A Heartbeat Can Change Everything: We Are Moving
One week later, Val walked down the stairs of her house. She was going to school today. She made up her mind, with help from Jamie, that she had to move on. Jamie was picking her up for school. Val had gotten used to riding on his motorcycle. Ever since her dad had died, they had been talking a lot. He was always there for her when she needed him.
Val's mom had been absorbed in her work. She wanted things back to normal. She wanted to forget. She was still thinking about moving. She had told Val and Brooke they were moving for sure; but now she was having second thoughts. Did she really want to erase all the memories of the past? She asked herself over and over again.
Brooke was staying out of the house as much as possible. She stayed at the station a lot more because she wanted to stay out of the house. Everything there reminded her of her dad. She wished that her mom would stop changing her mind about the move. Brooke wanted to move; she wanted to get away from everything that reminded her of her dad because it hurt her so much to think about him and how he left them all.
Val walked outside her house, locking it. She waited for Jamie. Val couldn't believe how close she had gotten to Jamie. Right now, he was her everything. She couldn't imagine what she would do without him. She tried to push the feelings she had toward him away because she was Caitie's best friend and she knew that Caitie liked Jamie and had liked him for a long time now. Plus, there was Tyler. And Val didn't want to hurt Tyler like that. Val wondered if she loved Jamie. Right now, she felt like she did love him. She wondered why she didn't feel this way towards Tyler. Sure, she had a crush on him but those feelings had evaporated ever since she had gotten to know Jamie.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Jamie drove up on his motorcycle. She smiled for once. But that smile faded as quickly as it had emerged as she saw two kids walking out of their house with their father. Why did this have to happen to her? She would never have a father anymore.
" What's wrong?" Jamie asked, noticing the look on her face.
" N-Nothing."
" Val, don't give me that bullshit. What's wrong?"
Val shook her head again. Why was it so hard for her to deal with this? She asked herself. People deal with death everyday.
Jamie got off of his motorcycle and stood in front of Val. " Talk to me, please."
Val needed to get away from all of it. She couldn't talk about it. She turned and began to run. She didn't know where. She just wanted to run. She heard Jamie calling her and knew he was behind her. She didn't care. She felt tears stream down her face as she ran. She tripped on something and fell into grass. This allowed Jamie to catch up to her. She sat up in the grass and put her face in her hands and softly wept for everything that had happened.
Jamie sat down on the grass next to her and pulled her close to him. He let her cry and get it all out.
" Why can't I deal with this?! People deal with death everyday and I can't. What's wrong with me? Why does everything remind me of him? Why can't I stop crying?" Val sobbed.
" There's nothing wrong with you, Val. You've never had someone close to you die until your dad. And everything reminds you of him. But that's the good thing. Don't ever forget the memories. Even though your mom and Brooke want to, they'll never be able to; no matter what." He held her while she cried. A few minutes later, Val's tears subsided and she combed her fingers through her hair. She was a mess. Why was Jamie even there? She was a mess, both appearance wise and emotionally. Why did he stick around? Pity?
" Why are you here, Jamie? I mean I'm a complete and total mess. Even Tyler's been staying away from me. And so have Caitie, Hank, and all of my other friends. Except you. What keeps you here?"
" Because I care about you and I hate to see you hurting. I don't give a shit if you're a mess or not. No one expects you to be perfect."
Val scoffed. " Yeah they do; they all do. They want me to be perfect SuperVal; the good girl; the one who never lets anyone down or hurts anyone."
" I don't expect you to be perfect. You're human and you don't always have to be strong."
" Yeah I do. I have to be the strong one. I have to be strong for my mom and f-for Brooke. But I can't. I feel so weak."
" That's not a bad thing."
" When you're an overachiever, it is. I have cheerleading…and the squad…a-and my grades. But I don't want to be a cheerleader anymore."
" Then you don't have to be. Forget about other people's expectations. Do what you want."
" A-And…I…I think I want to give up the squad."
Jamie was surprised at this. Val loved being and EMT.
" I couldn't save my dad's life…"
" Stop. That wasn't your fault."
" Yes it was."
" Val, it wasn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything."
" I could have, Jamie. I-If I had done something…anything different. I w-was in the way when I first saw him. A split second makes a difference. If Tyler didn't have to yell at me to back off, then maybe my dad would still be alive."
