Running Away

by Jen Andrews

  My phone chimed with an incoming text and he read it back to me. “Oops, looks like you’re in lots of trouble back there, amigo. She says you’re cruel and she’s leaving for Denver tomorrow.”

  Oh, shit . . . no. She’s going back to Denver?

  My pulse was pounding so loud in my ears I barely heard him when he said, “Have a nice life.” I watched helplessly as the bastard typed the words into my phone then hit send.

  I’m gonna beat the shit out of this dickhead.

  When we arrived at the jail to go through processing, he roughed me up as we walked, causing my feet to tangle together. I wasn’t taking what he did to Teagan lightly. Before I hit the floor, I swept my leg out and knocked his feet out from under him. He crumpled like a sack of potatoes, and I laughed.

  “Stupid asshole,” I muttered, and watched him pick himself up. The other officer yanked me up from the floor by my arm and shoved me down on a hard chair.

  That stunt got me shackled around the ankles and chained to the chair for several hours. Oh well. If I was going to jail, might as well make it worthwhile, right?

  Wrong.

  Two long days later, someone finally came to tell me the charges had been dropped, and I was being let out. I had no idea what was going on because when they’d offered me my phone call, I’d told them to fuck off.

  Once I was processed back out of jail, I found Zoey and Andy waiting for me.

  Shit. I am so dead.

  Andy was scary when he was angry, and I made a vow then never to piss him off again. Neither of them uttered a word to me as I walked behind them out the door. Zoey headed straight to her Tahoe, climbed inside, and left.

  When she backed out, I spotted my Caddy next to where she’d been parked. Andy held his hand out to me, palm up. “Keys,” he said angrily, and I couldn’t get them out of my pocket and into his hand fast enough.

  He dropped into the driver’s seat of my car and started it up, so I went around to the passenger side and got in. Andy pulled out of the parking lot and drove in the opposite direction of my house.

  Fuck. I silently prayed he hadn’t brought a shovel with him because as angry as he was I wouldn’t be surprised if he had plans to take me out to the country, kill me, and bury me.

  “You know,” Andy said, “if I had it my way, we would be on our way to see my lawyer and get your stupid ass removed as Hannah’s guardian.”

  Oh, shit. I couldn’t say I blamed him, though.

  “For some reason, your sister still believes in you, so I won’t do it. Yet.”

  He glared over at me, and I took his warning straight to what was left of my heart. I can’t lose my Sweet Pea. I just can’t.

  “Okay. I’m sorry, Andy. I’ll get it together, but please don’t take her away from me, too.”

  Andy sighed. “You owe your sister a shitload of money for getting your ass out of jail, and you better kiss the ground she walks on after this.”

  “How did she get me out?” Not to mention getting the assault on an officer and DUI charges dropped.

  Andy turned down a side street and flipped a U-turn, heading back the direction we’d come from. Guess we’re not going to the country.

  “She called Kyle when someone from the police department called to see if anyone in the family was missing a Cadillac CTS-V.”

  Ah, yes, Officer Kyle Sherman. Andy’s good friend.

  “It would’ve been a lot easier to find you if you’d given them your real name when they arrested you.” He actually smirked. “Frank Sinatra? What is that all about?”

  I laughed. “You don’t want to know. All I am going to say is it involves Teagan.”

  Oh shit, Teagan went back to Denver. I dug my cell out of my pocket and scrolled through the texts the prick officer had sent her. I fired off a text to her to apologize, and it came back as ‘undeliverable’. What the fuck? I called her phone, and it was no longer in service.

  Son of a bitch.

  Andy pulled into my driveway next to Zoey’s Tahoe. He shut off the engine, tossed me my keys, and got out. I stepped out of my Caddy and he glared over the roof at me. “Get your shit together, Jeremy. I won’t hesitate next time, no matter how much your sister believes in you.”

  Once they were gone, I ran into my house to do everything humanly possible to find Teagan. I couldn’t let her go back to Denver. I had to get her back, no matter the cost.

