One Way

Chapter 6- Let's Do This:

Chapter 6- Let’s Do This

          I dragged another duffle bag out from underneath my bed and carried it over to Rose’s room. It was a good thing she was still taking her bath. I opened her drawers and started taking out piles of clothes and putting them in the duffle bag. I made sure to leave an outfit out for tomorrow and a few more items of clothing just in case if I had to send her back here if anything ever went wrong and went on, taking out clothes and packing them away. As I did, I gathered all of her stuffed animals and put them into a pile before going back around the room and getting anything and everything I could find.

          By the time I had finished packing, Rose’s room was practically bare. As I looked around the whole room, the realization that we most likely wouldn’t be coming back here dawned on me more than it had when I’d said it to Alex downstairs. From hearing just how bad things were, it wasn’t exactly a guess that things would end in a fight. And if—and most likely when—they did, who’s to say that Jake and I would make it out? Who’s to say any of us would?

          “Cassie?”

          I turned around to see Daniel standing in the doorway, holding Rose’s hand.

          “Hi,” I muttered. I didn’t know why I was so nervous. It was just Daniel. Maybe it was because of what I thought he might say or how mad he might be when he found out we were leaving and almost positively never coming back.

          “What’s going on?” he asked. I opened my mouth to answer that when my eyes flickered over to Rose.

          “Hey, Rose? Can you go downstairs and see if my friend Alex needs any help?” I asked sweetly.

          “Okay, mommy,” she answered and almost skipped out of the room to the stairs.

          “What’s going on? Why is all of Rose’s stuff packed up?” Daniel asked as he took a couple of steps further into the room. I took a deep breath and rolled my lips into my mouth.

          “We’re leaving. Me and Rose. I’ve packed up my stuff as well.”

          “Leaving? What do you mean?” he asked. “Where are you going?”

          “I’m—we’re going back,” I corrected. I swallowed as a look of understanding crossed his face after a moment of confusion.

          “You-you’re going back. Back, back? As in, you’re actually taking my advice for once?” he asked with his eyebrows raised. He sounded so surprised. I wasn’t that stubborn…was I?

          You’d be surprised…

          “Yeah. I guess I am.”

          I stuffed my hands in my pockets as we stood there staring at each other. I waited for him to say something, but all it seemed he was capable of doing right then, was just stare at me, then at the duffle bag that was sitting on the bed, then back to me.

          “Finally!” he basically shouted and threw his fists into the air as if he’d just achieved some sort of great victory.

          “Excuse me?” I asked completely lost.

          “You’re finally listening to me—instead of being so hard-headed—and going back! I swear I think I’m having a moment,” he said in a weary voice as if he was about to start tearing up. I gave him a look of confusion as I stared at him. He even went so far as to start blotting around his eyes. I rolled my eyes at him and how over-dramatic he was being.