Supernovas & Escapism

Chapter Twenty-One

     Instead what I end up telling her is more of a fabrication of the truth than a flat out lie. "Just thinking about some stuff," I replied in short. "You know, the usual."

     When she beams at me once more, I can tell that these words have won her over. She leans in one last time, as Tony makes sounds of disgust behind my back. Mentally, I am flipping him off and not giving one single fuck about it.

     My eyes scatter themselves to where Garth had been, only to find that he has disappeared. And I sort of get this; Garth's greatest trick is how to make a perfect exit.

~~~~~~~~~~

     My drives home are usually solitary ventures. My youngest sister gets picked up by my dad after work. Sabrina lives so close to the school that she prefers to walk. My 'friends' have constantly asked for rides, but the problem with that is twofold; they all live in the opposite direction, and I hate every one of their asses.

     Were they to treat me like some schmuck then maybe I would think about it. But no, from day one, my closest friends have done nothing but to treat me like a human garbage disposal.

     There was that year in there where I had some actual friends. They were the popular kids, the high school jocks, the 'it' crowd. As fun as it was to hang out with them, there was no substance to the conversation. It felt like we were more acquaintances than anything else. If they didn't talk about themselves, then they talked about their opinions, or the opinions of people they held dear. At the end of the day though, I'd take all of those fake-friends over the ones that I had now.

     My drive usually took me all over town. Being in this car just made everything feel more relaxed, like I could just forget the world. When it was just me and my brain behind the wheel, everything fell apart. The focus on moving forward moved everything else into the back of my head.

     I didn't need to think about Mom, or Garth, or Dad, or anyone else for that matter.

     All I did need to think about was where to go next. Which was the reason why I usually never had a destination in mind. It just meant I could put more focus on the road, and spend more time away from anything that I could view as a responsibility.

     As my car rounded the next corner on my tour of our small town, I seen a figure down the road. It was almost hard not to notice him. Bag slumped over his back and that same loose shirt fitting over him. There was no mistaking Garth Vega. Even an almost perfect stranger could point him out in a crowd if they wanted too.

     Honking the horn a few times, I slowed the car up next to him. For a second, I thought he was going to turn, but he kept moving forward.

     There was a moment where I thought that maybe he hadn't heard me, but it was more than that. His eyes were fixed forward, but occasionally glanced elsewhere, as if to try and get away from me. Even when I had brought the car into view, he kept up with his momentum, as if his very life depended on this one action. I honked once more for measure, this time pressing my palm into the wheel for a good few seconds, just so I could tell if he was ignoring me.

     For the record, he totally was.

     "Garth," I hollered out of the open window. "Need a ride?"

     I knew his response would have been not to respond. There was a slight halt in his step, before he continued once more, a fire lit in his eyes.

     "Okay dude, I'll bite," I replied, a more jokey tone to my voice. "What's up with you? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something."

     He muttered something under his breath, but I could barely hear him above the engine of the car. Right now, the wheels were turning slowly, keeping up with Garth's less than leisurely walk. If he wanted to play this game, then I could follow him all the way home.

     And you know, that's exactly what happened. Despite my pleas for him to at least talk to me, he seemed quite firm in his decision to shut me out. He didn't need to talk to me if he didn't want to talk to me, that was just fine. But sooner or later he would have to give up whatever this lone-wolf thing was. He put on this image that he was the only one allowed to feel things so deeply, and maybe that's where he had gotten his reputation.

     All the things you hear about Garth Vega are true. But I want to add one more to the list.

     'Garth Vega does not know how to trust the people around him.'