She didn't come back. It had been 3 days since my mother's disappearance and my father and I hadn't heard anything from her. She didn't even call. My mother leaving made my dad disappear too. After that night I barely saw him, he stayed in his office all day and we rarely talked. He ignored all calls, even ones from Adam. I was starting to get worried.
It was another sad and lonely night on that 3rd day. I was getting so lonely I thought I might go insane so to keep my sanity I called Tyson. He was the first person I called when I found out my mom had left and as always he calmed me down. When he picked up we exchanged our normal pleasantries and then very suddenly Tyson proposed that we go out. I agreed so 10 minutes later I told my Dad I was leaving and barely got a nod and jumped into Tyson's truck.
"Hey." I said once I was in the warm cab.
"Hey beautiful." Tyson said with a smile.
I rolled my eyes "Don't call me that."
"Why not? It's true."
"Tyson seriously I'm not in the mood."
"Alright, I'm sorry."
We sat in silence and Tyson drove and I thought.
"So, where ya wanna go?" Tyson said after we had left my neighborhood.
"I don't care…"
"How about Little Miss Steaks?"
"Good with me." I said with a shrug.
Once we got there and were waited on by none other than Scarlett Thomas dressed in a cowgirl outfit and too much red lipstick Tyson tried to get me to talk.
"Look Soph. I know you are going through a tough time but I need you to talk to me, because I'm here for you and I want to know what's going on in that pretty little head of yours."
For the first time in a couple days I smiled.
"I know you do and I'm tired of being such a bitch to you all the time. But I just have no idea what's going to happen and I don't know… I guess I'm scared because I don't really know what is going on in my mind…"
Tyson reached across the table and took my hands.
"It's ok Soph. I…" but Tyson was cut off by his phone ringing.
He looked at me and I nodded.
He let go of one my hands and looked at his phone.
"It's just a text." He said quietly putting his phone back into his pocket.
"From who?" I asked noticing the solemn look on his face.
Tyson cleared his throat. "My mom."
"Oh. How is she?"
"She's doing fine, I don't really see her much anymore."
"Why…" I sat there for a second in confusion. Then it sank in. "Did she...?"
"Yep. She took the job in Nashville. She's in good old America living out her dreams…"
"Oh Tyson. I'm sorry I've been so caught up in me I completely forgot about that!"
"It's alright. Everything's fine… ish… my Dad moved into the house to watch me until I graduate."
"How's that going?"
"Actually not that bad. We keep our space. He goes to work, I go to school. And on Sunday we watch hockey together." He said with a slight smile. "It's actually not that bad."
"I'm glad." I said his smile making me smile.
"But I miss her." He said after a minute the smile disappearing. "She calls every once in a while but she's busy and I get that Nashville is a busy city. But I miss seeing her every day. You know?"
"Yeah… I know." I said looking down.
There was a moment of understood silence and then Scarlett came back with her plastered smile and our food.
A good meal, and a shared hot fudge sundae later Tyson dropped me off at my house, and I waved at him as he drove away. Then I turned to my house and I instantly knew something was wrong. My mom's car was parked in the driveway. I walked slowly up the stairs, and opened the door. My mom was standing in the kitchen, her other suitcases in hand. I ran in, to see my dad sitting at the kitchen table. They weren't talking, or even looking at each other. They both looked at me when I walked in. My dad's eyes were dark, I could see no emotion, and my mom had tears trailing down her cheeks. Then I figured it out.
"No." I said surprised at how sharp my voice sounded.
"Sophie, honey…" my mom started but I didn't want to hear it. "No!" I said again angrily. "This can't be happening!"
"Sophie, please if you'll just calm down so we can have a discussion about this." My mom said. I looked at my dad, he was looking down at the cup in his hand, and he looked so different. And I hated her at this moment. I didn't even want to be in the same room as her, how could she do this to us, to him?
"No, I don't want to discuss anything with you!" I was almost screaming, tears building in my eyes.
"Sophie." My mom said reaching out for me but I backed away. "No." I whispered and then I ran upstairs.
I sat in my room for what felt like a really long time; finally I decided to take a chance for some food. I figured if anyone tried to talk to me, I'd just ignore them. I walked slowly down the stairs. Finally I was in the kitchen, I was a bit startled when I saw my dad sitting in the same position he had been in earlier. He didn't even look up when I walked in. It was silent for a couple minutes. Then he finally spoke.
"Your mother decided to stay here for one more night." I sat down next to him, he was still looking down.
"Then tomorrow, you guys will get moved into your new apartment."
"What?" this made him look at me, I hadn't meant to use a sharp voice with him, I was just really shocked to hear this. "Your mother thinks it's best if you live with her."
"No! I don't want to live with her! I want to live with you!" I said.
"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do." He looked down again. "Can't you take her to court or whatever?" I said pleading.
