Chapter 15:

I sat in the plane, heart thumping and palms sweaty. I can't lie and say I'd never done anything wrong… but this? Stealing money from my parents and leaving the country? I was so fucked.

The further the plane travelled, the more I began to regret what I'd done. What if Liam wasn't there? What if I ran out of money? What if my parents called the police? I picked up my phone and dialed my home number.

"Hello?" A panicked voice answered.

"Mom? It's me… Listen, I'm on a flight."

"Melissa, what are you talking about?" she sounded relived, if only a little confused.

"I'm on my way to London," my voice shook, "I-I'm going to stay there. I'll find a school and I'll focus I swear!"

Silence. Then finally…

"Melissa, I have never been more disappointed in you. I thought you had changed."

"Mom, I'm sorry! Please, just listen!"

"No. Melissa, you're cut off. No money, nothing from us. You want to live alone, enjoy but don't you dare call asking for help." And with that, she hung up.

It took all my willpower not to breakdown and cry on the plane. I sat, fists clenched, eyes shut and my whole body tense; trying to suppress the emotion coursing through my veins.

My phone rang, and slowly, I exhaled and opened my eyes. I had another text from Liam:

Please tell me your mom was joking. Liam never used correct grammar; Fuck.

No. I replied. Two minutes felt like an eternity; I kept checking the time, only to see that it hadn't even been a minutes, hoping he would answer quicker. I didn't want to see his response, but he was bound to find out, and better over text than me showing up at his door.

Finally, he replied: Why? I stared at the text for about five minutes trying to answer his question.

Why had I left? It wasn't because I was lonely, I could cope with having no social life just as easily now as two days ago. It wasn't because I wanted to defy my parents; frankly, I terrified that my mom was serious about cutting me off. So why had I left? Why had I stolen money and booked the quickest flight out of Vegas?

Because I was a fucking idiot, that's why. Who the hell else just packs up and leaves one day? Sure I was angry, but I had no right to do what I had done.

I was just over reacting… again. This new me did that a lot. Showing emotion was not done last year; last year, I just always had fun, regardless of how I really felt. But now? Oh that's right, I'd gone and let myself get attached. Hadn't I learned? Getting attached led to disasters, such as being disowned, as I had been.

I finally texted Liam back: I'm sorry.

I hated apologizing, but what else could I say? I was not about to type out what had gone through my mind; that was far too dangerous, I was barely able to suppress my tears as it was. Not to mention my pride was an obvious problem, I wasn't about to openly admit I'd fucked up, no matter true it was! I was perfectly fine just sucking up to Liam, and hoping he wouldn't hate me for it afterwards.

I tried to sleep for the remainder of the flight; I kept telling myself everything would work out. Liam wouldn't be mad at me, my parents would re-own me again, I would find a school for the last couple weeks before summer vacation, I had enough money to support myself, I'd find a job… I'd be okay.

Unfortunately, the more I tried to concentrate on relaxing, the more nightmarish my thoughts became. By the end of the flight, I was even more of a mess; I hadn't slept, I was shaking from fear and I hadn't been able to eat anything on the flight, so I was starving. How else could my day get worse?

That's when it hit me: how was I going to get to Liam's flat? I barely knew my way around London, and here I was, in it's huge airport, unsure of where to go. I wanted to call Liam, and beg him to pick me up, but I couldn't sacrifice more of my pride. I looked through my phone for someone to call, when I noticed some girl waving her arms, running over and yelling… at me?

"YOU THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? MAKING OUT WITH LIAM? BACK THE FUCK OFF YOU HATEFUL BITCH!"

And that was the breaking point. I ran into the girl's washroom, crying, trying to figure out how the hell my life had turned out this way. I sunk to the ground, bawling my eyes out, thankful I was the only one in the bathroom. My day had officially gotten worse.

Where was I supposed to go from here? What was I supposed to do? That's when it hit me… Kelsey. I dialed her number as quickly as I could, given my fingers were shaking.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hi, Kelsey?" I tried to make my voice cheerful, "It's Mel."