The Mistake [Completed]

Chapter Thirty-One

Before she could allow her thoughts to take over her mind once again her mother burst through the door with an outfit in hand and threw it in her daughter's direction muttering the words 'you have ten minutes'. Leigh was quick to change from her pyjamas into the outfit her mother had thrown at her as she knew if she didn't it would cause more aggravation than it was worth. She had to do as her mother said because she feared that the world would find out about her life and new family in Oak View. It wasn't fair of her to expose them to her life when they wanted nothing than to stay out of it. But most importantly she had to protect Maggie and her relationship at all costs.

They left the house shortly after Leigh was dressed and once again she was kept in the back of the car without the ability to speak to anyone. She began to feel more and more isolated as the day progressed with her mother constantly dragging her from one place to the next as if she were a rag doll without a life and mind of her own. Every part of her day was planned to the exact minute leaving her with no room to feel free and she knew it would take a long while to get used to her mother's ways in the same way that she did before.

*

He'd never even left North Carolina- not for a vacation in his childhood or for an event out of state. He'd always made a point to remain in the place he knew best. His father was afraid of flying and made it his life's mission to never step foot outside of the state he called home.

When Brett was younger he spoke to a cousin of his around the same age as him on the telephone. He lived across the country and it was safe to say the two of them were extremely different. They both had similar interests in toy cars and dinosaurs but despite their similarities there was one aspect that set Brett apart from the other children in his family- his accent. He had a thick southern accent ever since he could speak and being a toddler with a country accent had it's charms but it only made his life harder as he grew up. His cousin called him a freak and would mock the way he spoke each time they visited the farm and as an eight year old that was a pretty rough thing to experience.

But now Brett had to get over the fear of judgement because he was always true to himself and if people didn't like that then they would have to learn to. The plane had just touched down in LA and as soon as the door opened he felt a rush of warm air flood to him as if he had just entered a sauna. The temperature was a lot different than that of Oak View and Brett came to realise it wouldn't be the only difference between his home and Leigh's. As he stepped out onto the stairs which led to the runway he pulled his phone from his pocket and switched it back on. As he walked to collect his bag he impatiently waited for the network to connect so that he could begin messaging his brother. Keeping his head down and engrossed in his device gave him a sense of comfort within the uncomfortable setting he was now in. He wasn't sure whether it was his imagination or reality but he felt as though everyone was staring at him.

He took the hat from his head and wiped the sweat off of his forehead as a sign of discomfort before replacing it back and pulling it low. Despite the other passengers on the flight it was clear that most of them were tourists based on how they were dressed. Many were dressed in casual jeans, hoodies and sneakers whereas Brett wore a pair of jeans and a checkered shirt paired with a pair of boots and a black cowboy hat to match. He had never felt uncomfortable in his own skin but there was always a first for everything. Back home what he was wearing wasn't something foreign or strange as that was just the way life in Oak View. But now he wanted the ground to swallow him whole and began to regret not dressing more appropriate.

He was almost at the conveyor to collect his bag when his feet stopped moving. Brett leaned on a pillar in the centre of the room for support. He blinked once and then again not believing the notification that popped up at the top of his phone.