"And who do you think would win that, your mom is a lawyer, I didn't even go to college. She has the steady income, and I'll be lucky if I still have this house in a couple weeks. And I don't want to lose you forever Sophie, at least this way, I can see you on weekends." This silenced me for a minute. Tears built in my eyes again. I felt so little and defenseless, like a 3 year old.
"Dad, I" I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to say next but I didn't get to finish anyway.
At that moment my mom walked in.
"Sophie, you should be getting in bed." My mom said.
I looked at my dad, but he was still looking down. I didn't say anything, I just stalked upstairs. I was so angry and I don't know when the idea first popped into my head, but walking upstairs I decided. I wasn't about to just sit here, and let my mother ruin my life. I wasn't just going to let her make me move, and never see my dad. I wasn't going to let her make me lose Tyson. I wasn't going to stay here at all. I was going to run away. I had to do it that night, before my mom made me move. But I didn't have a car, and I didn't want to take one of my parent's cars and have that reminder. I couldn't call Tyson because I didn't want him to know what I was doing. I didn't want to walk either, because where would I go. So finally I picked up the phone and did something I never thought I'd do. I dialed and hit send.
"Hello?"
"Scar, hey it's Sophie, I need a big favor."
2 hours later, both my parents were asleep and I texted Scarlett to come get me. I had packed myself a bag full of necessities. Some clothes, money, and my iPod. Now I grabbed it, putting my phone in my pocket and easing the door open. I turned off the light in my room. I walked carefully down the steps, I made it without any of the steps squeaking. I walked into the kitchen where I left a note on the table, a note to my parents telling them that I wouldn't be coming back. Then I quickly walked past the living room to the door. I was only 5 steps away when I heard a noise. For a moment my heart stopped, and then I quickly turned around. The noise had been a snore. I saw my dad sleeping on the couch, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but for some reason I was. I took one last look at him.
"I'm sorry Dad." I whispered.
Then I turned back to the door and soon I was walking up to Scarlett's yellow beetle bug at the end of the street. As we drove away I took one last look at my house. It was so dark, and quiet. I wondered if my parents would even care when they woke up to find me gone, or if they even would notice at all. Whatever happened, there was no going back now.
Scarlett's mother was out of town, and was going to be gone for another week. So I figured that was the perfect place to stay. Scarlett promised me she wouldn't give me away, and for that I was really thankful. I knew that if I had called Angelina she would have told me how ridiculous I was being, but Scarlett understood. I would figure out where I would go after Scarlett's mom got home later. But for now, there was something I needed to do. Scarlett dropped me off at Tyson's house, which was only a block from hers. I told her I would walk back in the morning. I knew I was ready for this, and I knew I needed to do it. I needed to do it now because as soon as Tyson found out I had run away things would be done between us. Maybe I was being crazy, but it just felt right. When I tapped on Tyson's window it was 2:30 am. I tapped twice, and then I had a better idea.
I could hear Tyson's phone ringing, once, twice, and then "Hello?" he answered in a tired voice.
"Hey. Look out your window."
"What?" he moved back the curtain, when he saw me he smiled and I shut my phone. He opened the window slowly "Can I help you?" He said with a laugh.
"Just help me in!" I whispered.
He took my hand and helped me in. As soon as I was in I kissed him. He broke away and then looked me in the eyes
"You're not getting off that easy." He laughed turning around to close the window "What brings you here?"
I just looked down, I couldn't answer. He turned around and looked at me, but I couldn't meet his gaze.
"Sophie is something wrong?" He asked looking concerned. "No, everything's fine. I just, I want to be with you right now."
But it was too late, my mind was already going over everything that had happened that night. All of a sudden I felt so tired and sad. I shook my head, trying to clear it but it didn't help. Tyson took step towards me, and I had a flash of my mother in the kitchen. Oh my god, what had I done. I was so screwed. I had run away, and there was no way I could return now. Where was I going to live? I only had 300 dollars, which was barely enough to last me a couple weeks.
"Sophie." Tyson's voice brought me back to the present. "Are you ok?"
I blinked at him. "Yes, I'm fine." I replied surprised at how steady my voice sounded. Then I remembered why I had come. "Ty, I love you." He looked at me for a couple minutes
"I love you to Sophie. Are you sure you're ok?"
"I am, I promise." I smiled at him and he smiled back, a little unsure.
Then I kissed him, this cleared my head of everything. And I decided that I would figure everything out later. Right now, I just wanted to be with the boy I loved, why I still could be. I pushed him down onto his bed.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
I didn't answer, I just kept kissing him, and I was, I knew it.
I woke up the next morning to the sound of my phone vibrating on the table beside me. I rolled over and picked it up, it was a text from Scarlett, When are you coming back? I sighed and looked over at Tyson, he was still asleep, and he looked so peaceful. So I texted Scarlett back Soon. I looked at Tyson again, I hated to leave him, especially after last night. But I knew he was the first place my parents would look and it was 8:00 already. My parents had probably already found my note, so I didn't have much time. I quickly got up and got ready to leave. I started for the window and then turned around to Tyson again. He was so perfect, and I knew when he found out what I had done he would hate me. So I walked back over and kissed his forehead. When I did he opened his eyes.