" Val, that doesn't make sense. He had a heart attack. You didn't cause it and you couldn't have stopped him from dying. Stop blaming yourself. And what the hell was Tyler doing yelling at you? You had a right to freak out. That was your dad."
" It wasn't Tyler's fault. I…I was unprofessional. No matter what, I wasn't supposed to get in the way of them doing their job and I should have done your job." Val got up and started walking away.
" Val, you didn't cause his death."
" Please Jamie…leave me alone."
" Val…" Jamie said, getting up and following her. She turned around to face him.
" You were five years old when your dad died. That wasn't a big deal! You barely even remember the guy! But my dad…he's gone now after sixteen years. I can't live without him, Jamie. How am I supposed to! You wouldn't know because you've never lived a day in my shoes. I don't have it so easy. You don't know me! So stop acting like you do! No one knows who I am."
" I do, whether you accept it or not, I know you," Jamie said, trying hard to ignore the comment she made about his dad. She was upset and probably didn't mean it.
" Who the hell are you to assume that you know me?! How can you say you know me? Because we've spent time together these past two weeks, since my dad died?"
" I don't know. I just feel that you have to at least know something about someone if you're in love with them." The words slipped out before Jamie had a chance to think.
" Y-You love me? You can't love me, Jamie. You're supposed to love Caitie."
" But I don't. Do you think I expected this?"
" I never asked you to love me! Why is this happening to me?"
" Val, tell me one thing; do you love me?"
Val looked away. She couldn't tell him. There was too much in front of them. They'd never make it as a couple. " No, Jamie, I don't love you. Not like that." With that, Val walked back to her house. She let the tears flow freely when she was back in her room. She never thought Jamie would reciprocate the feelings she felt. She didn't know why she had lied to him. She was still trying to sort out her feelings.
They still weren't speaking to each other three days later. Val missed him. She missed talking to him and everything. She hated the fact that she lied to him. The main reason they weren't speaking was that Val was avoiding him. She knew if she was around him, she'd tell him how she really felt.
Val looked around her room. She saw a pen and some paper on her desk. She walked over to her desk and sat down on the chair. She didn't exactly know why she was writing a letter to Jamie; but she felt that she had to.
Dear Jamie,
I really don't know why I'm writing this. I don't deserve to have you even talk to me. I said a lot of shit to you that day; and I didn't mean it. I know your dad died when you were five and that made it harder for you. I had absolutely no right to say that to you. There's no excuse. And I'm really sorry.
It's weird that I feel you know me better than anyone else. I don't know why I blew up at you the other day. You were only trying to help and you were there for me. That's more than I can say for others. But then again, since my dad died, you've always been there for me whenever I needed you.
I still need you. I miss you so much. I honestly do. It's only been three days but it feels like its been longer. I hate avoiding you. But there's a reason I've been avoiding you. And it's because I love you.
There I said it. Finally, I admitted it to myself. I love you. And it's weird for me because I never expected to fall in love with you. But I did.
There's also a reason I told you I didn't love you. I was scared; I'm still scared. I'm scared of loving you…then losing you. I'm scared that everyone I love will just die and leave me like my dad did. Stupid, huh? But it's how I feel.
Among that there are also other reasons, two in particular; Tyler and Caitie. I'm supposed to be with Tyler and you're supposed to be with Caitie. Everybody knows that. Isn't that how it's supposed to be? Then I came to a conclusion; I hate supposing. Because when you 'suppose' something, you're not sure of it. I'm not sure of a lot of things these days but one thing I'm sure of is that I love you.
I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't expect you to tell me you love me. I just wanted to talk to you, even if it's only through a letter.
Love,
Val
Val folded up the letter, knowing she'd rip it up if she read it again. She grabbed her jacket and made her way downstairs. She locked the door and walked to the station. She saw Jamie drive up to the station because his shift was about to start in five minutes.
Val walked over to him. He looked at her and then turned his attention back to taking off his helmet and getting off the bike.
" Jamie, you don't have to say anything. Just…please read this," she said, handing him the letter. He took it and then she walked away.
Jamie held the letter in his hands and opened it. He began to read it.
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The doorbell rang. Since Brooke and her mom were asleep, Val went to answer the door.
' Who the hell would be coming here a eleven o'clock at night?' Val asked herself and she walked downstairs. She opened the door to find Jamie standing there.
