Colors
New Years
We never stayed in one city for more than a couple days. We slept in the vans every night to save money for gas. Mitchall and I never stopped missing our friends.
We drove for weeks on end. July passed.
So did August.
September...
November...
It had been over half a year since we'd left Grayson. December 30, 2024, we drove to a lake in Florida to watch the New Years fireworks.
Boom!
Lights consumed the night sky. Watching them explode made me realize how much I missed Sam, and I'm sure Mitchall missed Ian just as much. Seems like we were just leaving everyone...
"I want to go back," Mitchall burst. We were all startled to hear him speak up. He hadn't said much since we'd left. "I want to go home."
"Mitchall, you know we can't go back. We'd get thrown in jail."Joseph coaxed. His face seemed grim in the light from the sky.
"Not to Grayson, Old man." He rolled his eyes. "we have to go back to Belling." I got up from my spot in the grass, stretching my stiff knees and ran to tackle Mitchall to the ground.
"Mitchall, you've never said something so smart in your entire life!"
"No." Dad's voice boomed as loud as one of the fireworks. He put his arm around Joe to show that they were in this together. "We're not going back. None of us."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Mitchall retaliated. "We have to go back. That's our home! Bay and I have friends, people like us, we know the place. And we can't travel forever!" He motioned to me, "Think of BayBelle. She's the one that wanted out the most. She wanted out so she could have freedom! So she could be free to love whomever she wished, and to live wherever she wanted. You guys can't be the only ones with your happily ever after! We have to go back.
"Mitchall, your father said no: We're not going back." Joseph and Mitchall stared at each other for a long moment. Our father's were in this together, but so were we.
"He's not my father, you are. And what the hell? Don't you care about us at all?"
I'd begun crying a while ago, but my sobs were coming much heavier now. "I want to go back!" I said in near hysterics. "I miss my friends! I miss Jay, and Lindsay, and Caroline! I want to stay with them. I love them! I want to go back to see my mother! I want to get to know her, and let her get to know me. I want to finish falling in love with Jay, and become better friends with Lindsay, and watch Mitchall and her fall in love, and spend next new years with them! I miss my job at the library. I want to have a real life! I want to go back to Belling, and I don't care what you two think about it!" I stormed off to the van, wiping my eyes and slammed the door as I climbed in.
Mitchall crawled into the car next to me and let me cry in his arms. "It's alright, Freckles. I got you."
And that's how we fell asleep.
__
January 1, 2026: Joseph Harig
I racked my brain for every possibility, but we had to keep moving. We couldn't go back to Grayson, or Belling. I wanted to go home to see Caroline, too, but I wasn't willing to let our friends get hurt.
I looked over at my husband. He looked solemn. I could tell how much he wanted to give BayBelle the world, and it killed him that he couldn't. The lights from Mitchall and BayBelle's van clicked off. I took a big breath and smiled at Bryan. I crawled to his side and rubbed his shoulders. "It's kind of chilly out here, don't you think?" I whispered in his ear.
He grinned and sat up, tossing me onto his lap. "Yeah, I guess it is." He kissed me. I can't remember loving anything as much as I loved Bryan, except my son. It felt good not to have to hide our relationship. We were married now, in the United States, a place of freedom. There was nothing keeping us apart.
Bryan flipped me onto my back and climbed on top of me. He kissed me again, hungry this time, like he couldn't get close enough to me. We hadn't really had a night to ourselves since the wedding, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. I pulled his shirt up over his head, the heat of his chest burned through the material of my shirt. He brought his hands down and began to unbuckle my belt, but stopped.
He sat up looking sad and more than a little concerned. "I'm driving my daughter away, aren't I?" His shoulders heaved and I wrapped my arms around him, holding him.
"Bryan, BayBelle loves you." I looked him in the eye. "You're not going to lose her."
We drove for weeks on end. July passed.
So did August.
September...
November...
It had been over half a year since we'd left Grayson. December 30, 2024, we drove to a lake in Florida to watch the New Years fireworks.
Boom!
Lights consumed the night sky. Watching them explode made me realize how much I missed Sam, and I'm sure Mitchall missed Ian just as much. Seems like we were just leaving everyone...
"I want to go back," Mitchall burst. We were all startled to hear him speak up. He hadn't said much since we'd left. "I want to go home."
"Mitchall, you know we can't go back. We'd get thrown in jail."Joseph coaxed. His face seemed grim in the light from the sky.
"Not to Grayson, Old man." He rolled his eyes. "we have to go back to Belling." I got up from my spot in the grass, stretching my stiff knees and ran to tackle Mitchall to the ground.
"Mitchall, you've never said something so smart in your entire life!"
"No." Dad's voice boomed as loud as one of the fireworks. He put his arm around Joe to show that they were in this together. "We're not going back. None of us."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Mitchall retaliated. "We have to go back. That's our home! Bay and I have friends, people like us, we know the place. And we can't travel forever!" He motioned to me, "Think of BayBelle. She's the one that wanted out the most. She wanted out so she could have freedom! So she could be free to love whomever she wished, and to live wherever she wanted. You guys can't be the only ones with your happily ever after! We have to go back.
"Mitchall, your father said no: We're not going back." Joseph and Mitchall stared at each other for a long moment. Our father's were in this together, but so were we.
"He's not my father, you are. And what the hell? Don't you care about us at all?"
I'd begun crying a while ago, but my sobs were coming much heavier now. "I want to go back!" I said in near hysterics. "I miss my friends! I miss Jay, and Lindsay, and Caroline! I want to stay with them. I love them! I want to go back to see my mother! I want to get to know her, and let her get to know me. I want to finish falling in love with Jay, and become better friends with Lindsay, and watch Mitchall and her fall in love, and spend next new years with them! I miss my job at the library. I want to have a real life! I want to go back to Belling, and I don't care what you two think about it!" I stormed off to the van, wiping my eyes and slammed the door as I climbed in.
Mitchall crawled into the car next to me and let me cry in his arms. "It's alright, Freckles. I got you."
And that's how we fell asleep.
__
January 1, 2026: Joseph Harig
I racked my brain for every possibility, but we had to keep moving. We couldn't go back to Grayson, or Belling. I wanted to go home to see Caroline, too, but I wasn't willing to let our friends get hurt.
I looked over at my husband. He looked solemn. I could tell how much he wanted to give BayBelle the world, and it killed him that he couldn't. The lights from Mitchall and BayBelle's van clicked off. I took a big breath and smiled at Bryan. I crawled to his side and rubbed his shoulders. "It's kind of chilly out here, don't you think?" I whispered in his ear.
He grinned and sat up, tossing me onto his lap. "Yeah, I guess it is." He kissed me. I can't remember loving anything as much as I loved Bryan, except my son. It felt good not to have to hide our relationship. We were married now, in the United States, a place of freedom. There was nothing keeping us apart.
Bryan flipped me onto my back and climbed on top of me. He kissed me again, hungry this time, like he couldn't get close enough to me. We hadn't really had a night to ourselves since the wedding, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. I pulled his shirt up over his head, the heat of his chest burned through the material of my shirt. He brought his hands down and began to unbuckle my belt, but stopped.
He sat up looking sad and more than a little concerned. "I'm driving my daughter away, aren't I?" His shoulders heaved and I wrapped my arms around him, holding him.
"Bryan, BayBelle loves you." I looked him in the eye. "You're not going to lose her."