The Runaways

Chapter 20

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Emily makes her way down the dimly lit hallway, dragging her feet as her bag nearly dragged the ground beside her. She approached the wooden door to the place she now called home, and pulled her bag up with her arm. After fumbling around a few seconds she finally found the key in the bottomless bit known as her purse. She puts the key in and walks inside, shutting the door behind her with a sigh. She sees Maya in the kitchen cooking, and she just walks over to the couch, plopping down with yet another sigh.

Maya detecting her girlfriend's fowl mood instantly, walks into the living room and sits down next to Emily. She just watched the girl for a moment, not yet knowing what to say. She had her head laid back on the back of the couch with her eyes closed looking utterly frustrated. "How'd the interview go?" Maya asks, cringing slightly. It was obvious it hadn't gone well, but she didn't know what else to say.

"Bad." Emily manages to mumble, picking her head up off the back of the couch, to look over at her girlfriend.

Maya lets out a sigh and scoots closer to Emily, wrapping her arms securely around the other girl. "You'll find one soon enough." She whispers, placing a kiss on top of Emily's head. Emily just lets out a sigh, burying her head in Maya's neck as the shorter girl started playing with her hair. "I need to go check on dinner." Maya whispers making Emily just nod her head in reply. Maya places a kiss on the top of Emily's head and stands up, making her way into the kitchen.

"Living on our own is hard." Maya hears Emily say from in the living room. She just smiles slightly and shakes her head, because she could just hear the pout in the brunette's voice.

"Well it's a lot better than my old life." Maya says, as she turns down the burner on the stove. "But I know it's a lot harder than your, it'll just take some getting used to." She says, making her way back into the living room. She looked over at Emily and smiled when she saw the pout on the brunette's lips. She sits down next to her girlfriend and places a soft kiss on her lips, making the pout disappear. "I know how hard this for you, and you have no idea how much I love and appreciate you for doing this." Maya says, resting her forehead against Emily's, looking deep into her dark brown orbs.

"I know." Emily says with a nod. "And I obviously love you too, otherwise I wouldn't be doing this." Emily says, earning a giggle from her girlfriend.

Maya smiles and places another kiss on Emily's oh so kissable lips, before pulling back completely. "Dinner is ready." She says, standing up from the couch. She offers her hand out to Emily, and pulls her off the couch also.

EXM

After finishing dinner the girls had made their way into the bedroom, lying comfortably next to each other on their bed. Maya was on her side, boredly flipping through a magazine as Emily sat on the opposite side of her, writing in her journal. Letting out a big sigh Maya looks over at her girlfriend who didn't look up from her writing. She had her lip in between her teeth chewing on it as she concentrated on what she was writing down. Once again Maya lets out another overdramatic sigh trying to get the other girls attention.

This time it seemed to have effect because Emily glanced over at her. But not too long after she just looked back down at her journal and continued her writing. Maya's face falls and she lets out yet another loud sigh, making the brunette finally look over at her, keeping the eye contact. "Yes?" Emily asks, with an amused smile.

"Oh nothing." Maya replies in a sing song voice, with yet another breathy sigh, letting her shoulders rise and fall as she exhales and inhales. Emily just smiles at her girlfriend before going back to her writing once again, only to be interrupted by yet another loud sigh. Emily lets a giggle escape her lips, but she didn't look over at Maya. She knew the other girl was bored, and was just trying to get her attention. Frustrated, Maya closes her magazine and sets in on the floor beside the bed before scooting over in the bed closer to her girlfriend. She rolls over onto her side and starts kissing Emily's neck softly.

"What are you doing?" Emily asks, not being able to hide another giggle from escaping her lips at the other girls actions. Maya doesn't reply, just grabs the journal out of Emily's hands and tosses it on the floor, without ceasing her attack on the brunette's neck. "I was writing in that." Emily says with a smile.

"Sshh, I'm trying to gets my mack on." Maya finally says, looking back up at Emily who lets out another laugh. Maya smiles and goes back to kissing the girls neck as Emily's rolls her head to the side giving Maya better access. She moves her kisses up her neck and down her jaw line until she reaches Emily's lips. She looks up at her girlfriend who opens her eyes, smiling softly at her. Maya grins and leans in placing a passionate kiss on Emily's lips, battling her tongue for dominance.

EXM

Ashley Marin opened the door to her daughter's bedroom, and saw Hanna lying on her bed twisting a blonde lock of hair around her finger as she talked on the phone to someone. She could only assume she was talking to Sean because of the way she was giggling. "Hanna?" She asks knocking quietly against the halfway opened door.

Hanna tilts her head backwards and sees her mom looking expectantly at her. "Hey I have to go." She says into the phone, sitting up from her position. "Yeah I'll call you tomorrow." She adds. After a minute she gets a reply, and hangs up the phone, before turning to her mother.

"Sean?" Ashley asks, stetting fully into her daughters bedroom.

"No. Just Lucas." She says with a shrug, making her mother nod her head slowly. "Did you need something?" Hanna asks, quickly switching the subject off of who her phone conversation had been with.