Just by looking in his eyes, Val knew why he was there. A few seconds later, Val found herself rapped in his arms, kissing him because no words were necessary for them. Their hearts did all the talking.
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A week later, Mrs. Lanier paced around her living room waiting for her daughters to get home. She couldn't stay here anymore. It was too hard. Everything reminded her of her husband. Brooke also felt it. But Val, she had changed drastically. She quit cheerleading and also the EMS squad. She was staying out late very often and she never did that before. And she didn't really care about school anymore. Mrs. Lanier knew it was that Waite kid. Ever since she started going out with him, he changed her. He was a bad influence on her oldest daughter. At least when they moved, she didn't have to worry about him anymore.
She heard the front door open as Brooke and Val walked in. Val had just picked Brooke up from school.
" Girls, can you come in here for a sec?" She called from the living room.
Val and Brooke walked to the living room.
" What?" Val asked in an annoyed tone.
" Don't talk to me like that."
" Talk to you like what?"
" Val I'm sick and tired of this bullshit. Now, both of you, sit down, we need to talk."
Val and Brooke sat down.
" It hasn't been too long since your dad died, but it feels like an eternity. The memories here…they're too strong. I've put off moving away for a while now because I wanted to make sure it was the right choice but…I've come to a decision.
" I can't live here anymore. It's too hard. It hurts too much. And I think that it's best for all of us…if we move from not only this house, but from Kingsport as well."
" What?!" Val asked standing up. " You want to move now?! Just when things are getting back to normal you want to screw everything up!"
" Val, look around, nothings normal anymore and it'll never be normal unless we leave," Brooke said quietly.
" Did I ask you?" Val snapped. " How can you do this? Why do you want me to move away from my friends, and from my boyfriend?!"
" Val, you've changed a lot since you started hanging out with that Waite kid."
" He has a name," Val said in a cold tone. " And he loves me so don't blame him for me changing. I changed on my own."
" Love? Val, you're sixteen years old. You don't know what love is. And you're certainly not going to find it with that juvenile delinquent."
" You don't even know him! And I know what love is. Love isn't running away from the memories of the person you loved. You want to pretend Daddy never existed," Val said, coldly.
" Val, stop." Brooke said.
" Val, we're moving, and that's final."
Val walked out of the room.
" Where are you going?" Her mom asked, following her.
" I'm going to see Jamie," Val said, getting her jacket.
" Why do you always run to him when something goes wrong? Why can't you deal with this with your family."
" Family? What family? We haven't been a family since Daddy died." Right then, she slapped her daughter across the face. Val looked at her mother with tears welling up in her eyes. Her mom had never slapped her before. Ever. Val just turned around and walked out the door.
Tears streamed down her face as she walked to the station. She needed to see Jamie.
She walked into the EMS building and found Jamie sitting on the couch. Tyler was incredibly pissed off at him for going out with Val. They had almost gotten into a fight.
Jamie looked up and saw Val's ear streamed face. He stood up and walked over to her.
" What's wrong?"
" Can…can we talk about it outside?"
Jamie nodded and the both walked outside.
Once outside, Jamie said, " Val, what is it?"
" My…m-my mom…is gonna make…us…move," Val said, trying to hold back the tears.
" Why the hell is she doing this now? I thought she had already decided not to move," Jamie said, with anger and disbelief in his voice.
" I thought so too," Val said softly. Jamie saw that she was really upset. He took her in his arms and just held her.
" Do you want to go?" He said after a couple of minutes.
" What? Why would you even ask that? Of course I don't want to leave. I may not be on the squad anymore and even though I lost my best friend, I don't want to be away from you. I…I wish there was someway I didn't have to go."
" Then let's leave."
" What?"
" She can't take you away if she can't find you."
Val looked at Jamie. She didn't want to be away from him, but did she really want to run away? She thought about it. There was nothing to keep her here. Caitie and Tyler were pissed off at her because of her relationship with Jamie. Hank was Tyler's best friend so he sided with him. Her mom and Brooke…she loved them, but they were too busy trying to forget that they hardly even noticed her. And then there was Jamie. She loved him, that much she knew for sure. And she wanted to be with him. She didn't care what anyone said about him; they didn't know him. But she did. She knew him and loved him.
