My Ticket Out by J.N. Marton

Author:J.N. Marton [Marton, J.N.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780578778327
Publisher: J.N. Marton
Published: 2020-11-16T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

The warm grip on my shoulders anchors me back to the present. Aspen squirms in my lap, writhing free from my grasp, before turning on her heels and charging out the door.

“Aspen, wait,” I pant as I lift myself up off the bed and hurry after her. I manage to grab her arm, swinging her around as we make it to the living room. “Aspen, stop. Let’s talk about this.”

She winces, immediately taking a step back as her lips begin to quiver. Her eyes dance around me, refusing to meet my gaze. It doesn’t take long for the house to become eerily silent, the rambunctious crowd now a captivated audience, eager to observe the spectacle.

“I can’t,” she sputters. She turns, heading through the front door, without looking back.

I follow.

“Are you gonna hide who you are for the rest of your life?” I fire at her.

She stops, one foot still slightly raised in the air, before turning to face me. The pitter-patter of footsteps reverberates in the distance as the swarm of kids make their way outside.

I meet her eyes, my heart thrumming erratically in my chest. “Aren’t you tired of it? Tired of pretending? Tired of trying to be somebody you’re not?”

“You don’t understand, Charlie. You have no idea how hard this is for me.”

“You don’t think this isn’t just as hard for me? Constantly lying to everyone, pretending to be something I’m not? It’s not just about you.”

“You don’t know what my dad’ll do,” she mutters in a voice barely above a whisper.

I spin around, my arms spread wide, gesturing to everything around us. “Look around, it’s only a matter of time. It’s out there.” I turn back to face her, heat rising in my stomach. “You’re eighteen, we graduate in less than two months, you’re practically an adult.” My voice rises an octave as the anger continues to build. “Don’t you think it’s time to be honest with your father? To be honest with yourself?”

She steps forward, her forehead creasing like it always does when she’s upset. “You don’t understand, Charlie. But I wouldn’t expect you to. It’s not like you have parents of your own to worry about, do you?”

I stop, my breath catching as the sound of her words resonate in my ear.

I shake my head, the sting of her words visible on my face. “That’s not fair.”

She lifts her hand in the air and drops them back to her side. “Fair? Who said any of this was fair?” She shifts her gaze to the ground, shaking her head. “I can’t do it anymore. Goodbye, Charlie.” And she walks away.

I stand there, rooted to the ground as my eyes cling to her fading silhouette.

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