I'll Be Me, And You'll Be You

I don't think our parents were ready for our reactions. Even Alice had yelled what at that outrageous suggestion. Carson and I run a company together? If Saber had anything to do with it, he'd run it straight in to the ground. There was no way in hell that I'd run a company with him, even if he was- wait, not even then would I do it.

"Andy! Things have already been decided so there's no reason to get all worked up about it," My mother pointed out. From the yelling we'd woken up both of my parents. My father looked at me with anger. Frankly, I didn't care at this point. How dare they decide without even consulting me that I would run a company with Carson. They knew how Carson acted towards me! I could barely handle him on a daily basis, let alone taking over a company with him. Were they insane?

I was getting very angry, very quickly, but I don't think anyone in the room noticed. Carson seemed to be angrier than I was, but I doubted that. It's not like he had to deal with me the same way I had to deal with him. He had nothing to worry about! If he couldn't do his job properly everyone knew that I'd step in and take over. They knew that I would never soil my family's name, or my own for that matter. It seemed like they were just putting Carson with me because they knew he would never look bad.

"That's an even more senile idea," Alice whispered, shaking her head. "They basically detest each other, and you want them to work together! Ha! What a joke!" What a joke indeed.

I couldn't help but stand there, fuming, while Carson argued with his parents. I knew mine were watching me closely, but I just ignored them. I'd never in my entire life thought that they would do something like this to me. My entire life I'd worked to impress them and make them proud, and this is how they reward my hard work this go round. Seriously, did they expect me to just go along with this? Since I'd supposedly wasn't going to be "closed off and obedient anymore."

Boy, were they in for a rude awakening on just how delinquent I could be. If they thought this was the worse thing I could possibly do, they were atrociously wrong. As my parents kept staring at me, I think that they understood what was going through my mind.

Andy Carter was about to run, and there was nothing they could do about it. I walked over to Alice and whispered something in her ear. She nodded her head and got up. Both of my parents stood up as well. The Carsons were too busy arguing with each other to notice what was going on.

"Andy, what are you about to do?" My mother asked, concern in her voice.

My father looked absolutely heated. "Look, Carter," He only called me by my last name when I was in deep shit, "Let's just sit down and talk this out. There's no need for drastic measures." They walked forward and stood in front of me. Oh, what a mistake, what a mistake indeed.

I snapped my fingers, which alerted Alice that I was about to put my plan in to action. The Carsons finally stopped talked to see what we were doing.

My mother turned those eyes on me, the eyes that she used to get me to do anything she wanted. For the first time, I looked away. I didn't find her eyes as. . . captivating as before. They held such a saddening expression that I wanted to stop everything and do what she said. But, she was just using those eyes in order to use me. I was tired of being used, for once. It was time for me to live my life and for them to find a new slave.

On que, Alice and I both ran to the window. I swung outside but hung on to the ledge, while Alice flung herself out the window. She reached for my out stretched hand and slammed against me. Slowly to us, but probably fast to the people who were looking at as like we were crazy, she slid down my body until she hung from my leg, finally letting go and dropping the rest of the way down on to the ground. When she was out of the way, I dropped down as well.

I didn't care to look back up at the window. Alice helped me out of the bushes and together we started off towards the parking lot. Behind me, I heard a loud thump and a lot of bushes rustling. Both Alice and I turn around to see what the noise is. Did my parents have the guts to jump out of a 2nd story window?

There Carson was, brushing foliage off of himself, slightly limping towards us. I guess he thought the bushes would break most of his fall. Idiot.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Alice asked him, her hands on her hips.

Carson paid her no mind, but looked me dead straight in my eyes. I knew that look; it was the same look I had in my eyes right now. The look that said I was about to explode if I didn't get away from here. A look that said I was on the edge of running away and never coming back.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"W-w-here ar-e we g-g-oing?" Alice asked a few minutes after we'd gotten in to the car. I sped on the back roads, anxious to get away from the city. Out of the state, even.

I shrugged my shoulders, not saying a word. What did I have to say? No matter what, I was always the person with the plan. Hell, with all the shit my parents made me do, it was integrated in to me to always have a plan. The fact that I was driving without a plan put me in slight shock.

