A/N- I uploaded the new and improved version of this story, called Off Limits. If you thought this version is too much like a soap opera, I think you will find Off Limits to be a lot more realistic.
If you liked this version, please feel free to check out the other story. The plot is a little bit different, but it has the same main characters. :)
xoxo Daphne xoxo
Chapter Fifteen- Riding into the Sunset
Between the two of them, Aaron and Molly had all of their stuff packed up in Aaron's truck and were ready to go in thirty minutes. His truck bed was packed, but everything was securely tied down.
Once she knew their task was complete, Molly looked at Aaron. She smiled faintly at him, trying to hide her nervousness. He apparently sensed it anyways because he strode over to her and enveloped her in a hug, whispering in her ear, "Everything's going to be okay, Molly."
She clung to him, taking comfort in his strength. No matter what else happened, at least she could trust Aaron to help her through it.
After a long moment, they pulled away. She kissed him lightly and then walked over to his truck and got in the passenger side. He plopped into the driver's seat and, with a slight rumbling noise, started his rusty, old S-10 and started off towards the interstate.
They sat in absolute silence, each tense and alert, on the lookout for cop cars and Molly shifted nervously every time they passed a car, wondering if it was someone she knew. They both let out a collective sigh of relief once they got on the Interstate.
"So, uh, Aaron?" Molly started tentatively.
Aaron glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before returning his gaze to the road. "Yeah?"
"Um. Where are we going?"
Aaron smiled briefly. "Yeah, that might be a good thing to figure out."
Molly hesitated. "Well, um. Are we going to Las Vegas? Since they can marry us there?"
"We could. But we can't get married until you're eighteen anyways, so we could wait before going there."
"Oh," was her only reply.
He frowned and glanced at her again. "Did you want to live there?"
"No," she said hurriedly.
"Well, then what's wrong?"
"It's just that… well. Where do we go, then?" She sighed. "I mean, I just feel like… we should have planned this out or something. We don't know where we're going, we have little money, and we can't even get married for a year and a half."
Aaron grimaced. "It's not like I wanted it to be this way, Molly. We didn't really have enough time to plan this out."
"I know. I just… oh, I don't know. I don't like not knowing where we're going and what we're going to do." She looked out the window, watching the dark shapes of trees and farm houses fly by. Several second ticked by without a response from Aaron.
"What do you want, Molly?" Aaron asked abruptly.
Molly frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Aaron pulled the truck over onto the side of the highway, and turned to look at her. "I've done everything I can for you. I know I screwed up. I know that I messed up your life, and I'm trying to fix it, Molly. I'm trying so hard, goddammit! But, you're still not happy. What exactly is it that you want?"
Molly looked at him, wide-eyed in surprise. "I'm not unhappy, Aaron."
Aaron shook his head in frustration. "Yes, you are. It's not just that you're worried about us not knowing about our destination, it's the way you've been acting ever since that night at Andy's. You've lost something. You don't laugh as much, you're not as easily excited, you're more distant. And there's something in your eyes, something I can't explain, but it's there and it just screams that I'm hurting you somehow even though I'm trying so hard not to." He stared out the truck's filmy window, jaw clenched.
"You're not hurting me, Aaron."
"I'm not so sure, Molly. I'm taking away your entire life and trying to replace it with an unknown destination and an unpredictable life. I've single-handedly taken away your friends, family, school, and chance at a normal teenage life."
"I wish everyone would stop saying stuff like that! I'm sixteen, almost seventeen. No, I'm legally an adult, but neither am I too stupid to make my own choices, no matter what the consequences. We both made the baby, we both decided to leave, and we both knew that our future would hold a lot of question marks! I'm not so helpless that I let you take over my life. It's not all your fault."
"You know what, Molly? Maybe it really is. I'm older and I am a legal adult. Do you know what I did? I committed statutory rape. Don't you get that? By Illinois law, you're not old enough to decide if you're ready for sex with a man over eighteen, but I did it anyway. If I hadn't… God, if I only hadn't, then we wouldn't be in this mess."
