Going Nowhere Fast

26. Heaven

I was pretty upset that I had to go back to school on my own, but at least I didn't have a concussion. I felt bad for him. To think about how people physically hurt each other like that really sickened me. It would be like kicking a, uh, puppy.

Anyway, I had a dream that night about Billie. He was dressed as a clean-cut kid and didn't have any lip piercings. His arms and legs were also free of any scars. I remembered walking up to him at school and we didn't say anything to each other. We just stared at each other. He had this weird smile on his face. It was like he was trying to blatantly hide physical pain. I went over to him and pushed him into a pile of mud, and he emerged from the mud pit as a wild boar rampaging into me, knocking me on my ass. But then, he came back over to me as his pig-self and started cuddling into me. I could feel my heart flutter with the thought of the memory as it flowed back into my head.

I woke up that next morning when the patch of sunlight coming from my window reached my eyes. My whole body felt relaxed and my room had this soft glow. Saturday mornings were always the best. My random dream had me in a good mood.

I went downstairs where I saw my mom and sisters at the breakfast table. I could hear my dad outside, mowing the lawn. My siblings were munching down on some waffles. Mm, those looked good.

"Good morning, sweetie," my mom said to me.

"Morning Mom," I said back. I sat down at the table and she slide a plate of chocolate chip waffles with strawberries on the side in front of me.

"Thanks," I said, sweetly.

"Scar, we're going to the grocery store this morning. Are you going to come?" my baby sister, Lyn, asked.

"Scarlet shouldn't come with us, baby, I told you that," my mom said to her in her babying voice.

"Can I stay home with her then?" my other sister, Mackenzie, asked.

"No, you need to pick out your own food. You change your taste like every day," my mom complained back.

I really didn't miss that part about my family. Everything usually end up being a much bigger deal than it had to be. I thought about Billie's life though. It was like that with everything for him including the things that were super personal to him was blown out of proportion. My issue was only of slight petulance.

I ate my waffles quietly as my sister bickered back and forth with my mom about her dietary changes. Lyn was playing around with her waffles and was getting syrup all over her face. She was in first grade but she still ate like a two-year-old.

I washed my dish in the sink and went to go back up to my room. "Scarlet!" my mom called out as I was leaving the kitchen.

I stopped and turned around, "Yes?"

"Your father and I discussed it, and we're giving you the jeep back today."

"Wait, really?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, we want you to get back to a slightly more normal-feeling life."

If I were normal before, I didn't ever want to be normal again. I appreciated the gesture though. I felt a change within myself since I had left. That was something that wasn't going to change back.

I learned what it was like to truly care about someone. Yes, I cared about my friends and family, but this was more than that. He was more than that.

I had grown so attached to him. He became a best friend so quickly that I didn't even notice he was there and the next day, I only noticed that he wasn't there.