Starting Over by LD Steen
The door of the bus hissed closed then the bus jerked away from the curb. A sad pair of blue eyes stared, unseeing, as the city of Cascade passed in a blur.
"The best partner...badge...academy..." the words were all burned in his mind, but they were a false dream. didn't any of them understand? It was over. All of it. He WAS a fraud, and the worst kind of one. the person he was lying to this time was himself.
Academy, yeah right. He was an admitted fraud. He wouldn't survive his first day in court. The prosecution would have a field day the first time he testified. No the idea of becoming a cop would never work now.
School was out too. Try to prove yourself after this. No way. It was time to go. It was the only way.
Now that Naomi was gone, he couldn't even go to her for help, not that he ever had relied on her much.Still, her death right after the diss fiasco had hit him hard. Perhaps it had even been the start of his downward spirl.
He fingered the money stuffed haphazardly into his pocket. It was everything he could scrape together quickly. His heart was heavy as the bus left Washington. He wondered briefly if anyone would miss him. No,
he decided, no one would. He'd be lucky if they even noticed he was gone.
He remembered his first bus trip. He'd been ten then. A pre-teen desperately seeking his frequently absent mother's attention. She had finally grown tired of her high maintenance son and sent him to a cousin in Denver.
Then there had been the bus trip to Rainer when he was just sixteen. A scared boy herded on a two thousand mile trip. His mother was on her way out of the country and didn't have time to make sure he got there safely. He heard from her again about six months later. He'd never told her about that trip. He didn't want to remember it himself. It had been months after that before he could allow anyone to touch him again. Even more months before he could go anywhere and feel safe.
This trip would be different, he told himself. This trip he was taking willingly. This trip would be the start of his new life, a new dream.
The bus pulled to a final stop, but he didn't notice at first. He didn't notice until someone tapped his shoulder gently.
"Blair" a familiar voice called softly. "Its OK buddy, I've got you.
You're gonna be alright."
He looked into eyes as blue as his own. A man who had once been as close as a brother stood before him. He was gathered into strong arms and was surprised to find tears streaming down his face. For the first time in weeks he felt wanted, welcomed.
"You OK now?"
Blair nodded against his friend's chest. He didn't want to let go,
couldn't let go just yet. He was held in the embrace a few minutes more.
"Let's go home the, OK?"
He sniffled softly then picked up his duffel bag. An arm was draped comfortably around his shoulder as he was led out into the cold Colorado night.
"Thanks Daniel" He murmured as he slipped into the passenger seat of his friend's car.
Daniel smiled at him. "tonight we go home. In a few days we go see General Hammond about your new job. You'll see Blair, it's really going to be OK."
The End
The door of the bus hissed closed then the bus jerked away from the curb. A sad pair of blue eyes stared, unseeing, as the city of Cascade passed in a blur.
"The best partner...badge...academy..." the words were all burned in his mind, but they were a false dream. didn't any of them understand? It was over. All of it. He WAS a fraud, and the worst kind of one. the person he was lying to this time was himself.
Academy, yeah right. He was an admitted fraud. He wouldn't survive his first day in court. The prosecution would have a field day the first time he testified. No the idea of becoming a cop would never work now.
School was out too. Try to prove yourself after this. No way. It was time to go. It was the only way.
Now that Naomi was gone, he couldn't even go to her for help, not that he ever had relied on her much.Still, her death right after the diss fiasco had hit him hard. Perhaps it had even been the start of his downward spirl.
He fingered the money stuffed haphazardly into his pocket. It was everything he could scrape together quickly. His heart was heavy as the bus left Washington. He wondered briefly if anyone would miss him. No,
he decided, no one would. He'd be lucky if they even noticed he was gone.
He remembered his first bus trip. He'd been ten then. A pre-teen desperately seeking his frequently absent mother's attention. She had finally grown tired of her high maintenance son and sent him to a cousin in Denver.
Then there had been the bus trip to Rainer when he was just sixteen. A scared boy herded on a two thousand mile trip. His mother was on her way out of the country and didn't have time to make sure he got there safely. He heard from her again about six months later. He'd never told her about that trip. He didn't want to remember it himself. It had been months after that before he could allow anyone to touch him again. Even more months before he could go anywhere and feel safe.
This trip would be different, he told himself. This trip he was taking willingly. This trip would be the start of his new life, a new dream.
The bus pulled to a final stop, but he didn't notice at first. He didn't notice until someone tapped his shoulder gently.
"Blair" a familiar voice called softly. "Its OK buddy, I've got you.
You're gonna be alright."
He looked into eyes as blue as his own. A man who had once been as close as a brother stood before him. He was gathered into strong arms and was surprised to find tears streaming down his face. For the first time in weeks he felt wanted, welcomed.
"You OK now?"
Blair nodded against his friend's chest. He didn't want to let go,
couldn't let go just yet. He was held in the embrace a few minutes more.
"Let's go home the, OK?"
He sniffled softly then picked up his duffel bag. An arm was draped comfortably around his shoulder as he was led out into the cold Colorado night.
"Thanks Daniel" He murmured as he slipped into the passenger seat of his friend's car.
Daniel smiled at him. "tonight we go home. In a few days we go see General Hammond about your new job. You'll see Blair, it's really going to be OK."
The End