"Who cares about Illinois law, Aaron? Do you think I was old enough to make that decision?" She stared at him, her eyes boring into his.
He sucked in his breath at her question and, for several seconds, the only sound was the song "White Wedding" playing on the radio. When he realized she was not going to be satisfied until she got an answer, he exhaled and answered quietly, "No."
"You ass." She got out of the truck. Slamming the door behind her, she stormed off on the shoulder of the highway, ignoring the semis blaring past her.
She fumed to herself, as she all but ran in the opposite direction they had come. She had put everything at risk for him, everything! And he didn't even think she could make her own decisions. He was treating her like a child when he was the only one who had no room to. He hadn't treated her like a child the night they had slept together and he certainly had no right to start treating her like one now.
Molly walked forward with her chin high, tears streaming freely down her face. Her breath was coming out in clouds of condensation and her fingers were quickly turning an odd, purple-ish color. She felt so horrible, so utterly worthless. She had cut off her friends and family for the person she thought she loved, and now she had just left that person. How could she have been so stupid? Maybe she was just a child, after all.
She kept going back towards her hometown, not even really sure as to how far away she was. Her hands were now officially frozen and her nose felt like it was ready to break off, but none of that mattered at the moment. All she cared about was getting home.
Suddenly, Molly stopped in her tracks as a thought occurred to her. What was she doing? She couldn't go home. Her mom wouldn't take her back, not after all Molly had done to her, the way she had treated her. Where was she going to go?
She stared numbly at the vehicles rushing by her on the highway. Their bright lights acted as beacons in the thick of the night and were somehow comforting to Molly.
What if she just… jumped in front of one of them? She could end all of this, all of this pain, this mess. She had sufficiently isolated herself from everyone important to her, and she had nowhere to go. What was there to keep her here? She took one tentative step towards the edge of the highway, barely even registering the action.
A hand clasped her arm, jerking her out of her suicidal abstraction. She glanced up, startled to see Aaron standing next to her.
He pulled her into an embrace, his warmth flooding her. "You're right, Molly. I am an ass. I'm sorry," Aaron said with his voice muffled against her shoulder.
She clung to him, not saying anything.
"I'm only doing what I think is best."
"I know you are," was her only response.
They pulled apart and he placed his black leather jacket around her shoulders. He kissed her tenderly and took her hand. She wiped away the remnants of her tears with her other hand, then walked back towards the truck with him.
CircleStream: Thank you for your review and your observation!!
BuffLie: (laughs) Well, I'm glad you think her reactions are more realistic. I know the plot needs some (cough) okay, a lot of work. But, like I said, I want to finish this version first and then go back and write a new version. And, thanks mainly to you, I hope it will be ten times better!
idontgetit91: Wow. Thank you!
LadyRiven: Thanks! And, now that I've updated a new chapter, I no longer feel hypocritical in saying to you, UPDATE! lol. If you still want me to beta for you, feel free to email it to me. If not, no biggie. :) Just as long as you update! lol jk.
murfdurf22:My storyearned a wild? Awesome! Thanks.
Eagle Seance: Aw... thankies. I really liked the last chapter of When Revenge Rebounds, by the way. I'm looking forward to the next one. :)
Sprkles620: Thanks! And, as always, you're right. Things don't exactly go as smoothly as planned... hopefully, they will from now on. ;) No guarantees, though. lol
limegreenqueen: LOL Thanks. :) I've thought about that... having it continue on until they get married, or having a sequel or something... what do you think would be better, having it all in one novel or having a sequel?
lilys-lovely-thorn: Aww. Thank you!
Dying Rose:(laughs) Well, I'm glad you're motto for Aaron and Molly is hopeful. Thanks for the review!
Kezza: Hello! Sorry to worry you. And (grimaces) sorry about the prolonged update. Things have been really hectic lately... college apps and such. It's such a pain. It's really no excuse, though. I'm going to try my hardest to write more, I promise!
Margaret McGraffin: lol My inspiration comes from a crush I've had on a 27 yr-old since seventh grade. I'm pretty much over it now, but it's still fun to write about. And, thkan you so much! (blushes) You're too kind.