"Is this the first time you skipped school?" Riley asks. I nod, my heart beating fast with adrenaline.
"Yeah." I say, leaning my head aginst the seat and closing my eyes.
"You okay?" He chuckles his old man chuckle and pats my knee. It sends a shiver up my body.
"Yeah, I'm just really out of shape." I smile at him. Just being near him makes me feel happy again. "So where are we going?"
"Somewhere away from the world." I settle into my seat and let him drive us to where ever he's taking us.
When we turn onto a non-existant road, I can't help but feel like I might get murdered. He stops the car when we reach a path into the woods that the car can't fit through. Yup, this is where I die. At least it's not school.
"C'mon!" He jumps out of the car, really excited. He pulls me over the drivers seat, making me fall onto the round. He laughs and helps e up before I can even register anything.
"Geez, you forget that I'm a lot smaller than you." I say, rubbing the dirt off my legs and back. He just laughs and pulls me towards the path. He's like a kid going to the water park.
I stumble over roots and rocks in the path but he just keeps dragging me along. Even though it felt like an eternity of tripping, it couldn't have been more than five minutes of walking when we reach a pond. Over the pond was a tree house that looks like it belongs to a rich person. It looks like a mini house. There's even a deck and a rope swing over the pond. It looks like paradise.
"My mom spoiled me." He smiles,his eyes looking off into the distance, as if remembering something from awhile ago. I smile at him and take his hand.
"Let's go up!" This time I'm the one who pulls him. I climb up the ladder and look at how beautiful the inside is. There's an old couch to the side and in the corner is a large book shelf filled with books. I love it here already.
"What happens when it snows? I mean, your mom does know we live in Wisconsin, right?" I gesture around the room. C'mon, this is like an apartment. It even has a glass door.
"It has heating." He smiles. I nod, trying not to look shocked. By the look on his face, I'm failing. I blush and move over to the bookshelf to distract myself with books.
"This is a really nice escape." I whisper. He smiles but the smile slowly fades.
"Are you okay?" He asks. I freeze. I turn to look at him and nod. "Really?" Who am I kidding, I can't even fool myself. A few tears leave my eyes and I shake my head. He moves across the room in a couple strides and envelops me in a hug. I cry until there's nothing left. Until there's no more tears to cry. When the room falls silent, I tell him everything.
___________________________________________________________________________
"So your mom hit you?" He asks me, anger radiating through his whole body. I can see it in his eyes.
"Yeah, but she doesn't deserve to be called a mom. Not after she left us like that to go have another kid." I told Riley everything. Well, almost everything, I didn't tell him about the ghost and visions thing. I really don't want him to think I'm crazy.
"Wow. That's just wrong." He gets up and slowly walks out onto the deck of the treehouse. I don't hesitate to follow him. He leans against the banister, glaring at the water. I touch his arm, ignoring the images and pushing them away.
"I'm sorry that I blamed you for Jamie." I say quietly."I just heard what you said in the hallway and got supicious." He laughs.
"I was giving him a number to a psycic. The psycic happens to be my mom. I was just getting her buisness." He explains. Well now that's cleared up. We sit in silence for a few moments. A silence so quiet you can hear the kids on the playground back at school.
"I don't have a dad." Riley says suddenly. I stare, shocked. Where did that come from?
"I'm sorry." I touch his shoulder.
"Don't worry about it." He smiles at me. "I was little when he went missing. It just hurts to see my mom still looking for him when I don't even know if he's alive." His face falls and he looks off into the distance. We stay like that. Me with my hand on his shoulder and him breathing with a slight hitch. After awhile, he sighs and looks at me. I offer him a smile. He stares at me and starts to lean in. Right when I feel like he's going to kiss me, I fall, landing in the water. I hear Riley's laugh and decide to play a trick on him.
I start sinking and splashing the water, pretending to drown. I see the white of his splash as he jumps in the water, trying to save me. He drags me up to the surface. "Oh my god. Autumn, can you hear me?" I smile at him mischeviously. When he realizes that I tricked him, he pushes me away.
"I thought you were drowning!" He yells at me, laughing.
"That's what you get for pushing me in! Don't you know it's only sixty degrees?" I laugh. My laugh surprises me. It surprises me so much that I stop and cover my mouth with my hand. He swims over so he's right in front of me. He takes my hand in his, uncovering my mouth.
"I made you a promise, Autumn." The way he says my name makes my heart swell. He stares into my eyes and I stare back.
Then he kisses me.
And not just a little peck. The kiss is intense and beautiful. It sparks fireworks in my body, leaving me breathless and dizzy. When he pulls away I can tell he feels the same way.
"I think you kept it."
