Home is Where You Are

Chapter 2

I can't.

I can't do this.

I'm standing in the kitchen, my eyes laying on the kitchen knife.

Hailey is working, and I've got the back door and the windows open, thinking about Liam and how depressed I am.

Now much I want to kill myself.

I've never wanted to end my life before.

I've never been so desperate for happiness.

I've never wanted a hug from a specific person.

I've never craved a human being so much.

The doorbell rings.

I look down at myself in my white tank top. My bra is doing my breasts justice now. It's probably family. Hailey should be off now.

My whole family and her whole family is supposed to come over today for dinner. It's four thirty now.

She probably forgot her key. She did get off at four.

My sweatpants are black and I've spilt bleach on them more times than once.

I shake my head and grab the knife, walking to the front door.

It's a fucking butcher knife.

I unlock the door and rip it open.

The person standing there turns around.

I don't move. My eyes widen, my heart feels like it's swelling through my whole body, and I feel like I'm going to explode.

I look over his shoulder.

He's in Australia.

It's July. My birthday was yesterday. We're on summer break.

Oh my.

Oh my god.

Liam.

He got taller.

I haven't grown an inch, but Mum said guys grow until they're twenty five. He was only like, six foot one in high school.

He's easily six foot three.

It's only two inches, but he's an entire head taller than me.

He's matured. His jawline is more defined than it was in high school.

He's checking me out.

I don't even care. I'm doing the same to him.

He takes a deep breath.

"I miss you." He says.

"Liam." I mumble.
"I-I-I had a girlfriend for a month. She told me she loved me. She tried to kiss me, but I got up. I couldn't do it. She's not you. I got in my car and I was flying around the interstate trying to think, and this song, it's called Home by Daughtry, it came on the radio, and it was about how he's going home. That's he's tired of the people he's with. My friends were telling me to move on, that you're just another girl. I told them that they need to confront the fact that I don't want just another girl. So, I went to the office at Harvard, and I dropped out. I packed my shit, and I went back to Florida. I thought that was home. I was there for a week, and I didn't feel anything. I didn't feel a change. I went to your old house, and Izzy answered the door. She started crying, Abs. She told me you moved after first semester and she hasn't seen you since. She said you hardly talk to any of them. She gave me your address, and I bought the first ticket here. I rode that fucking plane for hours, and I wandered around Melbourne until I found Hailey's only house. I talked to her parents, and they gave me your address. I called a cab, and I've been sitting on your porch for a fucking hour, freaking out. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to do. I miss you. I miss you so much. I miss your smile and your laugh and your accent and how you yelll at me with I speed and I miss everything. I miss the good things, the bad things. I miss every bit of it. I miss us. I miss you. And I love you. I can't survive without you."