Status: Completed
Stealing Stars
Out With a Bang
My father is a wonderful man. He has always taken care of me. Clothed me. Fed me. Allowed me to buy whatever I wanted. But, most of all he has always been there for me. He has never, ever, for whatever reason stopped loving me. It is around midnight. I’m the only one left awake in my house. I have my window open with the shade up to let in some air. The summer breeze gently blowing my curtains back and forth. Then I hear it. Almost as if it were an accident. The gently pitter-padder of shoeless feet on concrete. Then a bang. I look out my window to see Blake. He is sprawled out on the concrete just looking up in the sky.
I tip-toe quietly down the stairs and out my door. He is still where he was when I last saw him.
“Blake, are you alright?” I ask.
“Chan, hi.” Is all he says.
“What are you doing? It is past midnight.”
“I was trying to “accidentally” make a loud enough noise to have you look out your window to see me.” He says all this like it is normal. Which for him it sort of is.
“Why?” I ask in part confusion and part wonder.
“I’m going to find my dad. I’m--”
But he doesn’t get very far because I interrupt him. “You can’t do that --”
He cuts me off my putting his hand on my mouth and the other hand on the back of my neck to stop me from talking.
“Like I was saying before you rudely interrupted me. I’m going to find him. Chan, I just need to. I love you Dad. He has been like a father to me but I desperately need to find him. Not for my mother. Not for Conrad. Just for me. I need to know why he left. I don’t want him back. I just need to find him.” Then he lets go of me and he sits back down.
I look at him in the dark. I know his eyes are true and hopeful. He wants to find his father. He needs to find him for reasons that I just can’t fathom but I must respect. “Okay. Go and find him.” I smile down at him.
To this he gets back up and hugs me tentatively at first then as if he needs to squeeze me as tight as he can.
“Chan”, he whispers into my ear, “I need you to let my mom know I’m okay. Please, tell her the minimum about what I’m doing”.
I push him off of me. “Are you out of your fucking mind Blake?” I ask in disbelief. Shock written all over my face. “If you even thought for one millisecond that I wasn’t coming with you then you have another thing coming.”
“Chan you can’t come with me. I need to do this for me. Alone.” He says to me almost whispering.
“I understand that but I need to come with you. I’d worry about you otherwise. Please Blake.” I ask.
We have a stare down for a good minute. Then he lets out a breath. “Fine. Meet me in five at my car.” Then he turns around and walks away.
I dash up to my room and haphazardly throw a bag together with underwear, bras,t-shirts, shorts, toiletries, and little things that I would need. I write a quick note to my parents explaining where I went and why. Then I run out of my house.
Blake’s Jeep in at the end of my driveway with the lights off. He is sitting in the driver’s seat. I open the door and throw my bag into the back. I climb in and buckle my seat belt.
“I turn to him with a forced smile on my face, “So, where are we headed?”
He starts the car and keeps the lights off as he drives down our street. “Northern Texas. I found a letter he sent my mother about a month ago. You sure you really want to do this?” He asks me still keeping his eyes on the road.
“Blake you should know by now that wherever you go I have to go. Our mothers have raised us this way.” I smile as I look straight ahead at the empty California freeway.
“You’re right. I should’ve known. And Chan” he says taking his eyes off the road for a split second to look me in the eyes, “thank you. More than you’ll ever know.”
Somewhere between three and three thirty that morning it hit me. Blake and I had just runaway from home. Two seventeen year old kids on our own. With angry parents who were going to be in shock when they awoke to find bot of us gone.
But I know worrying won’t help me. I agreed to help Blake. I made my bed. I have to sleep in it now. And wherever this hunt for Blake’s father takes us I really hope it is worth it.
I tip-toe quietly down the stairs and out my door. He is still where he was when I last saw him.
“Blake, are you alright?” I ask.
“Chan, hi.” Is all he says.
“What are you doing? It is past midnight.”
“I was trying to “accidentally” make a loud enough noise to have you look out your window to see me.” He says all this like it is normal. Which for him it sort of is.
“Why?” I ask in part confusion and part wonder.
“I’m going to find my dad. I’m--”
But he doesn’t get very far because I interrupt him. “You can’t do that --”
He cuts me off my putting his hand on my mouth and the other hand on the back of my neck to stop me from talking.
“Like I was saying before you rudely interrupted me. I’m going to find him. Chan, I just need to. I love you Dad. He has been like a father to me but I desperately need to find him. Not for my mother. Not for Conrad. Just for me. I need to know why he left. I don’t want him back. I just need to find him.” Then he lets go of me and he sits back down.
I look at him in the dark. I know his eyes are true and hopeful. He wants to find his father. He needs to find him for reasons that I just can’t fathom but I must respect. “Okay. Go and find him.” I smile down at him.
To this he gets back up and hugs me tentatively at first then as if he needs to squeeze me as tight as he can.
“Chan”, he whispers into my ear, “I need you to let my mom know I’m okay. Please, tell her the minimum about what I’m doing”.
I push him off of me. “Are you out of your fucking mind Blake?” I ask in disbelief. Shock written all over my face. “If you even thought for one millisecond that I wasn’t coming with you then you have another thing coming.”
“Chan you can’t come with me. I need to do this for me. Alone.” He says to me almost whispering.
“I understand that but I need to come with you. I’d worry about you otherwise. Please Blake.” I ask.
We have a stare down for a good minute. Then he lets out a breath. “Fine. Meet me in five at my car.” Then he turns around and walks away.
I dash up to my room and haphazardly throw a bag together with underwear, bras,t-shirts, shorts, toiletries, and little things that I would need. I write a quick note to my parents explaining where I went and why. Then I run out of my house.
Blake’s Jeep in at the end of my driveway with the lights off. He is sitting in the driver’s seat. I open the door and throw my bag into the back. I climb in and buckle my seat belt.
“I turn to him with a forced smile on my face, “So, where are we headed?”
He starts the car and keeps the lights off as he drives down our street. “Northern Texas. I found a letter he sent my mother about a month ago. You sure you really want to do this?” He asks me still keeping his eyes on the road.
“Blake you should know by now that wherever you go I have to go. Our mothers have raised us this way.” I smile as I look straight ahead at the empty California freeway.
“You’re right. I should’ve known. And Chan” he says taking his eyes off the road for a split second to look me in the eyes, “thank you. More than you’ll ever know.”
Somewhere between three and three thirty that morning it hit me. Blake and I had just runaway from home. Two seventeen year old kids on our own. With angry parents who were going to be in shock when they awoke to find bot of us gone.
But I know worrying won’t help me. I agreed to help Blake. I made my bed. I have to sleep in it now. And wherever this hunt for Blake’s father takes us I really hope it is worth it.
♠ ♠ ♠
It has been over year. I have no excuse but pure laziness. So, I apologize sincerely. This is the end for this story. I can't think for these characters anymore. I'm older and so are they and what I was planning on doing makes no sense anymore. So, thank you for all those who have read and subscribed. My younger self was so pleased with this story and I am now as well. Again, thank you for reading and the lovely comments.