Read Long Way Home :: Chapter Seven

A storm had been carried in by the wind. Oren pulled over to the side of the road when it had become too sleek with rain, the windshield a watery blur. The rain hit against the metal roof in a metallic melody. Oren and Jackie were slumped opposite each other, wrapped in the blankets they had found in the trunk to keep warm. Both were pleasantly surprised at how cozy the van really was. The heater was running, sending waves of warmth rippling to the back.

They hadn't talked since they got back to the van, the weight of their circumstances hanging thick in the air.

"When you said there was no one waiting for you, what did you mean?" Oren eventually asked.

Jackie pulled the blanket closer, nuzzling her head down so it half-covered her face. "People think I'm weird. I don't have any friends at school, and I was never very close with my mom, especially since dad died, she just kinda...drifted away. She moved on, from him, from her old life, from me. She left me behind." Jackie said, muffled beneath the blanket. "People have trouble...understanding me, and I have trouble understanding them...like there's a language barrier."

"If it means anything...I think you're pretty cool." Oren said. "And I would love to be your friend."

Jackie's eyes gleaned, filling with tears that she hurriedly hid beneath the blanket with a muffled whimper. After a moment, she rose back up, looking at Oren curiously.

"Do you really want to go back?" she asked Oren who shook his head.

"No, not anymore," he said, looking down at the ground. "Sometimes it feels like my parents had me for a purpose. I don't think either of them wanted a kid, but I wasn't some happy accident either. They needed an heir to the family, someone to take over the company, and that was that." he turned his head, so his lips were wrinkled against his palm. "What I was, what I liked-it was all irreverent. I was a brick made to fill a hole in the wall."

"Oren..." Jackie said softly, scooting closer. She wrapped him in an awkward hug, her arms at odd angles.

"I don't think I'm doing this right." she sighed. Oren burst into a fit of laughter, unable to hold himself back. "W-What? It wasn't that bad!" Jackie protested, flushed.

"No, it was perfect, thank you," Oren said. "I want to find a place where I can be who I want to be, make my own decisions."

"Let's make a promise," Jackie said. "We both get out of here, ok? We both make it." She held out her hand, extending the pinkie. Oren stared at it a moment, a warm smile growing across his face. He linked his pinkie with her own and shook.

"Promise."