up from the menu momentarily and instead focus her attention on a group of teenagers, who seemed to be a few years younger than Alyssa, sitting at the bar with tall glasses of what seemed to be strawberry smoothies.

She recognized most of the group as teens that had been hanging out at the pier last night. Suddenly, her eyes locked with a serene looking brunette who looked to be in the middle of telling her friends a joke. Alyssa’s eyes instantly averted back down to her menu.
But she could feel the girl’s eyes boring into her, and suddenly, she felt self conscious. The girl was probably sizing her up, talking to her friends about how pathetic Alyssa looked, sitting at the restaurant table all by herself with sticky sweat streaming down her face. Alyssa attempted to adjust the ponytail that was pushed away from her face, but it was hopeless. She looked like a mess, and she knew it.

As soon as she felt a person’s presence next to her, she began to list off her order, feeling her cheeks turn red as she attempted to make this pit stop as quick as it could possibly get.

“I’ll have French toast with a side of bacon…can I add eggs too? With orange juice.” Her eyes swung up to the waiter, who turned out to be the furthest thing from that.

Joe, who was also dressed in similar attire-jogging pants and a form fitting white tee-smirked up at her with an amused look on his face.

“Isn’t eating that many calories defeating the purpose of working out?” He nodded toward what Alyssa was wearing and suavely slid into the seat across from her.

Alyssa felt her cheeks turn red at the idea of what the girl watching her was probably thinking.

“I haven’t eaten since I got here.” She stated simply, watching as Joe nodded his head in disinterest. He reached out for a Splenda packet and began tossing it back and forth between his hands.

“So where’ve you run to so far?” He asked, reclining back in his seat. Alyssa couldn’t help but let her eyes travel over Joe’s fit body, his muscles flexing as he rested his palms behind the back of his head.

“Just down the boardwalk from my dad’s house,” she still wasn’t comfortable calling it her house. “I didn’t know that you would be out this early running.”

She desperately attempted to take the attention off of her, something that she had learned to hate in the past few weeks, but Joe wasn’t letting go that easy. He slowly leaned across the table, getting so close that Alyssa could smell the cologne that he had probably splashed on quickly before leaving his house. Every nerve in her body seemed to tingle.

“There are a lot of things that you don’t know about me, Alyssa Monroe.”

Alyssa’s cheeks, which had been in flames to begin with, suddenly felt as if they were on fire. “Maybe that will change some day.”

Alyssa smiled politely and glanced down at the crumpled dollar bills that she had brought with her on her run.

“Maybe some day,” she repeated, flattening her palms against her thighs from underneath the table.

Joe held Alyssa’s eyes on his as he continued to smirk down at her. He watched as an involuntary shiver crept up her spine, forcing her to rest her hands on the restaurant’s table awkwardly.

Something about this girl was different. There was mystery about her. A curiosity about the unknown intrigued him. In this small town, everyone knew everything about each other. But Joe knew next to nothing about Alyssa, and strangely, that comforted him.

His attention had been so focused on Alyssa that he barely noticed a sudden presence next to him.

“Hey Joe,” someone said, forcing him out of his day dream. The open expression of a girl with dark brunette hair and even darker eyes smirked back at him. He instantly recognized her as one of his brother’s friends.

“Hi,” he said shortly, running a hand through his matted hair. He could feel Alyssa’s questionable eyes on him as the girl continued to stand in front of the two, her arms crossed over her blouse and her lips pressed tightly together.

“Who’s the new girl?” She asked harshly, nodding toward Alyssa. Alyssa’s cheeks, which now felt almost singed from being on fire for so long, once again turned a dark crimson. The girl with the strawberry smoothie from the bar snorted quietly.

“Alyssa Monroe,” Joe answered slowly, glancing up at the girl in disgust. He honestly had no idea what Nick had seen in this girl in the first place; she was pretty, but only in the obvious way. She always seemed to be grimacing. And thirdly, she never treated anyone with respect unless they were guys. “She moved in across the street.”

“Oh?” The girl tried to sound interested, but she picked at a hangnail instead. She stole one more look at Alyssa from the corner of her eye and shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t know Greg had children.”

The way the girl said Alyssa’s father’s first name made Alyssa’s stomach strangely churn. She wasn’t used to hearing it spoken so…openly like it was here. As if no one here knew what he did to her and her family. As Alyssa’s grimace suddenly fell, she realized that that was exactly the case. Greg was safe here from everyone who hated him.

“So, did Greg just find about you, too, or something?” The girl asked, suddenly turning her entire body toward Alyssa. “Why would you come to a place like this?”

Alyssa, who was too dumbfounded to say anything, continued to stare up at the girl in disgust. As if I had a choice, she told herself.

“Celia…” Joe mumbled under his breath, giving the girl a depleted look. She batted her eyes innocently before bringing the straw of her smoothie up to her lips and taking a long sip.

“It was nice talking to you, Joe,” she smiled shortly and wiggled her fingers at her side as a goodbye. “Nice meeting you, Alyssa.”

Alyssa murmured a response delicately, but it was too quite for Celia to hear.
“You must think I hang out with the biggest assholes.” Joe said as soon as Celia was out the door. He laughed, shaking his head slowly as he watched something from behind Alyssa. She glanced behind her quickly, but saw nothing except a red bird flying into a group of cattails. It was a bird, right?

“People haven’t been the nicest,” She said quickly, looking behind her again. The reed-like plants swung in the breeze serenely.

“Let me make it up to you,” Joe suggested, pressing his hands up against the cool table. “I’ll take you to go see the nicest person in town. Tonight, for dinner.”

Alyssa giggled quietly and crossed her arms skeptically across her chest. “Who are you taking me to?”

Joe smirked before leaning back into the booth seat. He once again put his palms on the back of his head.

“My mom.”