" Okay," Val said. " Let's leave."
One week later, Val walked down the stairs of her house. She was going to school today. She made up her mind, with help from Jamie, that she had to move on. Jamie was picking her up for school. Val had gotten used to riding on his motorcycle. Ever since her dad had died, they had been talking a lot. He was always there for her when she needed him.
Val's mom had been absorbed in her work. She wanted things back to normal. She wanted to forget. She was still thinking about moving. She had told Val and Brooke they were moving for sure; but now she was having second thoughts. Did she really want to erase all the memories of the past? She asked herself over and over again.
Brooke was staying out of the house as much as possible. She stayed at the station a lot more because she wanted to stay out of the house. Everything there reminded her of her dad. She wished that her mom would stop changing her mind about the move. Brooke wanted to move; she wanted to get away from everything that reminded her of her dad because it hurt her so much to think about him and how he left them all.
Val walked outside her house, locking it. She waited for Jamie. Val couldn't believe how close she had gotten to Jamie. Right now, he was her everything. She couldn't imagine what she would do without him. She tried to push the feelings she had toward him away because she was Caitie's best friend and she knew that Caitie liked Jamie and had liked him for a long time now. Plus, there was Tyler. And Val didn't want to hurt Tyler like that. Val wondered if she loved Jamie. Right now, she felt like she did love him. She wondered why she didn't feel this way towards Tyler. Sure, she had a crush on him but those feelings had evaporated ever since she had gotten to know Jamie.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Jamie drove up on his motorcycle. She smiled for once. But that smile faded as quickly as it had emerged as she saw two kids walking out of their house with their father. Why did this have to happen to her? She would never have a father anymore.
" What's wrong?" Jamie asked, noticing the look on her face.
" N-Nothing."
" Val, don't give me that bullshit. What's wrong?"
Val shook her head again. Why was it so hard for her to deal with this? She asked herself. People deal with death everyday.
Jamie got off of his motorcycle and stood in front of Val. " Talk to me, please."
Val needed to get away from all of it. She couldn't talk about it. She turned and began to run. She didn't know where. She just wanted to run. She heard Jamie calling her and knew he was behind her. She didn't care. She felt tears stream down her face as she ran. She tripped on something and fell into grass. This allowed Jamie to catch up to her. She sat up in the grass and put her face in her hands and softly wept for everything that had happened.
Jamie sat down on the grass next to her and pulled her close to him. He let her cry and get it all out.
" Why can't I deal with this?! People deal with death everyday and I can't. What's wrong with me? Why does everything remind me of him? Why can't I stop crying?" Val sobbed.
" There's nothing wrong with you, Val. You've never had someone close to you die until your dad. And everything reminds you of him. But that's the good thing. Don't ever forget the memories. Even though your mom and Brooke want to, they'll never be able to; no matter what." He held her while she cried. A few minutes later, Val's tears subsided and she combed her fingers through her hair. She was a mess. Why was Jamie even there? She was a mess, both appearance wise and emotionally. Why did he stick around? Pity?
" Why are you here, Jamie? I mean I'm a complete and total mess. Even Tyler's been staying away from me. And so have Caitie, Hank, and all of my other friends. Except you. What keeps you here?"
" Because I care about you and I hate to see you hurting. I don't give a shit if you're a mess or not. No one expects you to be perfect."
Val scoffed. " Yeah they do; they all do. They want me to be perfect SuperVal; the good girl; the one who never lets anyone down or hurts anyone."
" I don't expect you to be perfect. You're human and you don't always have to be strong."
" Yeah I do. I have to be the strong one. I have to be strong for my mom and f-for Brooke. But I can't. I feel so weak."
" That's not a bad thing."
" When you're an overachiever, it is. I have cheerleading…and the squad…a-and my grades. But I don't want to be a cheerleader anymore."
" Then you don't have to be. Forget about other people's expectations. Do what you want."
" A-And…I…I think I want to give up the squad."
Jamie was surprised at this. Val loved being and EMT.
" I couldn't save my dad's life…"
" Stop. That wasn't your fault."
" Yes it was."
" Val, it wasn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything."
" I could have, Jamie. I-If I had done something…anything different. I w-was in the way when I first saw him. A split second makes a difference. If Tyler didn't have to yell at me to back off, then maybe my dad would still be alive."
