3000 Miles for the Boys - Chapter 1
I sat in the corner on the floor. I could hear them walking around in my house. I heard the gun shots a few minutes earlier. I heard smashing. I pictured shattered glass scattered around on the hard wood floor in the living room. I heard someone break a window and a car pull away. I didn't want to get up though. I didn't want to move and see what waited outside of my room. I sat there with my hands over my ears and my eyes closed. I pulled my knees closer to my chest and I pressed my forehead against my them. 10 minutes before now, my mom told me to go into my room. I did as she said not questioning why. I could tell it was serious by the tone of voice she used and the worry on her face.
I heard sirens. The cops. They were here, finally. I didn't move though. I just sat there and waited. I waited until I heard my door creak open. I peered through my arms, above my knees. The black boots hit the floor and then there was a gun pressed into the opening, between the door and the frame of the wall. My eyes darted open all the way. I saw a tall man, dressed in all black, or at least I think it was black, step into my room completely. He held the gun out in front of him and pressed himself tightly against the wall. He turned so he was facing me. I could see faint light in the hallway outside of my room. Flashlights. The beams moved across the floor in my room as I watched the man walk towards me. I put my head down again, afraid he would hurt me. He pressed his hand gently against my shoulder. "Are you hurt?" he asked. I shook my head. He reached down and picked me up. I let him.
He carried me out of the house. I kept my eyes closed, afraid I would see more than I wanted to. Another cop that had come with the man carrying me, opened the door to the back of the cop car. The man placed me in and the ambulance came speeding down our small tiny road. I closed my eyes. None of this is real I told myself, It's all just a dream.
20 minutes later I sat in a dark blue striped chair on one side of a desk. The cop that had carried me out of the house was sitting across from me with another man. The name tag on his uniform read Officer Herald and so did the card on his desk. He wasn't the one that was at my house but someone else. This man was asking me a bunch of questions that I didn't have the answers to. "Do you know why this person broke into your house?"
I sat up straight in my chair. "No, I don't. I don't know who he was, why he came, or what he wanted. All I know is what he got." There was a long pause as I tried to cope with the situation. I stared down at my palms in my lap. I took in a big breath and let it all out in one. "They took both of there lives." There were tears running down my face and I turned so they wouldn't see me cry. I hated showing how weak I was. I never liked letting people know how I was feeling.
"Look Ms. Houghton ," the tall man said, "We know that this is a very emotional and difficult situation but we have to move decide on a living situation for you." My eyes got wide and I started crying. I knew what that meant for me. "We have word that your mother had a friend that lived in Londonderry, New Hampshire." What? I lived in Monmouth. Monmouth, Oregon. They were moving me 3,000 miles across the country.
"What? Your making me leave?" I stood up now. I grabbed the edge of the desk and leaned over it so I could hear the cops correctly when they answered.
"Yes, it's not safe here for you. You don't know who these people are that broke into your house and you don't know why. It's too dangerous and you don't have any relatives in this country it looks like. When it is acceptable for you to go back to your house, we would like you to pack up your things because you will be leaving tomorrow. We have already contacted the family you will be staying with and you will be taking a plane there at 12 o'clock tomorrow afternoon." I crossed my arms in front of my chest and sat back down in my chair. I was fighting back tears now. How could they be doing this to me. My parents just died and they expect me to be able to go back into my house to get all of my things? They expect me to just be able to pick everything up and leave?
I stood up and walked out of the doors. I walked out of the entire office with tons of people staring at me. I wasn't going to turn around now. I walked to the front doors and they opened automatically. It's a good thing too because I probably would have broken them if they didn't.
I looked out at the cars driving down the road. I closed my eyes and sank against the brick wall behind me. I started to cry. I returned to my position, the one I was in when the cop found me. My sleeves were soaked by the amount of tears that had been coming from my eyes recently. I threw my head back and rested it against the wall. I wiped my face and breathed in slowly.
I was startled when a man came flying out of the building and came to a halt when he was greeted by the cold air. He looked down the building in my opposite direction and then looked forward. I covered my face again. I didn't want to see his face. He was sending me away. I heard his foot steps coming closer. "Ellie?"
I looked up. "No," I looked at him stupidly. "Who else would it be?" He sat down next to me and threw his head back as well.
"You really shouldn't be out here without a coat." He started to take off his jacket when I stopped him.
"If I catch pneumonia it won't be the worst thing that's happened to me." I said.
He closed his eyes and licked his lips. "You know, I was like you when I was younger. I was in this same situation. My parents died in a car accident when I was about 16 and I was sent away to live with my grandparents." He looked down at me. I came out of my shell and rested my head against my knees and looked up at him. His dark brown eyes were surprisingly noticeable this late at night. His nose was the perfect pointy-round shape. His lips perked up in the corners when he smiled. Smiled? He noticed me opening up a little bit. I shoved my face back in my arms and closed my eyes.
Without looking at him I said, "Can I make a phone call?"
"Do you know how late it is?" There was a pause. He could tell I wasn't going to answer. "It's 11 at night. Who could you be calling this late at night?"
