I'm Amazed That I Got This Far

"So, it's tomorrow after lunch." Britton stated, as we sat at her kitchen table, finishing our sandwiches. "When do you want to go see your parents?"

"Whenever you're ready and want to go." I shrugged, before taking a sip of my drink.

"I'm ready whenever you are, boo." She sighed. "Does John know this?"

"Know what?" I asked.

"That you miss your family." She replied. "And that you want to go visit them."

"No." I said, as I looked down at the table. "He doesn't know any of this."

"Why didn't you tell him? I mean, he is your best friend and boyfriend." She wondered.

"I don't know." I said, as I heaved a sigh. "I didn't really want him to worry, I guess. I didn't want him to be mad, because he can't really stand his parents right now, and my parents just don't like him."

"I would say I understand, but...you heard what my mom said yesterday; she's obsessed with Kennedy." Britton mumbled. "Which is somewhat scary."

I laughed to myself and shrugged. "It's better than her despising him."

"This is true." She nodded, before standing up. "Ready to get ready and go?"

"Yeah." I said.

I stood up from the table and Britton and I threw our paper plates away in the garbage. We put our cups in the sink and walked out of the kitchen, and towards the stairs, so we could go into her room and get ready. Her mom got called into work today, and her dad was over at Britton's uncle's house helping him finish the deck, so Britton and I were home alone.

I was kind of excited to go see my parents and Kayla today, but I was also nervous. I wanted them to be glad to see me, and not yell at me or try to punish me. I didn't want to go there because I wanted to go home; I just missed them and wanted to see them. I never was one to stay away from my home for a long time, because I didn't really mind being around my family unless John came into the conversation. And I always knew Kayla looked up to me, and now that I was gone I felt kind of bad that she was all by herself now.

Once Britton and I got into her room, I threw on some clean clothes, and Britton did the same. We both walked into the bathroom and fixed our hair and make up, before walking back out. We went down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Britton grabbed her car keys and cell phone, in case her parents called her. After we made sure we had everything, we went into the foyer, slipped on our shoes, and walked outside to her car.

"You gotta tell me where to go now." Britton said, as she started up her car. "Because I'm a lameass and I've never been out of this city really, unless it was to go see my family."

"Okay." I smiled. "That's fine."

"Do you live far from here?" She questioned, before she started to pull out of the driveway and take off down the street.

"No, not really. Just like, a half hour or a little less." I replied.

"Why didn't you guys go far away if you two were running away?" She asked. "I mean, that would make more sense."

"I honestly have no clue." I shrugged. "John just said he wanted to come here, so I didn't really ask any questions about why; I just came with."

"Makes sense." She nodded. "I probably wouldn't either. So, how do you plan to like, get a job if you don't go to high school or college?"

"That's a good question." I sighed, as I looked out the window. "I just haven't really thought about that yet."

"There's a diner that needs a waitress, I know that." She said. "I mean, if you or John were looking for a job."

"Really? Where at?" I asked. "And turn right here."

Britton took a sharp right before replying. "It's on Henrich Street. It's a good place to work. There are other places that need workers, though."

"Yeah. I should maybe get a job or something." I nodded. "I just don't know what John expects to do here. He wouldn't mind if he lived out of a suitcase all his life. He would rather sleep on a different person's couch every week than get a steady job and live a normal live."

"Even if he had a family?"

"That's different." I replied. "John would do that for his family, like if he had a wife and kids or something."

"But he probably isn't planning on that?" Britton asked.

"He wants to be in a band." I stated, as I looked at her. "He wants to travel the world and just be care-free. He wants to play music for a living, because that seems to be the only thing that keeps him breathing."

"Besides you, of course." She smiled.

"Well, yeah." I chuckled. "And his parents didn't really support him."

"Awe, poor guy." She said with a slight frown. "That's why he ran away?"

