𝐇𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐔𝐍 (𝙰 𝙵𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕)

❿ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞

•••

Vinnie

Monday

I'm Vincenzo. I'm eighteen.

It's been almost a year since...

A lot has happened.

For example: I've been doing community service for the past year.

The police had been tracking us down that whole week after the murder.

They tracked the blood from Mason's place to mine. There, they found the stolen money and car, and the broken phone in the washing machine. Then, they found a car tire pattern that matched the stolen vehicle in the mud on the route out of town. They tracked the mud to the hotel, where the receptionist, Gus, had called the police. It turns out, he was the one who had stolen our money. He was suspicious of us the moment we walked into his establishment, so he sneaked into our hotel room while we were out. The waitress, Alyssa, had also called the police, suspicious of our behavior and presence. And once we were relatively known as high-profile criminals around the area, the woman at the pharmacy called the police the moment we had gotten there.

It was concluded that Mason had forced me to do everything and that I was under his influence. And though I tried to deny it, thanks to my parents, and their incredibly high-quality resources, the judge found me not guilty. I got out on only a year of community service.

Yeah, like I said, a lot has happened.

Here I was, sitting alone in a rental Buick, my paw on the keys that I was about to take out of the ignition. But, something was stopping me.

I looked to the passenger seat.

It was empty.

I was parked on the streets of a suburban town, right outside of a single-family detached home.

I took the keys out of the ignition and the car silenced its soft humming.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the note that Mason gave me one year ago.

I read it over.

'Mason. Dennis. I'm sorry. I couldn't do it anymore. It's too much for me. I can't handle it. I can't handle raising a child. I have to go. Just know that I am okay and doing perfectly fine. I found a house up north in a good neighborhood. I feel safe there. By the time you're reading this, I'm likely already there. I just needed to leave. To Dennis, I'm sorry I gave up on you. On our love. I'm sorry that I couldn't stay true to the wedding date. And to Mason, please don't ever blame yourself. This is not your fault. It's all mine. It always has been. I love you both, so much, but I just can't do it anymore. Please, give me space and some time alone. But, in case of emergency, here is my address.'

It was the same address that Mason had written into my phone one year ago.

I took a deep breath.

I felt my body shaking.

I was as nervous as I was one year ago.