"Hey." He said smiling.
"Hey." I said back. He looked at the clock.
"Oh, you better get going. You supposed to be at Angelina's?" He asked
"Nah, Scarlett's." He laughed
"You should get a better cover story."
"You know, I actually like Scarlett now, surprisingly."
For a while we just looked at each other, and I hated myself for what I was doing.
"I should go." I said.
"Yeah." He nodded.
Then I kissed him one last time. I knew this was probably the last time I would get to kiss Tyson Guthrie and that broke my heart, but I tried not to think about it. We were still kissing when there was a loud knock on the door, then the sound of someone trying to turn the handle.
"Tyson!" I heard Tyson's dad yell. "Is Sophie in there with you?" "Umm no Dad, now can you go away I'm trying to sleep!" Tyson called back rolling his eyes.
"Open this door right now!" Tyson's dad said attempting to sound parental.
Tyson looked at me "You better go."
"Yeah." I replied and I knew I had to, but I didn't want to.
My phone vibrated again, this time it was a call, when I looked at it, I saw that the call was from my mother. I quickly turned off my phone.
"I love you." I said as I opened the window.
"I love you too." He said walking up behind me. When I was out Tyson closed the window after me, then looked at me for a minute before closing the curtain.
The whole walk back to Scarlett's house, I couldn't forget about Tyson. He was probably finding out now that I had run away. He was finding out that I had done something so stupid and selfish. And he probably hated me now. My mom was probably pacing, making a list of my friends and calling each one. I wonder if she had called Scarlett yet. I could picture everyone's reactions. Angelina's judgmental one, Luke's calm one, Tyson's angry one, but I couldn't picture my father's. I had no idea how he was acting right now. Was he angry, or sad, or understanding? Did, like Tyson, he hate me, or, like Scarlett, understand me? Finally I reached Scarlett's door. She opened it as soon as she saw me. Grabbing my hand and pulling me inside.
"Finally!" she said.
"Hey can I just go upstairs and get a shower first please, and then I'll tell you everything." I answered already walking up the steps.
"Ok, but answer me this. Did you sleep with him?"
I paused for a moment and then decided she deserved the truth. "Yes." I answered hating that of all people, the first person I told was Scarlett.
She giggled, and I instantly regretted telling her. Now that I had told Scarlett it would spread like wild fire. The funny part was, I really didn't care. I mean, it wasn't like I was going back to Degrassi. No way! My parents would defiantly find me there. So people could talk as much as they wanted, it didn't matter to me. I took a long shower, and then changed into some clean clothes. As soon as I opened the door to Scarlett's room she grabbed me.
"You have to get out of here!" She said quickly.
"What, why?"
"Because your mom is outside, someone must have found out you were staying here and called her."
"Oh my god." Was all I could say. Tyson, I had told him I was staying with Scarlett. How could I have been so stupid?
"You can get out the back, while I talk to her out front. I'll text you when they're gone. Just find some place to hang out and I'll come pick you up ok?"
I nodded, grabbing my bag, and then we ran down the steps. The doorbell was ringing rapidly.
"Go." Scarlett said pushing me towards the door.
I ran until I reached an alley. I stopped. I pulled a ponytail holder off my arm and tied my hair up, and then I put the hood of my sweatshirt up, and pulled on my sunglasses. Then I left the alley and walked towards the Dot. When I entered no one really looked at me. I walked to a table in the back, my back facing the entrance and then I took off my sunglasses. I ordered a coffee from, luckily a girl I didn't know. She looked older, in her early thirties maybe. I sat peacefully for a couple minutes. Then I heard a familiar voice behind me.
"Um, have you seen this girl in here this morning?" My dad. My heart skipped a beat as I slid down farther in my seat. I heard whoever he was talking to, take whatever picture he was holding from him.
"No Eli, I'm sorry." I heard my waitress reply.
"Well if you do, see her, please call me."
Out of the corner of my eye I saw the waitress nod and hand back the picture and then I heard my dad leave. I wanted so badly to run after him and say I was sorry and beg him to take me home, but I knew I couldn't. I sighed and took another drink of my coffee. Then I thought of something else. Why hadn't the waitress turned me in, I mean, I wouldn't exactly call my attempt at a disguise convincing, but maybe I had just been lucky and my waitress didn't pay attention to her customers. Right as I was thinking this, my waitress slid into my booth, across from me. For a moment I just looked at her and then it sank in, she knew. I drew in a breath ready to explain myself but no words came out, so instead she spoke.
"If you think running away is easy it's not."
I took a minute to look at her. She had long black hair and brown eyes.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I said looking down at my cup.
"Sophie, I know who you are. You look just like your mother." When I looked up at her I was surprised to see she was smiling. "Who are you?" I asked.
"Alli DiMarco." She answered with a smile. "But I guess you would probably know me as Alli Bhandari."
AN: Cliff hanger! I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while! Stay tuned!