"Yeah, for the most part." I nodded. "He wanted to come here and find some guys to start a band with. He had a band back home for a short time, and they were extremely creepy, and I couldn't stand them. So, he quit their band and we just took off for here."

"You dropped your schoolwork and home-life to be with your best friend?" She smiled.

"I mean, yeah." I sighed. "I guess."

"Awe, that's so cute." She giggled.

"Thanks?" I smiled.

"You're welcome." She said, before turning serious. "Are you feeling this?"

"Feeling...what?" I asked slowly.

"This heart-to-heart we're having." She said, as she looked at me. "We're having girl talk."

"Is that a...bad thing?" I chuckled.

"No! It's a great thing!" She laughed. "But I've been around the guys so long, that I never have girl talk! Well, besides with Aubree, and we always just talk about Garrett and Kennedy, so it's not really girl talk."

"Well, I'm glad that I had girl talk with you?" I said with a slight laugh.

"Good! Me too!" Britton grinned, before I continued to tell her where to go, to get to my parent's house.

After about 25 minutes, we arrived at my parents house, and I sighed. It felt like I haven't been here in years, when it's actually only be a few weeks. I slowly took off my seatbelt, as Britton turned off her car. Neither of us said anything as we climbed out of her car, and walked up to the front door. I stood there and looked at the door for a few minutes, before Britton spoke up.

"Are you, uhm, going to knock?" She asked quietly. "Cause I'm sure that's what most normal people do."

I smiled and looked at her, before rolling my eyes and knocking on the door. We waited there for a few minutes, before the front door opened, and Kayla was standing there. She looked at me, and her eyes got wide and her jaw dropped. She grinned and hopped out the front door, before giving me a tight hug.

"Kalen!" She exclaimed happily, as she squeezed me tighter. "I missed you!"

"Hi, Kayla." I smiled, as I hugged her back. "I missed you, too."

"Why are you here?!" She wondered, as we pulled away.

"Are mom and dad home?" I asked her, as she pulled me inside, and Britton came in behind me.

"Yeah. I'll go get them!" She said, before looking at Britton and smiling. "Hi."

"Hi." Britton said with a smile.

"Britton, this is my sister, Kayla. Kayla, this is Britton." I said.

"Hi!" Kayla said again, before she darted up the stairs. "Mom, Dad! Kalen's home! Kalen's home!"

"She's so adorable." Britton chuckled, as she looked at me. "You two look so much alike."

"Thanks." I laughed. "I missed her."

"Awe. She obviously missed you, too." She grinned, before I heard feet pound down the stairs.

"Kalen!" My mom gasped, as she came over to me and gave me a tight hug. "Where have you been?!"

"Hi, Mom." I said, trying to hold back the tears that were trying to escape.

"Kalen." My dad said with a smile, as he gave me a tight hug. "What do you think you're getting yourself into?"

"I want to talk to you guys." I said, as I looked at them.

"Okay." My mom said slowly, as she looked at Britton. "Who's this?"

"This is my friend, Britton. Britton, these are my parents." I said, as I introduced them.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you." Britton said politely.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Britton." My parents smiled.

"We want to talk to you, too." My dad said with a firm voice. "Come in the living room."

"Do you guys want me to wait outside, or something?" Britton asked, as she pointed over her shoulder. "I don't want to cause distractions or anything."

"You can come in." My mom said. "Don't worry about it."

She nodded slowly, before her and I followed my parents and sister into the living room. My dad sat down in the chair, as my mom and sister sat down on the loveseat together. Britton and I walked over to the couch and sat down on it, so we were sitting next to each other. All of us sat there for a few minutes, not even sure where to start or what to say, before my dad spoke up.

"So, who's idea was it to run away?" He asked, sounding slightly upset.

"It's a really long story, Dad." I said, as I looked down. "John just wanted to get away."

"So, you go with him? You drop everything to run off with your friend?" He wondered, his voice already starting to fill with anger.