"Someone," I cut him off. "It's really important, just please, let me make a phone call." I heard him moving and then his elbow nudged my shoulder. I looked up. He had his phone in his hand. I looked at his face and he wasn't even looking at me. "Thank you," I said as I took it and dialed the number. 282-6542. Jason.
There was a long pause. Then, "Hello?"
"Jason! Jason, I need you to come to the police station right now. I need you to." I turned to see the cop walking back inside now. "Will you please text Kristen and Bella? It's really important."
"Uh, yeah I'll be there in 5 minutes." I heard a door close on the other line and then he hung up. I sat back down and waited. I waited and waited and waited.
In 5 minutes Jason's car pulled into the parking lot and there he was. He ran out of his car and I ran to the edge of the sidewalk where I met his chest. He pulled me into a hug. His hands around my waist. I hugged his neck, pulling him closer to me. He didn't know this was the last time he would see me yet. We stood there for about 3 minutes. I started crying even more. Jason was one of the few people I could cry in front of. Especially about something like this.
We let go when we heard a honk from a car pulling into the parking lot. It was Kristen and Bella. They got out of their car and ran over to me. They saw that I was crying and new it was serious. They took me into a big hug, all four of us. I just stood there crying for a little while. They always knew how to make me feel better, but right now nothing could make me feel better. The worst part is I wont have them for much longer.
I backed out of the hug. "Can we go inside?" I asked. They all nodded. Jason placed his hand on my back and guided me in and Kristen and Bella followed behind him. I went to the front desk and asked if there was a room that we could go to that would be private. The woman directed us down a long hall and opened one of the last doors for us.
I walked inside and there was a long table with a bunch of chairs around it. Jason pulled out a seat for me and I sat down. He sat next to me and Kristen and Bella were across from us. Jason took my hand in his and looked to me. "Ellie, what's going on?"
I looked at Kristen and Bella and there was worry and fear in their eyes. I looked at Jason and the tears were starting to form in mine. He put his hand on my shoulder and urged me to go on. I took a deep breath and looked down at my hands in my lap. "Someone broke into my house. My parents are-" I burst into tears. I couldn't say it. I leaned my face into Jason's chest and he held me close to him.
They understood what I was trying to say. Kristen came to my side and Bella stood behind me and rubbed my back. I didn't know what to do. I felt lost. I felt like I was drowning and there was no way for me to get my head above the water.
"Where are you going to go?" Bella asked. All three of them knew I didn't have family here. All of my family lived in Italy. My grandparents at least. My dad was an only child and my mom had an older brother but he passed away a few years ago.
As if what had already happened wasn't hard enough, I now had to tell them that I was leaving. I pulled away from Jason and sat up. I wiped the tears from my face and looked at all three of them. "My mom has a friend in New Hampshire, where we used to live," I said between sobs. "I'm going to live with her and her family."
Kristin's lower lip started quivering. I pulled her close to me and then pulled Bella in. Jason sat back and looked like he was in shock. I turned to him and put my hand on his leg. "Jason?" I said.
He looked at me and was confused. "I-I don't-" he started to say. I wrapped my arms around him and he did the same to me.
"Don't say anything. Just hug me," I said. Jason and I had been together for a year and a half. We had been best friends even before we started dating. We had known each other since kindergarten. We were that cute couple that everyone admired but also envied. I couldn't think about not having that anymore.
There was a knock on the door and we all pulled away from our hugs. It was the woman that had brought us to this room. "Excuse me," she said looking at me. "We need this room for another family."
I nodded my head and stood up. Jason kept his arm around me and didn't let go. I held onto his other hand and we walked out of the room and back to the lobby.
I sat in one of the chairs and he sat next to me. Kristen and Bella were across from us and they kept giving me sad faces. This is what I hated about sad things. Everyone always feels so bad for you after they find out. They treat you like you are broken beyond repair. Even though that's how I felt, I would have liked some faith from everyone else.
Jason ran his hand through my hair and I rested my head against his chest. "I'll stay here with you," he said. I nodded and held onto his shirt. I let my eyes close. I was exhausted.
When I woke up I was sitting in the chair resting against Jason. He was still asleep. I looked across from me to see Kristen wasn't there. Bella was still asleep though. I sat up straight and looked around. I looked behind me and saw Officer Herald. He was talking to someone and then looked over at me. He just continued his conversation with the other man, not even acknowledging me. I turned back to Bella who was now awake. "Hey."
"Hey, how are you doing?" she asked.
"I'm okay, I guess. Where's Kristen?" I asked.
Bella looked around. "I don't know. She's probably in the bathroom or something." I nodded my head to agree when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I turned around and it was Officer Herald.
He looked at Jason who was still asleep, then at Bella. "Hi," he said, "I'm Officer Herald."
"Hi, I'm Bella." Bella gave a small wave.
"Ms. Houghton, it's almost 9 o'clock. I think we should go to your house to get your stuff now." I looked at him and nodded then looked back at Bella.
"You and Kristin can get going. I'll stop by your house before I leave," I said.
"Are you sure? We can go with you if you want," Bella said. I shook my head. "Okay." Bella nodded and stood up. She gave me a big hug and then left to the car.
