Away We Go

Chapter 11

This was 8 pages on my Word document dayummm... Anyways, sorry for the delay but you know me, and enjoy this long ass, unproof-read chapter! (sorry for the mistakes in advance)

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Day 4

I swerved the car to the right, pulling over by the side of the road. It was morning and the digital clock on my car's dashboard displayed the time 9AM. My hands were on the wheel and my eyes were focused onto the road in-front of me. I turned around to see Riley snuggled up in the backseat, utterly exhausted from the concert. She was snoring softly and my jacket was draped across her waist to keep her slightly warmer. I couldn't help but recall the things she said to me last night.

Although she didn't blatantly confess her love for me, the fact that she cared enough to be jealous was enough to send my mind into a downward spiral of confusion and utter frustration. I was confused because Riley was never the one to crack or put herself into a vulnerable position yet she had done exactly that. I was frustrated because I knew I had wanted this; I had wanted her to come back to me, to forgive me, to love me again but when it finally happened, I wanted her to stop. And all because of one goddamn reason.

I couldn't have her love a dying man.

The thought of it made me sick. I immediately got out of the car and ran far enough before vomiting onto the grass beneath me. I hastily reached into my pocket for the bottle of pills before dry-swallowing a couple. The headache was beginning to subside as I sat down, trying to catch my breath. I heard the cars honking at each other, the smell of gasoline, and the occasional side-glances I received from drivers thinking I was a bum for strolling around in the middle of nowhere. None of it mattered to me though, the only thing I had in my mind was my mum.

From what I remembered, she was a beautiful woman, a caring woman. Everyone and their mothers loved her. She would bring me along to the grocery stores and cafes and there would always be a couple of unfamiliar faces, greeting her, asking her how she is or maybe making small talk about the weather. And she would smile, tell them she was doing just fine, thank you and that the weather was always perfect in one way or another. She was a fantastic person, maybe even the best person so why in the hell did she have to suffer from leukemia? I must admit, I'm not the world's greatest son, friend or boyfriend but my mother; she was the greatest at everything. She didn't deserve that kind of fate. And when I attended the funeral- in a black tuxedo two sizes too small because we never really thought a new tuxedo was necessary- strangers with tears staining their faces came up to me to tell me that she had died because God needed another angel.

And I, being only 8 years old, said;

"If God needed another angel, why didn't He just make one?"

Nobody else came up to me after that.

And soon I'd attend another funeral, with a brand new tuxedo this time because everyone will be looking at me.

~

"Milo?" I heard someone holler and I turned around. The wind was blowing harshly and it made Riley's hair stand up in bizarre angles. Her arms were crossed against her chest and her fingers held on to the jacket that was hanging loosely on her shoulders.

"I'll be right there!" I called back and jogged towards the car.

Riley was already sitting in the passenger's seat when I got in. She had a peculiar look on her face as she watched me buckle in and study the map. I kept stealing glances her way and every time I looked, she was already staring at me.

"Wow, am I that good-looking, Ri?" I attempted at a joke.

"There's something wrong, isn't there?" she said, shocking me to silence. I snapped my head to look at her and her eyes were burning furiously with concern. Her eyebrows were furrowed and the lines on her forehead were showing. I knew that Riley was in no mood to fool around.