"It's, uhm, boyfriend...now." I said awkwardly, as I looked up at them.

"You're...dating John?" My mom said slowly.

I nodded and shifted in my seat uncomfortably. "Yeah."

"Why did you come here?" My dad asked.

"I wanted to let you guys know I was okay." I said quietly, before shrugging. "And I just wanted you guys to know that you didn't do anything wrong."

"You ran off, Kalen. You left. How are we not supposed to think we did something wrong?" My mom questioned. "That's all we could figure."

"You guys didn't. I just wanted to go with John. He wants this." I stated, my eyes locked with hers. "I want to stay with John. I just...missed you guys."

"Where's John?" My dad shrugged.

"He's with some friends that we met." I answered. "They went camping for the weekend, so I'm staying with Britton."

"Where have you guys been staying?" My mom asked.

"When we first got to Tempe, we slept in John's car." I replied. "And then we found a cheap motel, and that's where we've been staying."

"I can't believe you." She sighed. "Why don't you just come home?"

"I'm 18 and I can do what I want." I told her. "I'm not asking you guys for money, I'm not asking for a place to sleep, and I'm not bugging you guys. I want to be with John in Tempe."

"How do you expect to get a job with no education?" My dad asked.

"I don't know." I said. "I'll find a way, though."

My parents were quiet for a moment and they both just looked at each other. I looked over at Britton and she shrugged, as if she didn't even know what to say, and I heaved a small sigh. My gaze shifted over to Kayla, who was looking over a me. She had a frown on her face and I could tell she was upset. I always could tell what she was thinking by the expression that was on her face, and she was making a 'How can you do this' face.

"Well, if you think since you're 18 and you can do what you want, so be it." My dad said, as he looked over at me. "You can work for everything yourself."

"I will." I said quietly.

"If you ever want to come back, though, you can." My mom said, with a frown. "But if you come back, you stay for good, until you get a job and move out to actually make something out of yourself."

I nodded as I bit on my lip, not wanting to say anything because a lump was forming in my throat. I wasn't sure how they would react to me showing up, and I knew they still weren't happy about it. I could tell that they didn't want me to leave, and I knew they were scared.

I wasn't sure if they knew this, but I was scared, too. I was scared about how I'm going to get food to eat, a place to live, and a job to keep. I was scared that John wasn't going to be able to make any money to take care of either of us, and I was scared that we would end up completely on the street; no job, no money, no car, no nothing.

"I have to get going to a business meeting." My dad said, as he looked at the clock. "I have to be there in 45 minutes and I'm not even ready."

I nodded and stood up, before giving him a hug. He hugged me back and once we pulled away, I gave my mom and Kayla a hug. Britton said bye to my parents and sister, before we walked out of the house and started down the porch stairs.

"Kalen!" I heard Kayla call.

I looked towards the front door, and Kayla was standing on the first step, looking at me and Britton. Britton looked over at me, as if to tell me to go talk to her.

"I'll wait in the car." She said, before walking towards her car, and getting inside.

I slowly walked back to the front door, and sat down on the stoop with Kayla, after she shut the door. "What's up?"

"Why?" She asked, a slight crack in her face. "Why did you leave?"

"I wanted to help John." I told her. "I didn't want to leave him, Kayla."

"So, you leave me?" She asked. "You leave mom and dad?"

"Kayla." I said, heaving a sigh. "It's complicated."

"It's not complicated." Kayla said, as a tear ran down her cheek. "You picked John over your family, Kalen. I looked up to you. You're the only big sister I'll ever have, and you run away. I'm by myself all the time and I do everything by myself."

I looked up at her, from where I was staring at the concrete, and I felt my eyes start to water. "I'm sorry, Kayla."

"I miss you." She cried. "I don't want to be alone all the time. I'm scared. Mom and dad wonder if you're going to end up dead on the streets, Kalen."

"That won't happen, Kayla." I said, quickly wiping my tears away. "We're fine."

