EIGHTEEN | 11/26/15
THE PAST FEW months had slowly and painfully gone by, especially with the workload and responsibilities of college dragging us behind. Finally, however, after all days and nights of tests and essays and sleep-depriving nights, Harrison and I drive to Cherryhill for our short Thanksgiving break. I gladly want to come back home, excited to see my dad, but Harrison, on the other hand, seems more reluctant to come.
As we're driving back, Harrison intertwines his fingers with mine and begins with, "I really hate to say this, but I kinda miss this shitty town."
"And I hate to say this, but you don't," I bluntly say, throwing him a look from the passenger seat, "or else you would've come with me every time I visited in the past three months. You made me suffer alone."
This time, he snorts at my words, "It's not suffering if you don't hate Cherryhill. You have family here, Arden."
"So do you," I counter.
"Who?" Harrison says, his free hand tightening on the wheel, turning his knuckles into a ghastly white color, "Nathan? My parents?"
I frown and look at him, "You have Lucas, and my dad, and Grant, and Venice, and me."
A few moments later, Harrison's blue eyes soften, and his grip on the wheel loosens up, "I know -- I'm really stupid, I know."
"You're not stupid, Harrison," I say, squeezing his hand in a comforting way, and he squeezes back, "It's okay to feel like the world's against you. It's been tough for you."
It really has been tough for him. Never have I seen Harrison Gage so distraught when his family didn't come to visit him once or call him or even text him. So, in a Harrison fashion, he retaliated against his parents by not showing up at all these past months. To him, it's simply an eye for an eye, except it's really hurting feelings for feelings. Thinking back on it, I don't know if escaping this town helped him out.
"I'm only here for you," he defiantly says, "For you, baby, okay?"
I wish he'd consider everyone else, too.
"Yeah."
•••
BEFORE HARRISON DROPS me off and drives to his respective house, I reassuringly run my fingers through his dark hair and place a soft kiss against his lips. I know how hard it is for my boyfriend to see his parents and Nathan, but I tell him that he'll have Lucas there with him, and that I'm only a drive away.
We have to be there for each other.
"I'll call you before I go to sleep," Harrison says before kissing me once again.
"And I'll be waiting."
I step back from the car and watch as he drives down the road. Satisfied, I turn on my heel, clutching onto my backpack of schoolwork and my bag of clothes, and enter my house. It's warm and familiar and smells like turkey inside, which I find surprising. It's not like my dad to make or do anything traditional; we just settle in for some pizza and movies.
"Dad?" I call out, dropping my belongings on the couch and walking towards the kitchen, "What's up with all the cooking?"
I stop in my tracks, watching as a woman chops up vegetables in my kitchen. Either that, or I walked into the wrong house.
"Uh, hi," I loudly say, causing her to jump in surprise. Thankfully, she doesn't cut any of her fingers, "Not to be rude or anything, but who are you?"
Her shock quickly melts into a pleasant smile and her brown eyes light up, "You must be Arden!"
That doesn't answer my question, but I still force a smile onto my face, "Yeah, I'm Arden, and you are?"
"My name's Rebecca, darling," she introduces, sticking out a hand to shake, "I'm your father's girlfriend."
I completely freeze at the words. Girlfriend?
Her radiant smile disappears when she notices my expression, "Arden?"
Hearing my name pulls me back into reality, "Excuse me, did you just say girlfriend? As in, you are dating my dad?"
"Is there a problem with that?"
"Oh, no," I sardonically say, not really sure why I'm overwhelmed by anger, "It's that I didn't even know you existed until now. Fuck, where is he?"
She looks so taken aback by my reaction, and I don't know what to do anymore, "Your father should be home any moment now."
I reluctantly sit in the living room, and Rebecca goes back to cooking dinner. It's painfully silent as we both wait for my dad to clean up the mess that we've gotten ourselves into. I just thought my dad would trust me enough to tell me something as important as this. Suddenly, this visit doesn't seem as appealing as before, and I wonder if Harrison still feels the same way.
When my dad finally does come home, he takes one good look at Rebecca and me and says, "Fuck."
"No kidding," I mutter, crossing my arms and beginning my round of questioning, "When did you two start dating?"
They exchange wary glances before my dad says, "Six months now."
"Six months?" I ask, incredulous. I try not to feel hurt, but it doesn't work out, "Were you ever going to tell me, Dad?"
"Of course, sweetheart," he quickly says, "It's just that -- with your mom gone and all -- I didn't want to spring this on you, Arden."
A bitter laugh escapes my lips before I can suppress it. It only sounds detached, "It's been three years, Dad! I know why she left, okay? You don't need to treat me like it's still a fresh wound."
"Arden--"
"I don't care about who you date, y'know? It's good that you're moving forward with your life," I quietly say, "It just hurts that you didn't tell me at all. I mean, six months?"
"I'm really sorry, Arden."
"I know you are, Dad," I say with a defeated sigh, "I-I'm gonna go out and get some fresh air. I'll be back."
He understandably nods. I exit the house, feeling as if I can breathe again once the cool air touches my skin. Finally setting in my thoughts, I pull out my phone and text Harrison, asking if it was safe to call him. He responds a few seconds later, and when I call, he immediately picks up.
"So, this isn't going so well," I start, slumping my shoulders.
"What happened?"
"Uh, my dad has a girlfriend, apparently," I respond, "and I kinda acted like a bitch, and everything sucks."
"It's okay to feel like that, baby," Harrison calmly says, "Sometimes, we can't control the things we do or say or feel. That's just how the world works."
"You're right," I sigh, "I wish I didn't feel so hurt, though."
"He's your dad, Arden. He's family," he says, as if remembering how broken the Gage family is, "Mistakes happen. Just go back in there and be okay."
"Okay," I agree, starting my way back to the house, "How are things on your end?"
"Quiet, I guess. Nobody really said anything at all," he quiets down, "I'd rather be with you right now."
"They're family," I say, repeating his words.
"Family," he softly murmurs, "I think we should join them now."
"Yeah, I think so, too."
So, I finally hang up the phone and join my family and an extra.
___________________________
that time jump tho lolololol
I just don't wanna bore you with college talk (especially since I barely know anything about it).
ANYWAY, I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY THIS CHAPTER. IT WAS NICE TO WRITE.
LOVE YOUR FAMILY.
ALSO, I LOVE YOU GUYS SOSOSOSO MUCH. TOGETHER, WE REACHED 1K VOTES!
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--islandarc