Disclaimer: I've said it before, here it is again. It ain't mine
"Hello?" Charlie's voice was a great sound to her welcoming ears.
"Hey, Charlie, it's me." Sarah was quiet so that she didn't alert her parents.
"Hey Butch! What's going on? I haven't heard from you in a while!" Charlie sounded genuinely happy to talk to her, so she jumped right in.
"Um, actually…not so great. Me and the parents have been fighting a lot lately. And… tonight was just the last straw I guess. Cause dad just kicked me out."
"Oh." Charlie understood where his little sister was coming from. He had often fought with his parents, especially his father, but he had never been kicked out. "It's ok, I promise. I know how you're feeling. Do you need a place to stay?" He was more than willing to open his place to her.
"Kinda. And I was wondering…if it wasn't too much trouble…if I could hang up there with you for a while?" The last part was a question, and she was very tentative.
"Of course you can come up here for a little while. Unfortunately, I can't come and get you down there. Could you take the train to the Winnetka Station? I could pick you up there. Then maybe you and I could do a little talking. I work a lot at the garage this summer, but you're fifteen, right? You can hold the fort at the house while I'm gone. Is that ok with you Butch?"
Sarah nodded before she realized he couldn't see her. "Of course that's ok! I'll be up there as soon as I can and I'll call you when I hit the station." She sounded confident and she was starting to get a little excited about her trip. She needed some time away.
"That's perfect. I'll see you when you get here."
"Ok. Thank you. Bye." Sarah snapped her phone closed and shoved it into her pocket. She grabbed her backpack, now full of the stuff she figured she would need at Charlie's, and slipped it over her shoulders. She the opened her bedroom door quietly and crept down the hallway to the steps. She could hear her parents talking in their bedroom, but all else was silent. She slid slowly down the banister and landed quietly at the bottom. At the front door of the house, she slipped on her sneakers and threw a favorite pair of flip-flops into her backpack. She grabbed a jacket off of the hook on the wall, but threw it into her backpack as well. It was about 65 degrees outside, but she knew it got cold up at the lake. Opening the front door just wide enough for her to squeeze through, she slipped into the summer night air and closed the door silently behind her.
She was very grateful that night that the train station wasn't too far from home. Thinking for a second, she grabbed her bike from the front yard and slipped her right leg over it. She figured she could probably bring it on the train because it wasn't too huge and not many people rode the train at 11 o' clock at night. She pushed off from her sidewalk, pulled out of the entrance to her yard, and pedaled down the street on her way to the train station. The wind on her face felt pretty good, and she was enjoying the feel of her muscles working to pedal her bike. When she finally pulled up to the train station, she dismounted her bike and left it parked outside behind the ticket building.
She walked cautiously into the brick building and up to the ticket booth. The attendant jerked his head up when Sarah rapped on the glass door between them.
"Just one ticket please, for the next express," Sarah said.
"Is that going to be a round trip ticket?" the attendant asked blearily. It was clear that he was still half asleep.
"Um, no. Just one way, please."
"Where to this late at night, and all alone?" Unfortunately, he was awake enough to realize how young she looked, and that she didn't have a parent.
"Just up to the Lake Winnetka station. I'm going to visit some relatives." That was as close to the truth as can be, Sarah thought. She was also relieved that she didn't have to lie.
"I see," he said. She handed him some money that she had grabbed from her room, and he handed her the ticket. "The next express isn't for about twenty minutes yet." The attendant added. "There is a café next door that's open all night, so you can wait in there for your train."
"K. Thanks." Sarah muttered as she took her change and ticket, shoved both in her pocket, and left the small building. Picking up her bike, she wheeled it to just outside the small café and left it where she could watch it through the window. Walking inside, she saw that no one was there but the waitress, who was busy cleaning what looked like a cappuccino machine. She walked up to the counter and the waitress looked up.
"Can I help you, honey?" the waitress asked kindly, but like she was talking to a 10 year old.
Sarah internally grimaced. "Um, could I just have a regular sized cappuccino?" She figured she might need something to keep her awake until she got up to Lake Winnetka. Plus, she enjoyed the feeling of caffeine in her system.
"Sure, hun. Just let me get this machine cleaned up, and I'll make one right up for you." The girl then returned to cleaning and reassembling the machine. Sarah plopped down on one of the chairs provided and looked at her watch. It was still only 11:23 and the train didn't come until 11:41. She shrugged and sat, bored, waiting for her cappuccino.