Just as she left Kristin walked up. "Where is she going?" she asked.
"You guys can go home. They want me to go back to my house and get any of my stuff that I want." Kristin gave me a big hug.
"Are you sure you can do that?" she asked. Kristin knew my limits better than I did sometimes.
I nodded. "I'll come by your house before I leave," I said.
She gave me a small smile and then left.
I sat back down and thought for a bit before I woke Jason up. I was kinda alone. The first time since the incident. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. What was I going to do? I asked myself. You are going to go the New Hampshire, you are going to start a new life, and you are going to be okay.
I looked over at Jason. He was so adorable. I can't believe I have to leave him. What is going to happen to our relationship?
Just as I asked myself that, his eyes started to open. "Good morning," I said kissing him on the cheek. I wanted to cry. I wanted to curl up into a ball and just cry.
"Where did Kristin and Bella go?" He sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"I just sent them home. The police officers want me to go home and get my stuff. My plane leaves at 12." Jason sulked in his seat. It was like he forgot. He nodded and stood up. He picked his jacket up and took my hand. He walked me outside and towards his car.
"Let me take you," he said pulling me close to him. "Let me help you pack. Please. You shouldn't do it all alone."
Officer Herald was standing at a cop car close to us. I rolled my eyes. I don't care if he wants him to or not. "Sure," I said turning towards Jason.
"Can I drive you?" he asked.
When we got there I opened the car door and got out. I looked at my, some what broken house. There was no one inside. The window near the door was broken and there was some glass on the front steps. I was careful not to step on any of it when I walked inside. Jason was right next to me and told me to just take it slow. He had one hand on the small of my back and the other on my shoulder, guiding me through the house. I walked into my room not wanting to see more than I had to. The door was already open and the room had been left the same way it was when I was last in here. I picked up my picture of me, Jason, Kristen, and Bella. I looked at it. We had all been wearing the same shirt. It was taken on my thirteenth birthday, three years ago. Jason had taken us all to a Fall Out Boy concert. I started to cry when I realized I wasn't going to be able to be with them anymore. I wiped my tears and continued looking through everything.
I took a big duffle bag from my closet and put all of my clothes in it, or all that would fit. I took all of the pictures in my room and put them in another bag. I went to my bathroom and took all of my stuff out and put it in a bag. Jason had taken all of the pictures from the living room and added them to the pictures I had already packed. "Thank you," I said and hugged him.
He hugged me back. "No problem." He kissed my forehead and then helped me bring everything to the car.
Officer Herald was waiting at the car and help fit everything in. "If you get to New Hampshire and you realize that you don't have everything then just give someone a call and we will have whatever you need shipped to you." Officer Herald crossed his arms in front of him, "Ready?"
"Yeah I guess." I walked over to Jason who was by his car. Just looking at him I couldn't help but cry. I crashed into him with my whole body. He wrapped me in his arms and I felt my shoulder get a little wet. "Oh my god." I leaned back so I could see Jason's face. "Your crying." I had never seen Jason cry before. I wiped the tears from his face and started crying more, myself. He wiped the tears from my face and we both started laughing.
"I'm going to miss you so much," he said and pulled me closer.
"I'm going to miss you too." I closed my eyes and hugged him tightly. He let go a little bit and looked down at me. He lifted my chin towards his. He leaned in and I closed my eyes. Soon enough his lips were pressed against mine. His lips were softer than anyone would have expected.
He pulled away first and pulled me into another big hug. After he told me I should go and then he kissed me on the forehead. I turned away, fighting back tears, and got in the car. Jason watched as we pulled away. He slowly got in his car and drove behind us until he came to his house and pulled into his driveway. Tears started to roll down my cheeks and I just stared out of the window.
I gave Officer Herald directions to Kristen's house and he brought me there. I got out of the car and within seconds, Kristen and Bella were already outside. I smiled at them and they instantly pulled me into a hug. I started crying even more than I had been earlier. We had all known each other since kindergarten. He used to talk about going to college together and buying a house together. We would all have the same dog and we would grow old together and nothing could separate us. That was all going to change today.
Officer Herald came up behind me. "Sorry to interrupt, but we need to go soon in order to catch your flight." He walked back to the car and started it.
I backed out of our hug and smiled awkwardly at them.
"So this is it?" Bella asked.
"Yeah I guess." I said. "I'm going to miss you guys so much. Call me, beep me, if you guys want to reach me." I added trying to lighten the mood.
"Definitely." Kristen said between laughing. We hugged one last time and then I got in the car. We drove off and I waved to Kristen and Bella.
When we got to the airport Officer Herald got my ticket and gave the people my luggage. My phone buzzed and it was an email from Lydia, the woman I was staying with. I didn't open it. Officer Herald made sure I got on the plane and told me to just call if I needed anything. He gave me the number of the police station and then I got on the plane. Great right? A new adventure in my crappy life.
OK everyone. Thank you for reading and I would love it if you vote and comment. Tell me what you think of the chapter. Oh and... did you get my reference to Kim Possible? ;) Also please check out the new trailer in the external link below.
OK, until next time, thanks!!!