" Val, that doesn't make sense. He had a heart attack. You didn't cause it and you couldn't have stopped him from dying. Stop blaming yourself. And what the hell was Tyler doing yelling at you? You had a right to freak out. That was your dad."
" It wasn't Tyler's fault. I…I was unprofessional. No matter what, I wasn't supposed to get in the way of them doing their job and I should have done your job." Val got up and started walking away.
" Val, you didn't cause his death."
" Please Jamie…leave me alone."
" Val…" Jamie said, getting up and following her. She turned around to face him.
" You were five years old when your dad died. That wasn't a big deal! You barely even remember the guy! But my dad…he's gone now after sixteen years. I can't live without him, Jamie. How am I supposed to! You wouldn't know because you've never lived a day in my shoes. I don't have it so easy. You don't know me! So stop acting like you do! No one knows who I am."
" I do, whether you accept it or not, I know you," Jamie said, trying hard to ignore the comment she made about his dad. She was upset and probably didn't mean it.
" Who the hell are you to assume that you know me?! How can you say you know me? Because we've spent time together these past two weeks, since my dad died?"
" I don't know. I just feel that you have to at least know something about someone if you're in love with them." The words slipped out before Jamie had a chance to think.
" Y-You love me? You can't love me, Jamie. You're supposed to love Caitie."
" But I don't. Do you think I expected this?"
" I never asked you to love me! Why is this happening to me?"
" Val, tell me one thing; do you love me?"
Val looked away. She couldn't tell him. There was too much in front of them. They'd never make it as a couple. " No, Jamie, I don't love you. Not like that." With that, Val walked back to her house. She let the tears flow freely when she was back in her room. She never thought Jamie would reciprocate the feelings she felt. She didn't know why she had lied to him. She was still trying to sort out her feelings.
They still weren't speaking to each other three days later. Val missed him. She missed talking to him and everything. She hated the fact that she lied to him. The main reason they weren't speaking was that Val was avoiding him. She knew if she was around him, she'd tell him how she really felt.
Val looked around her room. She saw a pen and some paper on her desk. She walked over to her desk and sat down on the chair. She didn't exactly know why she was writing a letter to Jamie; but she felt that she had to.
Dear Jamie,
I really don't know why I'm writing this. I don't deserve to have you even talk to me. I said a lot of shit to you that day; and I didn't mean it. I know your dad died when you were five and that made it harder for you. I had absolutely no right to say that to you. There's no excuse. And I'm really sorry.
It's weird that I feel you know me better than anyone else. I don't know why I blew up at you the other day. You were only trying to help and you were there for me. That's more than I can say for others. But then again, since my dad died, you've always been there for me whenever I needed you.
I still need you. I miss you so much. I honestly do. It's only been three days but it feels like its been longer. I hate avoiding you. But there's a reason I've been avoiding you. And it's because I love you.
There I said it. Finally, I admitted it to myself. I love you. And it's weird for me because I never expected to fall in love with you. But I did.
There's also a reason I told you I didn't love you. I was scared; I'm still scared. I'm scared of loving you…then losing you. I'm scared that everyone I love will just die and leave me like my dad did. Stupid, huh? But it's how I feel.
Among that there are also other reasons, two in particular; Tyler and Caitie. I'm supposed to be with Tyler and you're supposed to be with Caitie. Everybody knows that. Isn't that how it's supposed to be? Then I came to a conclusion; I hate supposing. Because when you 'suppose' something, you're not sure of it. I'm not sure of a lot of things these days but one thing I'm sure of is that I love you.
I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't expect you to tell me you love me. I just wanted to talk to you, even if it's only through a letter.
Love,
Val
Val folded up the letter, knowing she'd rip it up if she read it again. She grabbed her jacket and made her way downstairs. She locked the door and walked to the station. She saw Jamie drive up to the station because his shift was about to start in five minutes.
Val walked over to him. He looked at her and then turned his attention back to taking off his helmet and getting off the bike.
" Jamie, you don't have to say anything. Just…please read this," she said, handing him the letter. He took it and then she walked away.
Jamie held the letter in his hands and opened it. He began to read it.
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The doorbell rang. Since Brooke and her mom were asleep, Val went to answer the door.
' Who the hell would be coming here a eleven o'clock at night?' Val asked herself and she walked downstairs. She opened the door to find Jamie standing there.