The car began to slow down until it came to a complete stop. I could feel Alice relax beside me; her hands had stopped gripping the seat. I glanced at her hands and looked pointedly at her.

"You're driving is more crazy than usual, is all. I called your name a couple of times but I guess you didn't hear me," Alice explained. Her face looked a little pale; she looked like she was about to faint.

I mumbled an apology and stared out the window. I inhaled a breath I hadn't realized I needed, and began to think of what we were going to do. I didn't know if I should take Alice with me, but then again, what the hell. If she hadn't wanted to come with me then she wouldn't have followed my directions and jumped out of the window. Then again, had I pressured her in to coming? Had my anger made her afraid to refuse coming with me?

Alice, in a way, was helping me keep a handle on my emotions. Just by her being close, someone I knew I could trust, it gave me a little more peace. I focused on that while I gathered my emotions and calmed down. I looked in the rear view mirror to see what Carson was doing. He was staring out the window, his jaw tight. He probably wouldn't be able to cool down as fast as I me; he had a lot more to be angry about than I did.

We had one thing in common though, and that was lax mothers and uptight fathers. What was up with that? Was it just specifically our families, or was it the money that made them this way? If it was, then I didn't want to be a billionaire, ever. I didn't want money to warp who I was as a person.

Alice seemed to be the only one in her right mind. Carson was too angry to speak and I still couldn't think straight. I waited until she spoke to say anything. A few minutes passed before she did.

"Okay, I understand both of you are pissed off, but we need a plan. Andy, you're usually the one who comes up with the plans but you're obviously not in the mood to, and Saber over here is being Mr. Anti-Social at the moment. So, I guess that leaves me to keep everyone afloat." Alice sighed and rubbed her hands over her eyes.

Despite what everyone thought, Alice wasn't as stupid as she portrayed herself to be. Her grades were in the top five out of our class, and as long as I'd known her she'd never gotten less than a B+.

"Alright, first off we need to decide where we're going to go. Saber, where would you like to go?" Alice asked gently.

Carson turned his eyes on her. I could tell he was trying very hard not to give her a murderous stare because of the mood he was in. "Out of this city, of course. Maybe even out of this state if at all possible, depending on how much money we have."

Saber Carson wasn't stupid, either. Actually, he was pretty far from it. He wasn't as book smart as Alice or I, but he made up for it with street smarts. All of his years not studying and doing god knows what taught him how to survive in the real world.

"Good point about the money," she said, agreeing with him. She turned to me and asked me the same question.

I had to think about it for a moment before I answered. "Out of the state would be good, but our parents could just order people to come get us. If we were out of the country, they couldn't do that as easily. So, leaving the country is our best option."

Alice nodded her head. "Yes, then I think leaving the country is our best option. How much money does everyone have on them?"

Carson pulled out his wallet and counted his money first: $320.36.

Alice pulled out her wallet and counted her money next: $194.12

After Alice was done her and Carson looked at me expectantly. I pulled out my wallet and started to count my money.

Alice stared at my hands. I turned to her with a confused look on my face.

"What?" I asked her, "I have a thing for 20's." I went back to counting my money: $688.-- "So in total we have $1,202.48 altogether. Plus, I have my card with me. Carson, do you have your card with you?"

He shook his head. "Yeah I do but my parents can trace it. I suggest we not use yours either." Alice looked at him with her mouth hanging slightly open.

She asked the obvious question. "Your parents gave you a credit card?" He nodded his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Andy, did your parents give you a credit card as well?"

I nodded my head. "Yeah, but I don't use it. I have a check card, not a credit card. My parents don't know I have a check card, and I hope they never do. If they knew I stashed money then they'd want to know how I got it and how much I have. I use the card they gave me to get cash out of the bank, but that's about it."

"That doesn't explain why you have so much money on you," Carson pointed out, talking to me for the first time since Mr. Redding had sent us out of his room. He looked calmer now that he'd begun talking, but I could still hint some anger in his eyes.

I turned back around and started the car, continuing through the back roads. "I knew something was up, so I planned ahead. I didn't think it would happen this quickly though. I guess my behavior moved the date of informing us up a bit."

Carson groaned. "I knew this would come down to being your fucking fault, Carter. I just knew it!"