Ashley walks over to Hanna's desk, absently looking things over. Doing anything to keep herself busy. She wasn't exactly sure how to approach this subject with her daughter or what would come out of it. She just knew she was doing the right thing. "I need to talk to you about something very important." She starts, looking over at her daughter who just looked at her curiously, but waited on her to continue. "The other day when the girls were over here, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation." She says, as Hanna's eyes go wide.

"What did you hear?" Hanna asks, swallowing a lump in her throat. She knew exactly what her mother had heard, but just in case she was wrong, she wasn't going to be the first to say it.

"You've been speaking with Emily." She says, making Hanna sigh and look down at her bedspread. "Look honey, I know you think you are being a good friend, and helping her, but you're just hurting her. She's 16, she shouldn't be living on her own." She says, but gets no response out of the blonde. "And her mother is really worried Hanna. If it was you then I would want someone to tell me if they knew something." She adds and Hanna finally looks up at her.

"Mom, do you know where Emily's mom sent her? Where she has been the past few weeks?" She asks, looking up at her mother. Ashley just nods her head slowly with a sigh. "Her mother thinks she is sick! She isn't sick, there is nothing wrong with her being gay! Her mother doesn't deserve to know where she is." Hanna says, mumbling the last part, a bit angry.

"I don't agree with what her mother did. I don't think anything is wrong with Emily, but I know that her mother loves her. She was just shocked, and scared. She didn't know what to do. She's come around a lot Hanna, and she deserves a second chance." Ashley says, sitting down on the bed next to her daughter. "I'll make sure Emily doesn't know you had anything to do with this." She adds, placing a hand on Hanna's shoulder. "But you have to tell me where she is."

Hanna looks up at her mother for a moment, contemplating her options. She knew Emily would be pissed at her if she were to ever find out, but she also knew how much better Emily would be if she came home. She also couldn't help but notice how unsure Emily had sounded in their conversations, about what she was doing. She could tell she wasn't sure if living on her own was the best, she was just scared to come home. She lets out a sigh, and gets up off of her bed, making her way to her dresser. She grabs her purse and rummages through it for a moment before pulling out the piece of paper with Emily's address on it. She walks over and offers the paper to her mother, but with hesitance. Ashley stands up and takes the address from her daughter, and warps her up in a tight hug. "You're an amazing friend. She's lucky to have you." She whispers as Hanna nods her head.

EXM

Early that next morning Emily lets her eyes flutter open and lets out a groan as the sun fills her vision. She rubs her eyes for a moment and opens them once again, looking around the room. She looks next to her and finds the bed empty, then looks over at the clock they had hanging on the wall, and realizes Maya was at work. She seemed to almost always be working now. Yesterday had been her first day off in awhile, and according to Maya she wasn't getting anymore off days anything soon. Which meant Emily got to sit at home by herself and stare at the wall.

She couldn't help but be frustrated at herself for not being able to get a job of her own. I mean what was wrong with her? Sure she didn't have any experience, but how much experience did you need to work at a fast food place or something as simple as that. Sure she would rather not have to work in the fast food industry, but she would take anything right now. Not only because she was bored, but because they needed money. Maya had been amazing, working as much as she could, but she felt bad for making Maya work all of those hours. She could tell it was starting to take a toll on the other girl, and that she was starting to get tired a lot lately. Although Maya would of course never admit that she was overworking, Emily could tell that it indeed was exhausting her.

This whole situation just sucked. She was 16 years old, almost 17; she wasn't supposed to be having to worry this much about buying groceries, or paying rent. She was a kid; she was supposed to be going to school, and enjoying her youth. School. That was another thing. Emily still hadn't decided what she was going to do about school. She really wanted to go back. She had so much going for her with swimming, and she didn't want to just give it all up. Although she did admit that Maya was worth giving all of this up for.

Sure her home life hadn't been the worst. She had a roof over her head, her parents, were strict, but they loved her and they took care of her and pretty much gave her everything that she wanted. She wasn't materialistic so she didn't ask for much, but if she did, they usually would let her have it as long as it was reasonable.

However now that her mother knew she was gay, that would probably all change. She had seen that look in her mother's eyes when she had told her. It wasn't a look of shock or slight confusion. It was a look of pure disappointment and disgust. It was a look that didn't seem like was going to just go away once it sank in. If she were to go home, would she have to face the wrath of her mother, or hide who she was because her mother thought she was sick? That was not a life that Emily wanted to live. Although she loved her mother very much, hiding herself was just exhausting and made her very unhappy. Also going home would mean no Maya, and she knew there was no way that she could possibly be happy without the darker girl.

Letting out a sigh, Emily rolls out of bed and heads for the shower, hoping to wash away all of her worries.

EXM

Emily walks into the café were Maya worked, and walked up to the counter where Maya was leant up against, talking to her manager, Michelle. Once Emily fully approaches the counter Michelle nods her head toward her, making Maya turn around; a smile instantly growing on her face. "Hey baby." She says, leaning over to place a kiss on Emily's cheek.