  “Hooker-face? You ready?” Reese called from the bathroom as Sonny and I sat on his bed, my stomach in a ball of knots.

  “Yes . . . no! No, wait, I’m not ready. Oh, God.” I sat for a few more seconds wondering if my life would be changing with the words Reese was about to say. “One, two, three, go!” I yelled.

  Gripping Sonny’s hand tightly, I closed my eyes and cringed.

  “Negative!” Reese shouted. “All ten of those bitches.”

  Opening my eyes, I let out a sigh, and then suddenly burst in to tears. Sonny put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me in close. I didn’t know why I was crying. I should be happy that I’m not pregnant, right?

  Ten pregnancy tests proved it. Yes, ten tests were probably a bit much, but I’d had to be sure. My period never came in November, but I was definitely not pregnant. All of the stress since the night after Halloween was the most likely culprit.

  So why was I crying? Did I want to be pregnant with Jeremy’s baby?

  Don’t be silly, Teagan, your life is a mess.

  All I knew was I still loved him and missed him like crazy.

  Reese sat next to me on the bed and pulled me onto his lap. Wrapping me in his strong arms, he comforted me. “Shh, Teagan. Calm down. Everything is okay,” he whispered then kissed my head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say right now to make this any better or easier for you.”

  That made two of us.

  I wiped the tears from my face with the backs of my hands. “I really thought he was the one person I could trust.” I took a deep breath then let it out. “I miss him so much, Reese.”

  “I know you do.” He consoled me while Sonny sat quietly, probably not knowing what to do since he was Jeremy’s friend. “Do you think you’ll ever talk to him and find out what happened that night?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “That’s the hard part. I was willing to talk to him and sent him a text telling him I was ready . . . and then he sent all those horrible texts back. I’m even more confused because that is so out of character for him. What I do know for sure, is that I can’t un-see what I saw with him and Cammie.”

  Remembering that night still made me sick. The sight was ten times worse than catching Gary and Katie in the act because I truly loved Jeremy. I had loved Gary at one time in my life, but he had ruined that along the way with the cheating and the insults regarding my weight and job. What Gary hated about me were the things that Jeremy loved the most and that made me love him even more.

  He accepted me for who I was inside and out.

  “Reese, Sonny, I think I need to be alone if you don’t mind.”

  Reese hugged me tight and kissed my head.

  “Let us know if you need anything. I’m going to the store to get a bunch of junk food and find a chick flick for us. We’ll have a night in to snuggle before you go back to your cousin’s tomorrow.”

  “That sounds like a perfect night. I love you, Reese. Thank you.”

  He turned to Sonny and asked, “You wanna come with, or stay home?”

  “You go ahead. I have a couple things I need to get ready for work next week, but I’ll be done by the time you get back,” Sonny replied.

  When Reese went to leave, I noticed the sweet smile Sonny gave him as he passed. When Reese had told me a month ago that Sonny had agreed to be his roommate, I had been thrilled for him and myself. Reese had finally settled in Sacramento. He loved his job, his new friends, and I loved having him so close.

  Sonny gave me a nervous wave then followed Reese out of the room to go to his bedroom.

  I pulled the cove
rs back on Reese’s bed, slid in, and yanked them up over my head. My life for the last month had been a whirlwind of both good and bad events, and I needed some time to think.

  I’d only been alone for a short time, when a light tapping on the bedroom door startled me. “Who is it?” I called out, just in case . . .

  “It’s me, Sonny.”

  “Come on in.”

  Sonny entered the room, his expression uncertain. His eyes went to the floor as he asked, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  Sitting up on the bed, I made room for him and motioned for him to take a seat.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  He shifted and ran his fingers through his hair. “Look, Teagan, this is really hard for me . . . Jeremy’s my best friend and, well . . . Reese . . .”

  Poor Sonny. He was understandably torn between his long-time friendship with Jeremy, his new living situation with Reese, and now I was inserting myself right into the middle of it just by being here. But I knew he had deeper-seated issues than just these.

