I decided to run away again, but this time it was for good. My parents had
been fighting all night about money or whatever, and then my dad came in to
my room to release some of his anger on me. I couldn't sleep because of the
bruises on my back, so I lay in bed thinking for a while. I had been toying
with the thought of running away for quite awhile, but I had never had the
courage until tonight. I was sick of my family, sick of my house, sick of
my whole life actually, so I decided I would change it. I got up, searching
around my room in the dim light for my cloths. I found them and put them on
along with my old sneakers. After I was done, I slowly opened my door
because it creaks sometimes, and I crept into the hallway. I tiptoed past
my parent's room, praying that I wouldn't wake them up. I really did not
feel like getting more bruises that night. I snuck downstairs and into the
kitchen. I grabbed my backpack and packed it with some food; a loaf of
bread, peanut butter, all the fruit out of the basket, and a few water
bottles. As I was doing this, I thought back to all the books I had read
where the characters ran away from home with only the cloths on their backs
and a few candy bars, and then they'd go off and practically starve to
death. Luckily I was smarter than that. I knew a few candy bars does not do
you good when you're on your own and too young to get a job. I was only 14,
birthday in 8 days. I probably should've waited until then to leave, so I'd
have had some extra money, but I couldn't stand being in that house another
day. The constant fights, the degradation, it was unbearable. I snuck back
upstairs and into my room to fill the remaining space in my backpack with
cloths and other things. I packed some underwear, a shirt, one pair of
jeans, a blanket and my knife. That's the only good thing my dad ever gave
me, my own pocketknife. It was still sharp too. I crept back to the
bathroom, grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste (thought I wasn't quite sure
when I'd ever get a chance to use it), and a box of band-aides, antiseptic,
and an ace bandage. I usually like to be prepared. I then went back to my
room and opened my bedroom window. I crawled out onto my roof into the
shill night wind and stared at the moon. I loved the moon. It filled me
with energy and hope just looking at it. After a few minutes, I crouched
down and slid off the roof the 10 feet to the ground. It would have been
easier to go out the front door, but it creaks, and my dad's dog hears
everything, so he surely would have barked if I had opened it. It was
around 12:30 by the time I got off the roof and there wasn't a single
person on my street, which wasn't odd considering the hour. I started
walking down to the park, not exactly sure yet where I was going to go. I
wanted to go say goodbye to someone though, so I turned around and started
heading into the city. It was scary at night, walking around there by
myself, so I got my knife out, just in case, praying I wouldn't have to use
it. Luckily I didn't, but it took me an hour to get to his house. I had
only ever really seen the outside, but I knew which window was his, so I
picked up a few stoned I found on the street and threw them at it. After a
couple of minutes, I saw the shades of his room part, and then suddenly
close. "Damn," I thought, "maybe that was the wrong window after all." But
soon the front door opened and there he stood, bare- chested, wearing only
boxers. My friend and confidant, Matt. I had to stifle a laugh. He was my
best friend.
"Hey Matt." I walked up the steps to stand in front of him.
"Aimee, do you know what time it is??? And how did you get here? That's a long walk for this time of night. Come in, but be quiet, we don't want to wake my sister, she sleeps light." I walked into his house for the first time. It was weird in the dark. I almost ended up walking into a table.
"Careful," he said, " and sit down. Now tell me, what the fuck are you doing here? It's." he looked at the clock, "1:45 in the morning."
"Well." I started. I didn't know how to answer his question. I really never thought about what I was doing. "I'm running away. I'm sick and tired of my life as it is now, so I thought I'd just leave.but I had to say goodbye to you first, I couldn't leave without doing that.I'm going to miss you." I started crying at that.
Matt moved closer and put his arms around me.
"I'm gonna miss you too, but don't cry please." So I tried to straighten up, but I couldn't, so he just held me there until I stopped. Like I said, he was my best friend.
"So," I said drying my eyes, "I guess I'd better be on my way then." I stood up, but Matt pulled me back down.
"Wait, Aimee.can I come with you?"
"What?? No.I mean, I'd like you to, but you can't. You have a lot of stuff going for you especially when school starts again. I mean, you're like the smartest person in school. You have to stay."
"Well then you're not going either." He was really stubborn sometimes.
"Fine, come..but please realize what you're giving up."
"What? A school full of people who don't give a damn about me? My extremely boring family? I'm not giving up a lot."
"Well if you're sure, then go pack some things. Not a lot though, we'll probably be carrying everything. How much money do you have?"
