Chasing Hearts

Kellin was quiet as he watched the road pass by quickly with the speed of the car. Silent tears made their way down his pale cheeks, but he made no attempt to rid them away. The awful stench of fertilizer filled his nostrils as the window on his mother's side of the car slid down.

He didn't understand. His mom had figured it'd be best to move out of state, especially once the divorce between his parents was finalized, but he didn't see the point in moving all the way to New York. He was perfectly content back in Michigan.

"It's going to be okay, baby."

His mother's voice startled him from his thoughts. She quickly cast a comforting glance his way, before focusing back on the road. "I know how you feel, Kellin. You think I don't, but I do. It'll be scary at first, but I know you'll grow to like New York."

"How do you know?" he spat, the words leaving his mouth before he could think about them, "You just expect me to be a-okay with the fact that you just pack up our shit and move us all the way to New York? Do you not understand what this will do to me? I was fucking happy in Michigan, and the problems you and Dad seem to have shouldn't have to ruin that!"

"Kellin Quinn Bostwick, watch your language!" his mother snapped, sending him a sharp glare, "This is for the best! Your father and I were having issues that were not healthy for this family! I'm sorry you don't get it, but you're not the only one hurting, Kellin!"

Kellin just rolled his eyes, shoving the earphones to his iPod in his ears. He blasted the volume as loud as it could get, the lyrics to a song by Mayday Parade taking place of all noise. He leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes in an attempt to relax. He already had a weird feeling building in his stomach.



Kellin stirred in his sleep at the sound of voices outside the car. He recognized one of the voices as his mother's, while the other voice was unfamiliar, but clearly that of a young male.

"Is that your son?" the unknown voice asked quietly.

"Yes, he fell asleep on the way. He's pretty shaken up about the move. He's lived in Michigan his entire life," he faintly heard his mom respond.

"Understandable. I'd probably be upset, too. It's got to be tough, leaving everything you knew behind," the male sighed, and Kellin could've sworn there was a hint of sadness in his tone, but it could've just been the remaining feeling of fatigue talking, "If you'd like, I can show him around when he wakes up. Summer break just started a few days ago, so he won't need to worry about school just yet."

"Oh, that would be lovely. Thank you, dear."

"Oh, no, ma'am, it's really not a problem. Do you want any help with your things?"

"If you would, please. Or you could try to wake my son up. He'd probably chew my head off if I tried."

A soft, not-so-girly giggle came after that, but no words. Kellin could hear the click of his mom's heels against the concrete, before the creak of a door opening. He jumped violently when he felt a gentle touch against his shoulder, one he hadn't been expecting. His eyes snapped open, only to make direct contact with wide, curious brown eyes and a mop of fiery orange hair.

"Whoa, man, are you okay?" the boy in front of him asked, hesitantly bringing his hand back to his side, "I'm sorry if I scared you. Your mom just said -"

"It's okay," Kellin chuckled, lifting his fists to rub at his eyes. He tugged his earphones out of his ears, suddenly noticing the lack of lyrics in his ears. He attempted to unlock his iPod, sighing when he realized that it had died. He moved to unbuckle his seatbelt, looking up at the other boy with a strained smile.

The other boy nodded and bit his lip, stepping back and holding the car door open so Kellin could slide out. After Kellin was standing safely on the sidewalk, the redhead shut the door for him quickly.

"If you want, I can help you out with whatever stuff you have to carry in," the boy said quietly, not looking back up at Kellin.

"Yeah, sure," Kellin mumbled, walking around to open the trunk, though not that interested. He appreciated the other's offer, really, it was kind of him. Kellin still wasn't the slightest bit happy about the whole situation, though, and it made it hard for him to think happy about anything, no matter how kind certain strangers may have been. The redhead followed Kellin's example as he grabbed a few bags from the trunk. "So, um, I'm Alan, by the way. I live right over there," he pointed to the small house directly to the left of Kellin's new home.

"Kellin. It's nice to meet you, Alan," Kellin replied politely, not bothering to smile at the other as he led him up the path to the house.

"Likewise, Kellin," Alan blushed, not at all put off by the other's behavior.

When the boys stepped inside, Kellin's mom was already in the front room. She had the biggest smile he'd ever seen her wear, making it difficult for him to stay angry for very long. Difficult, but not impossible.

"Oh, boys, isn't this place just lovely?" she gushed, genuinely happy, "Justin and Jesse should be by with the moving truck tomorrow with the rest of our things. They wanted to help us settle in, isn't that sweet? I've always liked those boys. Kellin, I haven't picked a room yet, because I wanted you to choose first. Go on, boys, tell me what you think!"

With that, Kellin's mother ushered them toward the stairs. Kellin shook his head, moving the straps of the bags he carried into his left hand.

He used his right hand to grip Alan's forearm, pulling him carefully upstairs.

"Your mom is crazy," Alan laughed, allowing the dark-haired boy to pull him along.

Kellin just forced a smile at Alan, releasing his arm and walking down the length of the hall, examining each room.

There were two bedrooms, which were both decent in size. One room was slightly larger than the other, but not by much. The first room had it's own bathroom, a small closet and enough room to fit a full-sized bed, dresser, radio, computer desk, and pretty much anything else you might find in the average teenager's bedroom. The second room was about the same size, with a slightly larger closet and no connected bathroom. The living room, kitchen, dining room, a few storage closets, and the other bathroom were located on the first floor, as you would normally expect.

Kellin decided to choose the second bedroom, simply because he believed that his mom should have the best one. Just because he was angry with her didn't mean he didn't want her to have nice things.

With Alan hot on his trail, Kellin entered his new room and carelessly dumped his bags onto the floor. Alan bit his lip nervously and set the things he was carrying down onto the floor with more caution than Kellin had.

Kellin sighed heavily, running his hand through his dark hair and slumping against the wall nearest to him. He reached into his pocket, pausing to look up a Alan for a moment.

"Hey, close the door and open the window, will ya?"

Alan stumbled over his words for a moment before uttering out an "Um, okay," and complying. Once the door was shut and the window was raised, a cigarette was immediately poised between Kellin's lips and he fumbled with a bright green lighter, huffing in frustration when the flame wouldn't catch.

"Here, let me," Alan spoke, walking to Kellin and taking the lighter in his hands. He lit the flame with ease, cupping his hand around it to keep the slight breeze from the opened window away. He held the flame to the end of Kellin's cigarette and carefully watched it until the tip of the filter started to burn.

"There," Alan told him quietly without making eye contact, handing Kellin the lighter back and stepping away from him.

"Thanks," Kellin said, smoke exiting his mouth as the words did, "Want one?"

"Oh, no, thank you," Alan replied shyly, shaking his head, "I don't smoke."

"Being in the same room as a smoker and inhaling the smoke is almost the same as smoking, is it not?"

Alan just shrugged in response, loosely crossing his arms over his chest and lookimg at the floor.

"Suit yourself," Kelllin sighed as he inhaled deeply, removing the cigarette from his mouth to let out a large cloud of grey. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall, biting the inside of his cheek before placing the cigarette back between his lips.

God, this sucks.