Home Sweet Haven

Clothes were thrown all around the bedroom as Duke stepped inside after making himself known. “You have a party in here or something?”

A few tears trailed down the girl's face as she glanced at Duke while continuing to throw some clothes around the room while packing others. “Thanks for coming, Duke. I really need to talk to someone.”

The brunette boy scoffed. “So that’s why? And you couldn’t just talk you our dear friend Nate?”

“He wouldn’t understand…” Drina Martell stopped mid-fold, looking through her fallen bangs toward Duke who was now sitting at her desk. “He’d try and stop me.”

“From doing what?”

“Leaving… I’m leaving Haven.”

Duke raised an eyebrow. “Everyone knows that, Dree. You got a dance scholarship.”

“It’s not that, Duke!” The young brunette woman hissed, listening for any signs of her parents. “I’m leaving tonight.”

A silence filled the room as the only Martell child continued to throw garments around the room and pack. Questions once again ran through Duke’s head as he watched his friend pack her clothes. It made no sense as to why she’d be leaving right as the summer started. Something was wrong. “Why tonight?”

“He’s leaving tonight.”

Drina trembled as she packed and at this point Duke could do nothing but watch. Things were still unclear to him. “Who’s leaving?”

The brunette girl huffed. “Lucas. This is my only chance to actually get out of Haven and actually see places. Going away to some school isn’t much different than being here in Haven. I’m done with being here. Life is boring and routine. I want to live my life!”

“So you’re just going to run away with some guy you barely know?”

“What else can I do, Duke?!” Drina glared at the boy she’d know for years. “Tell me how many other chances I’m going to get?”

The male teen said nothing. Instead he simply watched his friend as she threw herself across her bed to retrieve something from the other side. “But why are you telling me…?”

“I already told y--” Tears began to prick the Martell girl’s hazel eyes as she sighed and turned back to face the Crocker boy. She stopped her packing for another moment as she made her way over to where he sat, kneeling in front of him. “Who else could I tell? Nathan would try to stop me from going. And Julia… she’d hate me for it.” Looking into Duke’s eyes was one of the hardest things Drina ever had to do, it had absolutely nothing to do with the school-girl crush she had on her adventurous best friend because at this point in her life those feelings had long been put aside, she'd known Duke for forever and knew how he was so when she looked into his brown eyes the sincere concern they held almost threw her off guard. After taking his hand in hers she spoke again. "You're the only person that can understand. I've got to do this! Otherwise... I'll feel like I'm going to be trapped in this godforsaken town forever."

He watched her again. Her breathing was shallow as she released his hand and reached behind him, grabbing something off the desk. An envelope with "Nathan" scrawled in it. He narrowed his eyes. "I'm not going to be your messenger boy."

The hazel-eyed girl gave an exasperated sigh. "Duke..."

"No. Nathan already hates me enough as it is."

"Mostly because it's your fault."

"Beside the point... I don't wanna be the bearer of bad news. And-and what about your parents? You want me to tell them too?"

"No!" panic laced Drina's voice as the conversation continued. "I wrote them a letter too. I plan on leaving it here in the house where they can find it... but that's brings me to the other reason I needed to tell someone that I was leaving." She took a deep breath, pushing her bangs out of her eyes and looking around her room. "There's no way I'd be able to take all of this," She swept her hand, gesturing to the room in chaos, "with me now. So I need a favor." Duke went to interject his two cents but was cut off. "I know, I know. But I need to get this stuff to the school. And since I don't exactly know how upset my parents will be... I'm leaving the money needed to send it there by mail or whatever. That's where you come in."

Another scoff and a look of disbelief. "First messenger boy now bellhop? Is that really what our friendship has become, Dree?"

A glare was sent his way, her bangs once again falling into her eyes. A little favor, that's all she was asking for. "Fine. You know what, Duke? Just forget I told you anything and leave."

"What?" While the brown-eyed brunette was used to the hazel-eyed brunette's strong-willed and independent self this statement caught him completely off guard.

"Leave."