"Ok.um.about 30 bucks, that's about it though. I'll be right back, I'm gonna get my stuff." I sat there and watched him creep up the stairs. He's so wonderful. I was really glad he was coming with me, but I felt guilty at the same time. He really was losing a lot, and all for me. Ah well.it was his choice to come. After a few minutes he returned. He had his book bag on his shoulder.
"Okay," he said, "I have two shirts, underwear, jeans, and of course, my baseball hat." I laughed at that, he never went anywhere without it.
"Good, now do you think we could take some of your food too? I don't think I have enough for the both of us to last very long."
"Yeah, come on." We walked to the back of the house where his kitchen was. It was small, but it smelled like vanilla. He grabbed some bread, cheese, some carrots, and some other things that I couldn't see over his shoulder. As soon as he had packed, we started to walk out the door.
"Wait, you should write a note." I said, just before he had closed the door. "I guess you're right," and he went back inside. I followed him over to the computer desk where he pulled out a pad of paper, and a pencil. He wrote:
Dear Mom, Dad, and sis, I'm sorry but you'll probably never see me again. I'm running away. I'm not alone. Aimee's with me. Don't try looking for us, you won't find us. We'll be fine though. Goodbye, and thank you.
Love, Matt
He folded the note, and placed it underneath his house keys on top of the computer desk. With that, we headed out the door. Matt turned around then, and said one final goodbye to his house. I could see he was really going to miss everything, but I knew he would go with me wherever I went.
"Hey Matt." I walked up the steps to stand in front of him.
"Aimee, do you know what time it is??? And how did you get here? That's a long walk for this time of night. Come in, but be quiet, we don't want to wake my sister, she sleeps light." I walked into his house for the first time. It was weird in the dark. I almost ended up walking into a table.
"Careful," he said, " and sit down. Now tell me, what the fuck are you doing here? It's." he looked at the clock, "1:45 in the morning."
"Well." I started. I didn't know how to answer his question. I really never thought about what I was doing. "I'm running away. I'm sick and tired of my life as it is now, so I thought I'd just leave.but I had to say goodbye to you first, I couldn't leave without doing that.I'm going to miss you." I started crying at that.
Matt moved closer and put his arms around me.
"I'm gonna miss you too, but don't cry please." So I tried to straighten up, but I couldn't, so he just held me there until I stopped. Like I said, he was my best friend.
"So," I said drying my eyes, "I guess I'd better be on my way then." I stood up, but Matt pulled me back down.
"Wait, Aimee.can I come with you?"
"What?? No.I mean, I'd like you to, but you can't. You have a lot of stuff going for you especially when school starts again. I mean, you're like the smartest person in school. You have to stay."
"Well then you're not going either." He was really stubborn sometimes.
"Fine, come..but please realize what you're giving up."
"What? A school full of people who don't give a damn about me? My extremely boring family? I'm not giving up a lot."
"Well if you're sure, then go pack some things. Not a lot though, we'll probably be carrying everything. How much money do you have?"
"Ok.um.about 30 bucks, that's about it though. I'll be right back, I'm gonna get my stuff." I sat there and watched him creep up the stairs. He's so wonderful. I was really glad he was coming with me, but I felt guilty at the same time. He really was losing a lot, and all for me. Ah well.it was his choice to come. After a few minutes he returned. He had his book bag on his shoulder.
"Okay," he said, "I have two shirts, underwear, jeans, and of course, my baseball hat." I laughed at that, he never went anywhere without it.
"Good, now do you think we could take some of your food too? I don't think I have enough for the both of us to last very long."
"Yeah, come on." We walked to the back of the house where his kitchen was. It was small, but it smelled like vanilla. He grabbed some bread, cheese, some carrots, and some other things that I couldn't see over his shoulder. As soon as he had packed, we started to walk out the door.
"Wait, you should write a note." I said, just before he had closed the door. "I guess you're right," and he went back inside. I followed him over to the computer desk where he pulled out a pad of paper, and a pencil. He wrote:
Dear Mom, Dad, and sis, I'm sorry but you'll probably never see me again. I'm running away. I'm not alone. Aimee's with me. Don't try looking for us, you won't find us. We'll be fine though. Goodbye, and thank you.
Love, Matt
He folded the note, and placed it underneath his house keys on top of the computer desk. With that, we headed out the door. Matt turned around then, and said one final goodbye to his house. I could see he was really going to miss everything, but I knew he would go with me wherever I went.