  “You like him a lot, don’t you?” I asked, knowing what he was attempting to tell me. “Sonny, I’ve known Reese a long time, and he told me how hard it was to finally speak up and trust the people closest to you with your secrets. Especially if you think it’s something the other person might not want to hear, but I’m not that person. You can tell me anything and I will never judge you.”

  His lips pursed and his light brown eyes drifted up to meet mine. “I guess I don’t have to tell you I’m gay since it seems you already know.”

  “I’ve known since the night you met Reese, but it wasn’t my place to say anything, Sonny. It’s your business and your story to tell if and when you are ready.”

  “Thank you, Teagan. I do like Reese, and I think the feeling is mutual. We’ll just have to see how it goes. But, he’s really helped me to put a lot of things into perspective. I’m almost ready to tell my family and friends. I know I’ll lose some of them and that hurts, but I can’t keep hiding who I am . . . I just want to be free.”

  Tears filled his eyes and spilled over when I reached out and squeezed his hand.

  Sitting up on my knees, I wiped the wetness from his handsome face. “Well, my friend, I am proud of you and I really do wish you and Reese all the best.”

  The slamming of the front door startled us and we hurried to the living room to see what was going on. As soon as we spotted Reese, we heard loud banging on the door, causing all three of us to jump.

  “I know you’re in there, Reese!”

  Oh, holy crap. Jeremy was here.

  “Open the door, please . . . please tell me where Teagan is.”

  “What should I do?” Reese asked. “He was waiting for me in the parking lot and I ran like hell the minute I saw him.”

  “Reese!” Jeremy yelled again, his voice muffled by the door. “Please tell me where she is.”

  Sonny’s expression was complete panic, as was mine.

  “Shit, both of you go hide. I’ll figure something out,” Reese said as he waved us toward the hallway.

  Sonny and I went into Reese’s room and locked the door. With our ears pressed to the door, we listened as Reese opened the door to Jeremy. “She’s not here, man. Wait, you can’t come in!”

  “You’re her best friend, Reese. Where else would she be? Please, let me see her.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you, Jeremy. She’s not here.”

  “Did she really go back to Colorado?”

  He was clearly distraught from the sound of his voice. My arms ached to hold him again and my heart skipped a beat because he was just on the other side of the wall from me.

  “Yes, but it was only for a couple of days. One of her former patients passed away and she went for the funeral. She’s back, but she doesn’t live here.”

  “Her phone’s been shut off. Why?” Jeremy asked.

  “She lost it at the airport and just hasn’t gotten a new one yet.”

  “Okay . . . okay. Please tell me where she is. I need to talk to her, man. I love her and need to see her.”

  For several minutes, we only heard silence from the living room and I imagined the two men staring each other down, unwilling to give up. Sonny and I backed away from the door and I accidentally bumped Reese’s dresser, knocking over his bottle of cologne. We turned to each other and cringed at the noise.

  “What the hell, Reese?” Jeremy muttered. “Teagan, please come out and talk to me, or I’m coming in there.”

  Knowing he’d break down the door, I decided to reveal myself and get the confrontation over with. I turned the lock, but in one swift and sneaky move, Sonny slipped into the hallway, yanking the door closed behind him. I tried to pull the door open, but he must have been holding it shut.

  “Hi, Jeremy,” Sonny said.

  “Sonny? What are you doing here?” Jeremy asked.

  “I live here. Can we talk?”

  He had just sacrificed himself to save me. Oh, Sonny.

  “What the hell is going on here?” Jeremy asked, the confusion in his voice obvious.

  “I’ve been wanting to tell you something for a while, and I think now’s as good a time as any, but first let’s go sit down in the living room,” Sonny said.

  “Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?” Jeremy asked. “Why are you here, Sonny?

  After they moved into the living room, I opened the door a crack and took a seat on the carpeted floor.

  If Sonny was going to come out to Jeremy, the next several minutes were going to be very hard on both of them. I wished I were out there to support Sonny and Jeremy because their friendship was about to be changed forever.

  “Like I said—I live here,” Sonny reiterated, his voice surprisingly calm and collected.

