If Only for the Summer
Four
Henley went straight back to bed after her dad changed out her oxygen tank when they got home from the grocery store, exhausted from the walking and her small anxiety attack at the store. She woke up at around six o’clock that evening, starving for the first time since she got to Bethel. She made her way down to the kitchen and saw her dad’s family all sitting around the dinner table, talking away.
They all went quiet when she came into the room and she rolled her eyes as she grabbed a plate from the cabinet to get food. Once she filled her plate, she grabbed a fork, a bottle of water, and her tank to head back upstairs.
When she got to her room, she took up a spot on the chair she pulled up to her window the day before. As she ate, she looked out and studied the backdrop of the mountains that bordered the lake in front of her. Henley thought about why the guy had grabbed her like he had, then given up so easily when her dad had appeared and not even have gone for his stuff that he dropped. She was surprised, too, that she had done enough damage to his arm with her keys for him to still have that kind of bandaging on it.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the same boom that had cut through the air earlier that day. The birds that had been in the trees stirred and fled from the area, and a moment after, a man came running from the trees, a gun in his hand. Even from the distance that Henley was looking at him from, she could tell how disheveled he was, like he hadn’t been inside in weeks. Another man came running out, a shotgun in his hands. Just like the last time, her dad came running out into the backyard, followed by his wife. They talked for a moment quietly before she went back inside and her dad got on his phone.
Henley decided she was going to avoid this for the second time, and moved away from the window. She opened her phone when it went off, and saw a text from her mom. “Shit,” she said to herself. She hadn’t talked to her mom since she had gotten to Bethel so she had no idea what had happened when she got there. She dialed her mom’s number, and waited while it rang.
A minute later, her mom picked up. “Hey, Mom. Uh, I got to Bethel last week. There was a bit of a situation, but it’s under control as of now.”
“What happened?” her mom asked cautiously.
“I have cystic fibrosis?” Henley told her quietly. Her mom sighed. “What?”
“How did you find out?” Henley started the story, then decided not to tell her about the guy chasing her, and instead just told her that she lost her breath when she was walking around trying to find someone. “You’re okay, though, right?”
Henley nodded as she responded, “Yeah, I’m alright.”
“Did your dad come to get you?”
“He was at his house, I made my own way to the hospital.”
“Do you want to stay there, or would you rather come home? I can set something up at the hospital for when you get here.”
Before she was about to agree and get the hell out of Bethel, she thought about the guy and the random gunshots that had sounded throughout the day. “I want to stay. Bethel is alright.”
Her mom laughed. “I don’t believe you, but if you want to stay in that hell hole, I’ll let you.”
Henley smiled, too. “Okay, Mom. I’ll call you soon?”
Her mom agreed and they both hung up. After Henley put her phone down, she looked back out the window and got an idea. A moment later, she found her keys to her truck and gathered the rest of her stuff before she headed out the door and down the stairs.
Once she got to her truck, she paused for a second with her hand on the car door handle, trying to catch her breath. As she did, her dad came out the front door, confusion in his eyes. “What are you doing?”
Henley came up with something on the fly, “I was bored. I’m going to go explore.” He snorted. “What?”
“You’ve been holed up in your room since you got here.”
“And I’m sick of it now, okay? Can you get off my back?” she snapped.
Her dad paused then waved her off, “Fine, call when you get lost.”
Henley glared at the back his head as he walked back inside, then climbed into her truck. She got it started, then pulled around the circular driveway before heading toward the base of the hill. She took the same way down before she got to the fork that she had gotten lost on. She made the sharp turn and headed back down that direction.
A truck similar to Henley’s was parked about a half mile down the dirt road, the tailgate left open, but the bed of the truck empty. Henley pulled up behind it, and looked over the steering wheel to see if anyone was around. When she didn’t see anyone, she put her truck in park and got out of the truck, careful to grab her phone and lock the door behind her.
Pulling her tank behind her, she kept her eyes moving as she tried to find the owner of the truck. It was quiet around her, which made her nervous. She kept to the road, not willing to get lost once again in the maze of trees that surrounded her.
She headed in the same direction for almost five minutes before anyone noticed her. A familiar click of the safety on a gun clicked behind her, and she spun slowly around to face the owner. She laughed when she saw the gun shake in front of her. “What the hell?” the guy asked. “What are you doing here again?”
“I heard the gunshots and I was curious. I knew it had something to do with this,” Henley responded calmly. The guy kept his gun wearily aimed in her direction.
“You need to go,” he insisted.
“What’s your name?”
The guy looked at her incredulously. “What the hell are you trying to do here?”
“Everytime I see you I can only think of you as ‘that guy.’ Don’t you think it’s weird that we keep seeing each other and don’t know the other person’s name?” When the guy realized that Henley was obviously no immediate threat, he dropped his aim, but kept the gun in his right hand. “Also, you don’t know how to hold a gun. Or you do and you’ve never properly fired it. You shake so much when you hold it. Is it the idea of shooting someone? Or just shooting the gun in general?”
He became furious and pointed his gun back at her. “I guess this is a good time to practice.” It went silent for a moment when Henley realized he was serious. “I’m not shaking now, am I?” he countered.
“Josh! What the fuck are you doing?” someone called from the trees. He limped up to the two of them, and grabbed at his leg with a wince when he stopped. Henley had done some serious damage to the pair of men in front of her. He smacked the guy’s gun away. “Do you really want to deal with the body?”
Henley felt a lump rise in her throat. The guy—who Henley now knew as Josh—lowered his head. Then, he perked back up with a question in his eyes. “Then what are we going to do with her?” The second man turned toward Henley slowly. With a limp, he made his way over to her.
