Colors
On the Road Again
I kissed her and I watched her walk out of the apartment without chasing after her. Since then I've been sitting on my couch playing video games with Lindsay. She didn't take it very well when I told her that BayBelle had left, but we're used to it. People leave Belling all the time.
Lindsay got up and went to the bathroom, probably to cry, again. She'd been doing that a lot in the past couple days. Even though we'd only known BayBelle's family a few weeks, we'd all grown close to them. Mom had become really good friends with her fathers. Lindsay had declared Baybelle her best friend, and although she'd never admit it, I could tell that she had a crush Mitchall. She wrote about him a lot in her little diary, which she insisted on writing on my laptop. And, well, I'd never felt closer to anyone than I'd felt to Baybelle. She became my best friend, and I really cared about her. Our family was really going to miss them.
"Dinner's here." Mom announced, carrying a pizza into the room. I paused the game so she could watch "Wheel of Fortune". We ate and watched in silence.
Someone knocked on the door. I got up and looked through the peephole, but didn't recognize the men on the other side. I unlocked the door and opened it. "Can I help you?"
"May we come in?"
Mom came to the door, fuming. "Not unless you tell me what this is about, Sir." She didn’t like unexpected company.
The shortest man held out his badge displaying "Grayson Police Department". Mom and Lindsay didn't know where the Lane's were actually from, but I did. I knew I couldn't give anything away.
"I've never heard of Grayson," Mom snapped.
"Please, Ma'am. We're looking for some people." They held up some photos, displaying Bryan, BayBelle, Mitchall, and Joseph. "Do these people look familiar?"I took the photos and shuffled through them, hoping that my face wouldn't give anything away.
"I'm sorry officer, but these people don't look familiar." I tried to sound convincing, not very confident on the job I was doing. I handed the photos back to them and shut the door before they could object. I leaned against the door and let out a deep sigh.
"You miss her a lot." It wasn't a question. She wrapped me in a big hug.
___
We drove all the way to New York, stopping only once at a McDonald's, by my request. Mitchall and I looked through some photos of us, Jay and Lindsay on our digital camera phones. He may have hated Jay, but he missed Lindsay. I knew he'd never admit it, but he really liked her.
When we got to New York City, Dad and Joseph got married. It was great. I'd never seen the two look so happy.
I missed Nadia, though I'd only just met her. I hated that I had to be separated from her again. I missed my new friends, too. I was closer to them than I'd ever really been with Sam in retrospect. Plus, I'd been falling for Jay. I was still falling for him. I could tell by the pit in my stomach when I walked down the hallway, leaving him behind; by the fireworks I’d felt when his fingers traced my jawline just before he’d kissed me; by the prickling sensation in my eyes while I thought about him, putting Belling in the rear view mirror.
There wasn't much conversation between the two vehicles. We didn't really have much to say. Mitchall and I texted each other, since we were riding in separate cars.
I'm sorry. BayBelle read on her phone.
Why?
I gave you and Jay a hard time, and I'm sorry.
Baybelle stared down at her screen, tears welling in her eyes.Well, it doesn't matter anymore.
When Mitchall didn't respond BayBelle decided to press him a little.You liked her, didn't you?
She was stupid, thick headed, childish and stubborn.
You liked her.
Yeah, I did.
And that's where it ended. We stopped once more for dinner, but had to be on the move again less than two hours later. We ended up sleeping in the vans. Mitchall and I let Joseph and my father sleep alone, so we shared one.
I wanted more than anything to go back. Maybe the police had passed, but I knew we wouldn't. I cried myself to sleep. Like I had every night since we'd left.
Lindsay got up and went to the bathroom, probably to cry, again. She'd been doing that a lot in the past couple days. Even though we'd only known BayBelle's family a few weeks, we'd all grown close to them. Mom had become really good friends with her fathers. Lindsay had declared Baybelle her best friend, and although she'd never admit it, I could tell that she had a crush Mitchall. She wrote about him a lot in her little diary, which she insisted on writing on my laptop. And, well, I'd never felt closer to anyone than I'd felt to Baybelle. She became my best friend, and I really cared about her. Our family was really going to miss them.
"Dinner's here." Mom announced, carrying a pizza into the room. I paused the game so she could watch "Wheel of Fortune". We ate and watched in silence.
Someone knocked on the door. I got up and looked through the peephole, but didn't recognize the men on the other side. I unlocked the door and opened it. "Can I help you?"
"May we come in?"
Mom came to the door, fuming. "Not unless you tell me what this is about, Sir." She didn’t like unexpected company.
The shortest man held out his badge displaying "Grayson Police Department". Mom and Lindsay didn't know where the Lane's were actually from, but I did. I knew I couldn't give anything away.
"I've never heard of Grayson," Mom snapped.
"Please, Ma'am. We're looking for some people." They held up some photos, displaying Bryan, BayBelle, Mitchall, and Joseph. "Do these people look familiar?"I took the photos and shuffled through them, hoping that my face wouldn't give anything away.
"I'm sorry officer, but these people don't look familiar." I tried to sound convincing, not very confident on the job I was doing. I handed the photos back to them and shut the door before they could object. I leaned against the door and let out a deep sigh.
"You miss her a lot." It wasn't a question. She wrapped me in a big hug.
___
We drove all the way to New York, stopping only once at a McDonald's, by my request. Mitchall and I looked through some photos of us, Jay and Lindsay on our digital camera phones. He may have hated Jay, but he missed Lindsay. I knew he'd never admit it, but he really liked her.
When we got to New York City, Dad and Joseph got married. It was great. I'd never seen the two look so happy.
I missed Nadia, though I'd only just met her. I hated that I had to be separated from her again. I missed my new friends, too. I was closer to them than I'd ever really been with Sam in retrospect. Plus, I'd been falling for Jay. I was still falling for him. I could tell by the pit in my stomach when I walked down the hallway, leaving him behind; by the fireworks I’d felt when his fingers traced my jawline just before he’d kissed me; by the prickling sensation in my eyes while I thought about him, putting Belling in the rear view mirror.
There wasn't much conversation between the two vehicles. We didn't really have much to say. Mitchall and I texted each other, since we were riding in separate cars.
I'm sorry. BayBelle read on her phone.
Why?
I gave you and Jay a hard time, and I'm sorry.
Baybelle stared down at her screen, tears welling in her eyes.Well, it doesn't matter anymore.
When Mitchall didn't respond BayBelle decided to press him a little.You liked her, didn't you?
She was stupid, thick headed, childish and stubborn.
You liked her.
Yeah, I did.
And that's where it ended. We stopped once more for dinner, but had to be on the move again less than two hours later. We ended up sleeping in the vans. Mitchall and I let Joseph and my father sleep alone, so we shared one.
I wanted more than anything to go back. Maybe the police had passed, but I knew we wouldn't. I cried myself to sleep. Like I had every night since we'd left.