"Hey." Emily says, looking at her girlfriend, then turns to her manager and offers her a smile, "Hi." She greets the woman who smiles and waves at her. Emily had been coming in so often she was actually starting to be somewhat friends with Michelle. "Are you about to be off? I'm starving, and we have no food at home." Emily says, turning her attention back to her girlfriend.

"I just have to clean off a couple of tables then I can go." Maya replies, nodding her head. She leans down and grabs a towel and some sanitizer out from under the cabinet and starts heading for the tables.

"I got the tables." Michelle says, grabbing the bottle from her worker. Maya just looks at her confused, but Michelle gives her a reassuring smile. "Go feed your woman. I got it." She says, nodding towards Emily. Maya just looks at her skeptically for another minute making Michelle sigh, "Maya, really, you've been amazing these past few weeks I think I can handle two tables." She says with a small laugh. "Now get!" She adds, shoving Maya out from behind the counter.

Maya laughs and takes her apron off, and hangs it up on the hook against the wall. "Thank, Michelle. I'll see you tomorrow." She says, with a wave. Michelle just nods her head at the girl and walks over to the tables that needed her attention. Maya walks over to Emily and grabs her hand, pulling her out of the coffee shop.

EXM

Pam Fields steps out of her car that was parked on the side of the road, and looks up at the apartment building in front of her. Reaching into her pocket she pulls out the paper with an address on it, checking to make sure she had the right place. Confirming she was in the right spot, she takes a deep breath in before crossing the street headed over to the apartment.

She walks inside the building and searches the hallways, pulling her bag close to her, as she nervously looked around. Dirty was an understatement for this place, and she couldn't believe Emily had been subjected to living here the past few weeks. She picks up her pace, quickly scanning the numbers on the doors until she finally finds the room number as to where Emily was supposedly living.

She stands there for a moment staring at the closed door in front of her, before taking a deep breath. She wasn't sure how Emily was going to react to seeing her, and couldn't help but feel nervous. Emily had every right to be pissed at her, and she would understand if she was. She slowly reaches her hand out, and knocks on the door a couple of times, before retracting her arm back down to her side, waiting for an answer.

Getting no answer she quickly knocks a few more times, this time a little louder. She hears a door open, but it wasn't the one she had been knocking on. She turns around and sees the person across the hallway opening their door looking at her annoyed. "I'm sorry." She says, quietly, her head dropping. She starts to walk away, but then suddenly turns back to the man. "Do you know the girls who live here?" She asks, hopefully.

"Yeah. Emily, and Maya." He says with a nod. She nods her head also, her eyebrows going up, hoping he would know something. "They left this morning, haven't seen them since." He adds with a shrug.

"Thank you." She says softly as he just nods, and goes back inside of his apartment. Pam turns back to Emily's door and places her hand on it as she contemplated on what she should do. She wasn't sure if she should leave a note, or maybe sit out in the hallway until she returned. No that would be stupid, who knows when she would come back, and there was no way Emily would probably respond to a note.

Letting out a sigh she turns around and walks back down the hallways, exiting the building. She gets back into her car and decides to go and find some place to eat some dinner, and then she would try again later tonight.

EXM

Pam had ended up at the café right down the street from their apartment, not wanting to get too far away. She gets sat down in the back corner of the restaurant and a waiter quickly approaches her, taking her order, and bringing her a drink. She looks around the café and can't help but think this place was a nice cozy place to eat. It was very warm and inviting, and the staff was very friendly.

She lets her eyes wonder over to the window beside her where she sees a few guests eating at the tables outside. She can't help but do a double take when she sees a girl outside that closely resembled her daughter. "Emily." She says, quietly, straining her eyes, trying to get a better view of the girl who was far away. Her eyes widen when she finally comes to the realization that this was indeed her Emily. She let her eyes wonder over to the darker girl who sat a little bit too close to her daughter, and could only assume that this was Maya.

Her first instinct was to jump up and run over to her daughter, but she couldn't get her legs moving. She just sat watching her daughter interact with her assumed girlfriend. She were holding hands and talking to each other, with the biggest smiles plastered across their faces. Maya then leans over and places a slow kiss on Emily's lips, making Pam quickly turn her head away. Sure she was trying to get used to this, but it didn't mean she was ready to watch her daughter make out with her girlfriend. She moves her head back around a few seconds later and sees Maya pulling away, leaving a blush and the biggest grin she had ever seen on Emily's face.

She finally gets her legs working and stands up, but just as she does so does her daughter, and Maya. Emily watches as the shorter girl places a tip on the table then she leans over and kisses Maya's cheek. The darker girl smiles at Emily and laces their fingers together as they start to walk down the street.

The waitress then approaches Pam, setting her food down in front of her. She smiles at him before slowly sitting back down in her seat, still absorbing what she had just seen. She couldn't help the smile that appeared on her lips, after seeing how happy her daughter was. Emily had gone through so much the last year with her father, and with Allison. It was nice to see her smiling once again, and to see her truly happy.

So Next chapter has some serious drama! Please review and tell me what you guys think! :-)