When he got within a few feet of Henley, she became uncomfortable and stepped back a bit to give herself more room. He got back within a foot of her, and he leaned in close before he spoke, “Scram.”
They all went quiet when she came into the room and she rolled her eyes as she grabbed a plate from the cabinet to get food. Once she filled her plate, she grabbed a fork, a bottle of water, and her tank to head back upstairs.
When she got to her room, she took up a spot on the chair she pulled up to her window the day before. As she ate, she looked out and studied the backdrop of the mountains that bordered the lake in front of her. Henley thought about why the guy had grabbed her like he had, then given up so easily when her dad had appeared and not even have gone for his stuff that he dropped. She was surprised, too, that she had done enough damage to his arm with her keys for him to still have that kind of bandaging on it.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the same boom that had cut through the air earlier that day. The birds that had been in the trees stirred and fled from the area, and a moment after, a man came running from the trees, a gun in his hand. Even from the distance that Henley was looking at him from, she could tell how disheveled he was, like he hadn’t been inside in weeks. Another man came running out, a shotgun in his hands. Just like the last time, her dad came running out into the backyard, followed by his wife. They talked for a moment quietly before she went back inside and her dad got on his phone.
Henley decided she was going to avoid this for the second time, and moved away from the window. She opened her phone when it went off, and saw a text from her mom. “Shit,” she said to herself. She hadn’t talked to her mom since she had gotten to Bethel so she had no idea what had happened when she got there. She dialed her mom’s number, and waited while it rang.
A minute later, her mom picked up. “Hey, Mom. Uh, I got to Bethel last week. There was a bit of a situation, but it’s under control as of now.”
“What happened?” her mom asked cautiously.
“I have cystic fibrosis?” Henley told her quietly. Her mom sighed. “What?”
“How did you find out?” Henley started the story, then decided not to tell her about the guy chasing her, and instead just told her that she lost her breath when she was walking around trying to find someone. “You’re okay, though, right?”
Henley nodded as she responded, “Yeah, I’m alright.”
“Did your dad come to get you?”
“He was at his house, I made my own way to the hospital.”
“Do you want to stay there, or would you rather come home? I can set something up at the hospital for when you get here.”
Before she was about to agree and get the hell out of Bethel, she thought about the guy and the random gunshots that had sounded throughout the day. “I want to stay. Bethel is alright.”
Her mom laughed. “I don’t believe you, but if you want to stay in that hell hole, I’ll let you.”
Henley smiled, too. “Okay, Mom. I’ll call you soon?”
Her mom agreed and they both hung up. After Henley put her phone down, she looked back out the window and got an idea. A moment later, she found her keys to her truck and gathered the rest of her stuff before she headed out the door and down the stairs.
Once she got to her truck, she paused for a second with her hand on the car door handle, trying to catch her breath. As she did, her dad came out the front door, confusion in his eyes. “What are you doing?”
Henley came up with something on the fly, “I was bored. I’m going to go explore.” He snorted. “What?”
“You’ve been holed up in your room since you got here.”
“And I’m sick of it now, okay? Can you get off my back?” she snapped.
Her dad paused then waved her off, “Fine, call when you get lost.”
Henley glared at the back his head as he walked back inside, then climbed into her truck. She got it started, then pulled around the circular driveway before heading toward the base of the hill. She took the same way down before she got to the fork that she had gotten lost on. She made the sharp turn and headed back down that direction.
A truck similar to Henley’s was parked about a half mile down the dirt road, the tailgate left open, but the bed of the truck empty. Henley pulled up behind it, and looked over the steering wheel to see if anyone was around. When she didn’t see anyone, she put her truck in park and got out of the truck, careful to grab her phone and lock the door behind her.
Pulling her tank behind her, she kept her eyes moving as she tried to find the owner of the truck. It was quiet around her, which made her nervous. She kept to the road, not willing to get lost once again in the maze of trees that surrounded her.
She headed in the same direction for almost five minutes before anyone noticed her. A familiar click of the safety on a gun clicked behind her, and she spun slowly around to face the owner. She laughed when she saw the gun shake in front of her. “What the hell?” the guy asked. “What are you doing here again?”
“I heard the gunshots and I was curious. I knew it had something to do with this,” Henley responded calmly. The guy kept his gun wearily aimed in her direction.
“You need to go,” he insisted.
“What’s your name?”
The guy looked at her incredulously. “What the hell are you trying to do here?”
“Everytime I see you I can only think of you as ‘that guy.’ Don’t you think it’s weird that we keep seeing each other and don’t know the other person’s name?” When the guy realized that Henley was obviously no immediate threat, he dropped his aim, but kept the gun in his right hand. “Also, you don’t know how to hold a gun. Or you do and you’ve never properly fired it. You shake so much when you hold it. Is it the idea of shooting someone? Or just shooting the gun in general?”
He became furious and pointed his gun back at her. “I guess this is a good time to practice.” It went silent for a moment when Henley realized he was serious. “I’m not shaking now, am I?” he countered.
“Josh! What the fuck are you doing?” someone called from the trees. He limped up to the two of them, and grabbed at his leg with a wince when he stopped. Henley had done some serious damage to the pair of men in front of her. He smacked the guy’s gun away. “Do you really want to deal with the body?”
Henley felt a lump rise in her throat. The guy—who Henley now knew as Josh—lowered his head. Then, he perked back up with a question in his eyes. “Then what are we going to do with her?” The second man turned toward Henley slowly. With a limp, he made his way over to her.
When he got within a few feet of Henley, she became uncomfortable and stepped back a bit to give herself more room. He got back within a foot of her, and he leaned in close before he spoke, “Scram.”