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Josh's POV
It only took me about twenty minutes to realise that this was the dumbest idea I'd ever agreed to. Hiding in my dad's car for fifteen hours—or even more, who knew?—just so I could make it into the United States—that is, if I got past the customs without being seen and sent to jail with the illegal immigrants—and then what? How would I get from California, or wherever my dad was going for his business trip, to where Hayley lived without a) starving, b) getting lost, c) getting lost AND starving, d) being killed by mom who, after realising I had vanished, would travel the entire world to find me and murder me slowly with her own hands?
In the end, I decided that the best thing to do was to emerge from my cold and wet hiding place—you know, the space between the backseat and front seats of a car, where people usually put their stinky feet—and reveal my presence to dad at a safe moment. And by "a safe moment" I mean "while he isn't driving" because dying in a car accident wasn't really on my bucket list.
So I waited, feeling a little more ridiculous each second. I almost fell asleep—something I had been unable to do the previous night due to my overexcitement—when all of a sudden the immobility of the car struck me. Sometime during my state of almost-sleep, we had stopped.
I sat up carefully, hiding behind the passenger seat to peak at my dad. Just as I expected, he wasn't there. Good. I checked the surroundings through the window to make sure he wouldn't spot me and stepped out of the car. We were in a gas station—no surprise there. Knowing him, I supposed dad was probably in the bathroom.
If I got back in the car and smiled brightly at him when he returned, would he have a heart attack? Maybe it was better if I waited for him right there, on my two feet—just reducing the creepiness to its minimum.
While I patiently stood there, I glanced at the licence plates of the passing cars thoughtfully. I don't know why, but that was always entertaining. For instance, did the dude pay a bonus for his three numbers to be 007 or it's just a coincidence? And that motto, "Beautiful British Columbia." I mean is that conceited or what? And cheesy too.
Wait a minute, we were still in Canada? Jeez, was my dad taking a detour through the North Pole? At this rate it would take forty years to reach Hayley. Maybe we weren't even that far from home yet…
Uh oh. What if we actually weren't that far from home and dad would decide to bring me back? That was NOT part of the plan. I was supposed to come out when we were already too far to turn ba—
"What the f… udge!?" Damn, there he was, dressed like a hobo as always—guess it was genetic. "Josh, what the h… What are you doing here!?" I had to appreciate the fact that he tried so hard not to swear around me. "Uhh, hellooo?" He waved his hand in front of my face and I blinked in surprise, trying my best to focus.
"Hey, dad." That is not what I call focus. "Ok, look, I was hiding in the car because I have to get into the United States in order to see Hayley—my girlfriend—but I was afraid you would refuse if I simply asked you…"
"Damn right, I would refuse!" he nearly yelled back before opening the passenger door and shoving me onto the seat. I have to admit, I had never seen my dad so angry before. "I'm taking you back home right now. And don't you EVER pull a stunt like that again or I swear I am dumping you on the side of the road!" His glare made me wanna melt and evaporate through the AC. I didn't really have the guts—or the breath—to say anything anymore so I stared out the windshield in shock, feeling the disappointment slowly creep in as I understood what was happening to me.
We were going back.
Hayley's POV
I knew this number. It was Jack. But why would Jack be calling me? What else would he have to tell me? Expecting with apprehension his frail, pained voice, I picked up my phone.
"Hello?" I said hesitantly.
"Hey! It's Jack! How's it going?" This was not the sad little voice I'd heard before. He actually sounded happy and excited. And he'd actually asked me how it was going as if I could tell him anything good without lying.
"Fine, I guess," I answered flatly. "What's up?"
"Um, Hays, something happened." Now he sounded nervous. "And it's really important but…"
"Yes?"
"Well, I mean, it's not THAT important but I just thought you should know."
"What!?" I squealed in frustration.
He grunted. "You know what? It doesn't really matter. I just wanted to thank you." I could hear the smile in his voice and it made me smile too. But I still hadn't found out what he wanted to tell me and it was already starting to drive me nuts.
"Jack, what did you want to tell me?"
"It's nothing, I told you!"
"It didn't sound like nothing." I was not giving up.
He sighed. "I'll tell you later, ok? I swear I will NOT forget. Besides, you'll probably find out on your own anyway…"
"Jack!" But he'd already hung up. Immediately, I started thinking about what it could be. Getting my find off the past events of my life sure felt great.
He seemed happy again—VERY happy—and he had thanked me, so that could only mean one thing, right?
…
He'd gotten himself a new girlfriend. He wasn't hurting over me anymore, and he was grateful that I'd let him go and allowed him to find this new girl who was better and smarter and more faithful than me… Made sense.
Still, I couldn't stop the huge knot from building up in my stomach at the thought that I'd lost him for good now. Whatever small chance there still was that he'd forgive me and return to me was totally gone. He didn't need me anymore. Not like I needed him.
And I could think of only one person I needed more than him. But his chance of coming back had never even existed.
Josh's POV
"Dad, I'm going to open this door and jump out."
He laughed. "Yeah, and then I'm gonna have to scrape you off the highway with a pocketknife."
After that I commenced a minute of moping with my arms crossed. I even considered forcing a few tears. Anything to convince him to turn back.
But it just wouldn't happen.
"Dad, please," I tried once again. "I HAVE to see her." I hadn't told him about the baby yet 'cause I was afraid it would have the opposite effect. After all, what I was trying to do here was very dumb, irresponsible and disrespectful to Hayley; my dad may be a reckless man, but he was still grown up enough to see that. So I kept begging uselessly, thinking up other ways to get what I wanted.
"Josh, I can't bring you to see her because you have to let her go," he explained, "It's just too complicated, this relationship of yours. She has a LIFE over there. I'm sorry to say this but she probably doesn't even... need you." Ouch. He was right. She didn't need me.
Nobody needed me. I leaned my head on the window in defeat, watching the licence plates again. But it wasn't any fun and I couldn't get my mind off his words. 'She has a LIFE over there. She doesn't need you.' No, she has Jack. She's happy with him.
Almost as if it was in sync with my mood, it started to pour like it had that morning. The rain fell just like my chances of ever smiling again. I didn't have to force the tears out anymore, I had to force them back in.
Suddenly, a story dad had once told me vaguely came back to me. It was about how him and mom had been pulled apart when they were young by mom moving to Alberta. Dad had then secretly stolen his parents' car to visit her and ask her to marry him. The resemblance with my own situation was pretty striking.
"What if your father had kept you from driving all the way to Calgary to see mom that day?" I asked before I could stop myself
His eyes flickered to me and stayed there for a second before focusing back on the road. "That's different," he said slowly. "It was a different city, not a different country."
"Cars are faster these days."
The look he gave me made it very clear that I'd better shut up. Well, at least I'd tried.
And then suddenly, he pulled over on the side on the road. I looked at him in confusion, a flicker of hope lighting up inside me. Dad sighed heavily and turned to me gravely. "How important is this to you, exactly?"
"Important enough that I would walk all the way there if I could," I answered in a small voice, thanking my brain for coming up with that.
Dad bit his lip and I did the same. We stood there for a second and then he muttered something that sounded like "Fine," and turned the car around before heading in the opposite direction. "But if your mother finds out I agreed to this, she is going to burn both of us alive."
I felt so happy in that moment I almost wanted to cry again—but dad wouldn't really approve so I settled for smiling as widely as I could. "Thank you so much, dad! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I gripped his arm and squeezed it but he shook me off awkwardly.
"Uh, don't mention it." He seemed disturbed by my sudden wave of joy, but I didn't care. We were on our way to Hayley for the second time that day, and this time I knew I would reach her. I would finally save our goddamn baby.