Just by looking in his eyes, Val knew why he was there. A few seconds later, Val found herself rapped in his arms, kissing him because no words were necessary for them. Their hearts did all the talking.
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A week later, Mrs. Lanier paced around her living room waiting for her daughters to get home. She couldn't stay here anymore. It was too hard. Everything reminded her of her husband. Brooke also felt it. But Val, she had changed drastically. She quit cheerleading and also the EMS squad. She was staying out late very often and she never did that before. And she didn't really care about school anymore. Mrs. Lanier knew it was that Waite kid. Ever since she started going out with him, he changed her. He was a bad influence on her oldest daughter. At least when they moved, she didn't have to worry about him anymore.
She heard the front door open as Brooke and Val walked in. Val had just picked Brooke up from school.
" Girls, can you come in here for a sec?" She called from the living room.
Val and Brooke walked to the living room.
" What?" Val asked in an annoyed tone.
" Don't talk to me like that."
" Talk to you like what?"
" Val I'm sick and tired of this bullshit. Now, both of you, sit down, we need to talk."
Val and Brooke sat down.
" It hasn't been too long since your dad died, but it feels like an eternity. The memories here…they're too strong. I've put off moving away for a while now because I wanted to make sure it was the right choice but…I've come to a decision.
" I can't live here anymore. It's too hard. It hurts too much. And I think that it's best for all of us…if we move from not only this house, but from Kingsport as well."
" What?!" Val asked standing up. " You want to move now?! Just when things are getting back to normal you want to screw everything up!"
" Val, look around, nothings normal anymore and it'll never be normal unless we leave," Brooke said quietly.
" Did I ask you?" Val snapped. " How can you do this? Why do you want me to move away from my friends, and from my boyfriend?!"
" Val, you've changed a lot since you started hanging out with that Waite kid."
" He has a name," Val said in a cold tone. " And he loves me so don't blame him for me changing. I changed on my own."
" Love? Val, you're sixteen years old. You don't know what love is. And you're certainly not going to find it with that juvenile delinquent."
" You don't even know him! And I know what love is. Love isn't running away from the memories of the person you loved. You want to pretend Daddy never existed," Val said, coldly.
" Val, stop." Brooke said.
" Val, we're moving, and that's final."
Val walked out of the room.
" Where are you going?" Her mom asked, following her.
" I'm going to see Jamie," Val said, getting her jacket.
" Why do you always run to him when something goes wrong? Why can't you deal with this with your family."
" Family? What family? We haven't been a family since Daddy died." Right then, she slapped her daughter across the face. Val looked at her mother with tears welling up in her eyes. Her mom had never slapped her before. Ever. Val just turned around and walked out the door.
Tears streamed down her face as she walked to the station. She needed to see Jamie.
She walked into the EMS building and found Jamie sitting on the couch. Tyler was incredibly pissed off at him for going out with Val. They had almost gotten into a fight.
Jamie looked up and saw Val's ear streamed face. He stood up and walked over to her.
" What's wrong?"
" Can…can we talk about it outside?"
Jamie nodded and the both walked outside.
Once outside, Jamie said, " Val, what is it?"
" My…m-my mom…is gonna make…us…move," Val said, trying to hold back the tears.
" Why the hell is she doing this now? I thought she had already decided not to move," Jamie said, with anger and disbelief in his voice.
" I thought so too," Val said softly. Jamie saw that she was really upset. He took her in his arms and just held her.
" Do you want to go?" He said after a couple of minutes.
" What? Why would you even ask that? Of course I don't want to leave. I may not be on the squad anymore and even though I lost my best friend, I don't want to be away from you. I…I wish there was someway I didn't have to go."
" Then let's leave."
" What?"
" She can't take you away if she can't find you."
Val looked at Jamie. She didn't want to be away from him, but did she really want to run away? She thought about it. There was nothing to keep her here. Caitie and Tyler were pissed off at her because of her relationship with Jamie. Hank was Tyler's best friend so he sided with him. Her mom and Brooke…she loved them, but they were too busy trying to forget that they hardly even noticed her. And then there was Jamie. She loved him, that much she knew for sure. And she wanted to be with him. She didn't care what anyone said about him; they didn't know him. But she did. She knew him and loved him.
" Okay," Val said. " Let's leave."
