Love, Scars, & Shooting Stars

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Julie held the phone to her ear yet again, silently praying that this time there would be an answer on the other end.

"H'llo?"

"Oh, thank God," Julie sighed, finally releasing the breath she'd been holding in. "It's me, Julie. I've been calling and calling—"

"Yeah, my phone was off," Garrett said dismissively. "I was just getting ready to call you..."

"Finn's run away, Garrett," Julie cut him off. "I don't know how long he's been gone, but he's headed your way and—"

"Julie, slow down. He's at my place right now."

"He is?" Julie let out a long gust of air and practically melted into the seat, the phone still pressed to her ear. Rolling her head to the side, she looked over at Cameron, who was anxiously awaiting an update from his place in the driver's seat. She smiled, seeing for the first time that he had been almost as worried about her son as she had been. "He's safe. He's with Garrett."

Cameron breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to squeeze her hand, his relief a mirror to her own. Julie held his gaze and mouthed the words thank you, to which he responded with an equally silent I love you.

"Hello-o-o-o-? Anybody there?"

"Oh!" Julie started, having forgotten about Garrett on the other end of the phone. "Sorry, I was just— never mind. Is Finn okay? Why isn't he answering his phone? How long has he been there? How did he even get there in the first place?"

"I dunno, he said something about a bus, I think," Garrett said dismissively. "And before you even ask, I didn't put him up to this—I was just as surprised as anyone when he showed up on my doorstep a couple hours ago!"

"A couple hours? Jesus, Garrett, why didn't you call me right away? Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"

"Well, I'm talking to you now, aren't I? And Finn is fine, so you can stop worrying."

"Did you... talk to him?" Julie asked hesitantly. "Did he tell you why he ran away?"

"Yeah, he said he wants to live with me," Garrett admitted. "You didn't tell him about California..."

"Not completely, no. He was pretty upset over your leaving," she admitted. "I wanted to wait until he'd cooled off a little before I told him the whole truth."

Garrett gave a noncommittal grunt in her ear. "Well, I explained the situation to him, and he's cool with it now."

Julie rolled her eyes. "C'mon Garrett, do you really believe that?" she sneered.

"Don't start with me again, Julie," he fumed. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime! What do you expect me to do, just walk away from it?"

"No, Garrett, I don't. If you honestly believe that this is your chance, then I think you should take it." Julie felt Cameron's hand squeeze hers again, and when she turned to meet his eyes, she finally found the strength she needed to truly let go of Garrett Bradley once and for all. "Go chase your dream, Garrett. It's okay, it really is. Finn and I can make our own way in the world."

"I really thought I could do it, Jules," Garrett said softly. "I really thought I could do the whole family thing, but I just...can't. I never meant to hurt either of you."

"I know you didn't," Julie said, meaning it. Garrett would always be self-centered and immature, but he wasn't completely heartless. She glanced at the GPS on the dash, taking note of the estimated arrival time. "Listen, we're still about an hour away, but we'll be there as soon as we can, okay? Tell Finn— actually, just hand him the phone, and I'll tell him myself."

A heavy silence fell across the line, and Julie thought they had been disconnected until she heard Garrett's voice in her ear.

"Uh, I can't do that, Jules. He's not...here."

Julie's stomach tightened. "What do you mean, he's not there? I thought you said he was at your place?"

"He is," Garrett said, his voice nearly drowned out by a blast of background noise on his end.

"What was that?" Julie asked, releasing Cameron's hand and cupping the phone to her ear in an attempt to listen more closely. She heard it again, this time recognizing the tinny, robotic voice of a flight announcement. "Oh, my God, you're at the airport! You left Finn alone?"