I stood on the bridge after Connor left. Was life really that simple? No. Of course not. But, did Connor have a point? Yes. In the six months I hadn’t talked to him, he had grown wiser, more mature. He was a completely different person. He had a lost a little weight and had grown into himself. He looked and acted more mature. I was proud of the change he had gone through.
If only everyone in high school that I knew could go through that change. We were graduating in a couple weeks. We were all going to go off to different parts of the country. Maybe even the world. We’d all change. Of course would. But, I sincerely hoped we’d all change for the better.
Hoping against all hope that at our ten year reunion, we’d look back on how terrible we had made each other feel and laugh. Or apologize. Or both. I couldn’t wait to be done with high school. Molly and Connor had made life hell for me. My home life had been terrible. I wanted out. I wanted to go to North Carolina. And, while I was worried about Jason and I, my heart knew we’d work it out. I wanted him to come with me. I wanted us to start over.
We deserved that much.
I started walking down the bridge when my phone chimed again. I’m home. Was a long day. But, I’m okay. Jason. He was always thinking about me. He cared and loved me. And he was mine. All mine. How could I ever have doubted if we’d work? He wanted this to work just as much if not more than I did. I knew that he would do his part in making this work.
Smiling, I decided not to reply. No, I had a better idea. Shoving the phone in my pocket, I decided I needed to see him. I had done a lot of thinking, and I wanted to see him. I needed him to validate how I felt. I needed to see how much he loved me. I needed him. Plain and simple.
Hurrying down the street, I quickened my pace. The park was almost half way between my place and Jason’s, so it wasn’t too much of a walk. Or run. I hoped he didn’t go straight to sleep. I didn’t want to wake him.
As Jason’s house drew nearer, I noticed his parents’ car wasn’t in the driveway. He had said he was here. They must have dropped him off and headed back to the lab, I figured. They were going to work around the clock trying to figure out a way to make Jason normal. To make him who he was. But, he’d never be that person. He’d be the same person he was now. Just without the deformalities of his DNA.
Wanting to surprise him, I decided to see if the front door was unlocked before I tried a window. Luckily, Jason hadn’t locked the front door yet, which meant he wasn’t sleeping. Once inside, I could hear the shower going. Perfect. I had made great time. Shutting the door quietly, I headed to Jason’s room where I perched myself on his bed. And waited.
It didn’t take long, and I could hear the shower stop. I imagined him stepping out of the tub and grabbing a towel, drying himself off. He probably brought his Pjs with him, and was pulling his shorts on. Tousling his hair, he would decide it was good enough and start to head back to his room where I would surprise him with my presence. I heard the bathroom door open then and chuckled to myself at my timing.
The wooden floor beneath his feet creaked with every step, so I could map his movements in my head as he made his way down the hallway. I could hear him in the kitchen, opening the fridge. I couldn’t hear much after that, so I figured he was getting a drink of something. Water, maybe. After a moment, the refrigerator door shut, and he was moving to the door to the kitchen. I heard a click and knew he was locking the doors of the house. He was planning to go to bed.
Boy, would he be surprised. It was dark out. Not too late, but the sun had set. When Jason shut off the hall light, I could barely see my hand for he had his curtains drawn in his room. After a couple minutes, Jason’s door opened as he came inside before he closed it again and made his way to the bed.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see him run a hand through his hair. He wasn’t paying much attention to the bed. Instead, he was glancing at his phone. He was probably waiting for a response from me. He sat on the edge of the bed, and it looked like he was typing something out.
Knowing this was a great opportunity, I decided to speak up, “I decided not to reply since I wanted to see you instead.”
He cried out as he jumped up from his bed, stumbling away from me, clutching his chest. He reached for the lamp on his night stand beside his bed. Turning it on, it bathed us in its light. “Elijah?” he breathed. I could almost hear his heart pounding. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack? What are you doing here? How long have you been here?”
I smiled as I got up, off the bed and strode over to him. “No, I was not trying to give you a heart attack. I am here to see you. And I’ve been here since you got out of the shower,” I answered each of his questions in turn. “I wanted to see you. I missed you. I needed to see you.”
Reaching for him, he grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. “I missed you, too,” he replied, holding me tightly. “But you scared me to death.”
I smiled into the hug. “I’m sorry. I was going to say something earlier, but I couldn’t resist.”
“You made it from your house to here in the time it took me to take a shower?” he asked skeptically.
I shook my head. “No, I was out thinking.”
“About what?” he asked quizzically.
I pulled away and strode over to the bed, plopping down on the edge and waited for him to do the same. “About us. About me moving to North Carolina.” Jason seemed unsure of what to say, so I continued. “I ran into Connor-”
“Connor?” Jason looked defensive. “Did he do anything to you?”
Smiling, I placed a hand on Jason’s. “He did. He made me realize that even if you can’t come to North Carolina with me, we can still make our relationship work. We weren’t doomed for failure or anything. Connor’s changed a lot. He’s on meds and is talking to a therapist. Has been for six months apparently.”
Jason was frowning. “I didn’t know you didn’t think our relationship could work.” He looked hurt, and I didn’t really blame him.
Shrugged, I answered, “It’s not that I thought it couldn’t work. I just have reservations about long distance relationships. But, I want to ask you a question. And it’s perfectly fine to say no. I don’t want to take you away from your family that you just reconnected with.” Jason looked on in anticipation, waiting for me to continue. “Will you come with me? To North Carolina?”
Opening and then closing his mouth, Jason finally asked, “What if I don’t graduate high school?”
“You can take classes online and get your GED. Or, you can transfer to a high school there. I know this is a big commitment. I mean, we’ve only known each other for less than nine months, and it’s kind of crazy. I don’t really know what to do about money or a place to stay yet. All I know is I want to leave this town. And I want you to come with me.”
