Down The Highway

Chapter Forty-Eight

Ignoring everyone I passed by, I wiped all the tears dripping down from my eyes, to the bulky road of St. John Street. I rushed to my house because I have nowhere else to go. "Where are you going?" I heard Shawn's voice in the background. I know I should hate him because he is the reason why Dylan just broke up with me but at the same time, a part of me is saying that he didn't mean to do it so I should not be mad at him.

Instead of paying attention to him, I ignored everything he is doing until I felt that he is not by my back anymore. I grabbed the doorknob and smashed it to close it back once I got in the house. The noise was louder than I expected. I leaned on the door and slowly sat down on the tiled ground. Tears dripped down from my eyes as they flooded on the floor. I leaned my head on my knees while using my hands to cover my face and stop the tears from flooding around.

"Honey, what's wrong? Are you okay?" I heard my mom's voice getting worriedly louder each second she comes closer to me. Without even looking at her, I recognized her voice. She's the only girl aside from me in this house. Wiping my tears, I looked up and removed my hands which were covering my entire face the entire time.

"I am not okay" I whispered, I didn't even hear it. But I know I said those words and let them out of my mouth because no space was intended for them in my head.

"Wh-What happened?" She sat next to me while wrapping her long, thin arms around me. I didn't answer for the first second but when I had the chance to look at her face, her green eyes met mine which forced me to answer her words. My mouth formed an "o" making it want to say a word but before I was able to respond, she interrupted, "About Dylan isn't it?"

I was shocked, forcing me to frown. I never even introduced him to her, but dad knew a few things about him since he caught me talking and texting him. I didn't hesitate to think that dad told mom about it. He doesn't keep any secrets from her. Except for the time, he broke her necklace. The one she loves the most. I guess he knew that mom would stab him with harsh words if she finds out.

He doesn't want that to happen. No one does. When mom speaks harsh words, they are more than just harsh but at the same time, even if she is like that, when she speaks nice words, they are nicer than you think they are. "H-How" she immediately smiled saying that what I was thinking is right.

"Don't worry, I am okay with it. But please tell me what happened,"

Unsureness and trust issues came to bother me again, they came passing me one more time. What did happen? I asked myself to know if my mind knows the answer. But, no words. My mind seems to search for things she just can't find and are nowhere to be seen.

"So, there's this guy I met at St. John Street, down the highway, almost three years ago already, named Travis. He was as mysterious as heck. But when I started to know him, I received letters from an unknown sender under the name Xanny. She was telling me to make Travis fall in love with me to take revenge for what he did to her. Means that I should hurt him. Which I couldn't"

I witnessed how she gulped from my statement and how she frowned as I continued. "Then I knew Travis is the one who is sending me those letters. He told me that he was just pressured by his bullies to do that thing but I didn't believe him. Now he's back under the name of Shawn. And he acts like he completely forgot about me that easily"

He slightly laughed at the words that I spoke with like they were jokes. "Mom, what's funny?" She shook her head and I rolled my eyes. Practically rude but she was ruder. "Nothing, honey. It's just that the story is so childish" I rolled my eyes one more time. She thought that the things that hurt me is childish.

"Mom!" I said grumpily but at the same time insulted.

"Okay, okay. Just continue anyway. The story is interesting. I think I might write a book about this," she writes books about every experience I have or hers, or sometimes dad's experiences, especially the ones which are extremely interesting. She's a writer and wrote one of the New York Times Best Seller books where she used my name and one scene in my life.

It was when I cheated on a test. That was way too long ago. I was just curious how it feels like cheating so I did. Well, there is a first time for everything. Even in heartbreak.

"And then, here we are, trying to fix all the broken things he broke before, trying to start again after we ended something that didn't start." I know that she knew what I was thinking and what I was trying to say. I can't put them in words but she understood me that easily.

Seems like it's a mom-to-daughter thing that we both feel. "I know how it feels like to end something that didn't start," I leaned my head on her shoulders as I felt someone arriving at us with two glasses of orange juice. "So, is Dylan and you okay?"

"Nothing happened dad," I lied.

"Stop pretending, not that I heard you and your mom talking. Oh, well, umm, let's include that but aside from that, I saw you and Dylan arguing down the highway when I was on my way home," my eyes widened when I know they should have not.

He slowly sat beside me and mom. Three of us now leaning on each other while sitting on the floor. "Heartbreak is normal. That's just a phase" he says while offering the glasses of orange juice to me and mom. At least I am lucky enough to have a family like this. One that would comfort me whenever I need comforting.