  “You’re roommates,” Jeremy commented, but I heard the question in his voice.

  Reese kept quiet knowing this was Sonny’s time to talk.

  “Yes and no,” Sonny said. His voice quavered a bit, and I silently urged him to let it all out.

  “What does that mean?” Jeremy asked.

  “Remember when you moved into your house and I shoved John for the comment he’d made about being gay?” I assumed Jeremy confirmed because Sonny continued, “You said I could tell you anything . . . this isn’t easy for me to say, so I’m just going to come out and say it . . . I—I’m gay, Jeremy. I’ve known I was different since I was little . . . that time on the playground when we were in third grade and you pulled those three kids off of me—they were calling me a fag, Jeremy. They were kicking the crap out of me, calling me a fag. I was eight years old and didn’t even know what that meant.”

  “Fuck . . .” Jeremy said as the breath left his lungs.

  My heart hurt for Sonny now, and for the torment he’d gone through as a child.

  For several seconds, nobody said a word. I couldn’t stand the silence. Sonny had just told his best friend his deepest, darkest secret and Jeremy’s response angered me. He’d helped an eight-year-old child being bullied and beaten by his classmates, but he wasn’t saying anything now? From my seat on the floor, I inched open the door and poked my head out to see what was going on in the living room.

  Jeremy was standing in the middle of the room with his back to me. He was looking down at Sonny, who was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. Suddenly, Jeremy reached out and set a hand on top of his friend’s hand. Sonny took it and Jeremy pulled him up from the couch.

  I held my breath.

  Tears flooded my eyes as Jeremy pulled Sonny into a tight, bro-hug, and hung on to him as if his life depended on it. My faith in Jeremy revived . . . at least with regards to his friends.

  Finally, Jeremy smacked Sonny on the back, like I’d seen him do so many times and said, “This doesn’t change a thing, man. You’ve been my friend for more than twenty years and no matter what, I’ve got your back.”

  When Sonny’s tough façade finally cracked, I couldn’t watch anymore.
The last image I saw was the two of them releasing each other, and a look of relief on Sonny’s tear streaked face. Quietly, I pulled my head back into the room and shut the door to a crack again.

  The two of them talked a bit longer about Sonny’s revelation while my butt grew sore from sitting on the floor for so long. Just when I was about to return to the bed, Reese did the unthinkable.

  “What happened the night of the Halloween party, Jeremy?” he asked. “If you have any chance of getting Teagan back, you’re going to have to spill it . . . and I mean everything. Did you cheat on our girl?”

  “No!” Jeremy said. “I love her and would never cheat on her. What happened that night was one big cluster fuck caused by Cammie.”

  “Teagan needs to know the truth. Tell me everything that happened after I left the party, right now, and I promise to talk to her. What she does with the information after that is up to her. Deal?”

  “Hell yes,” Jeremy replied.

  Suddenly I was no longer pissed that Reese was asking Jeremy about that night without my permission because he was doing it for my benefit. I wanted to run out there and kiss him.

  By the time their hour-long conversation was over, I knew Cammie had snuck into the house unnoticed and crawled into our bed with Jeremy. He’d thought it was me, just like he’d told Cammie that night when he’d run after me.

  And he’d thought I’d been on a date the evening I’d seen him at Rico’s pizza, but I’d been there with Ed and Rita Dixon, the owners of Nanna’s home, having a spur-of-the-moment job interview. Because of this simple misunderstanding, he’d left his thirtieth birthday dinner with his family and landed himself in jail. I was livid when I found out how the police had treated him, especially with the texts.

  Seeing Jeremy, looking like hell, broke my heart. Now, I knew for certain he hadn’t lied about not knowing Cammie was in bed with him that night. However, I still couldn’t be with him as long as Cammie continued to play her games. She knew where he lived. And I was convinced she wouldn’t stop harassing him. Thankfully I was free of her—now that I was working at Nanna’s facility.

  Once Jeremy left, I jumped back into bed and Reese came into the bedroom with two bags full of junk food, a now-cold pizza, and a DVD from his collection.