"I'm not fine." She said, her voice low. "I miss my sister and I want her back."

"John doesn't know I'm here, Kayla. I can't just leave him there." I frowned.

"You didn't even tell me you were going." She said, before letting out a choked sob.

I shut my eyes and sighed softly, as more tears escaped my eyes. I opened them before pulling Kayla into a hug. I wasn't expecting her to miss me this much, and I didn't even think about what she would say to me. I know she was disappointed in me, and knowing that I upset her this much really hurt. I know we didn't get along all the time or do everything together, but it obviously makes a difference when your only sibling is gone. I never really felt like that because I had John, and he was always like another family member to me.

"I'm sorry, Kayla." I said, as we pulled away from our hug.

She didn't say anything and wiped her eyes, before I looked at her. "How about you call John's phone whenever you want and I'll talk to you?"

"You will?" She whispered.

"If you don't tell mom or dad." I nodded.

Kayla smiled and nodded. I smiled and gave her John's number to put in her phone, before giving her another hug. After we pulled away, we both stood up, and she walked back into the house. I wiped my eyes again and walked down to Britton's car. She was looking down at her phone and texting someone, as I climbed into her car. She looked over at me and sent me a sympathetic smile. I tried to smile back, before I felt more tears start to come.

"It's okay." She said quietly, as she leaned over and gave me a hug. "Don't cry."

I didn't say anything and hugged her back tightly. After we sat there for a few minutes, we pulled away, and Britton started her car. She slowly pulled out of the driveway, put her car in drive, and took off down the street back to her house.

John's P.O.V.

"That was awesome!" Kennedy smiled, as he stopped strumming his guitar.

"Campfire songs are definitely the best." Pat nodded, as he tossed a stick into the trees.

"Agreed." Jared grinned. "So, what now?"

"Now, we ask John." Garrett shrugged.

"Ask John what...?" I asked slowly, as I looked at all of them.

"The guys and I are in a band." Kennedy stated, before setting his guitar down. "We need a singer."

"And we were wondering if you wanted to be in our band?" Jared wondered, a smile on his face.

"How come you guys never told me this before?" I said, as I looked at him.

"We didn't know you could sing!" Pat chuckled. "Because trust me, if we did, we would have asked you already. We didn't even know you liked music, besides from what we've talked about. And your voice is great. We could definitely use you in a band."

"Really?" I grinned. "Like, seriously?"

"Seriously serious, bro." Garrett nodded. "What do you say?"

"Yeah, of course!" I nodded. "I'd love to!"

"Yes!" Kennedy exclaimed. "We finally have a singer that can actually sing!"

"Do you guys have a band name?" I asked.

"You mean, we." Jared said, as he pointed at me. "Since you, my friend, are now in the band."

"And yeah, we do." Pat nodded. "We're called The Maine."

"Awesome." I said happily. "Do you guys have a lot of songs?"

"Not really." He said, with a slight frown. "We have a few but we need to write some more. And we could also use your help on that; your lyrics are amazing."

"Thanks, guys." I smiled.

"No problem!" Garrett said, as he clapped his hands together. "So, ready to hit the sack? We gotta get up early tomorrow, so we can head home. Aubree wants me to go out to lunch with her and her parents tomorrow, so we can't be late."

"Someone's whipped!" Kennedy shouted, before standing up from the log.

"Oh, I don't want to hear it!" He laughed. "You carry Britton's books at school!"

"I'm just a nice person!" He shrugged.

"You two are both just pathetic losers." Jared stated.

"John's whipped, too!" Kennedy said, as he pointed at me. "So, it's us three!"

"Wow, thanks, Kennedy." I laughed.

"No problem, man." He joked.

We all cleaned up around the campfire, and got dressed in our pajamas, before crawling into our tents. Pat, Kennedy, and I all laid down and got comfortable, before saying our goodnights, and going to sleep.

I can finally say that I came to Tempe for the right reason.