Run Away As Fast As You Can.

He was this hyperactive, immature, skinny kid that jumped around all the time. I was the normal girl. We fell in love around 15, and decided to make it official immediately. I remember him getting in front of the whole school, including all of the upperclassmen, getting down on one knee with the goofy smile, and asking me: “Eleanor Gibson, will you date me?” I remember my cheeks growing a soft pink blush to them, as I looked down at him, and up to the prep rally’s crowd. I had nodded a tight nod, and gave him an innocent kiss on the cheek.

From there, many people doubted our relationship. They told me that he was a child, and he’d never grow up. They’d tell him I was too good for him, and if I hadn’t already, I’d find a new man- one better for my taste. But none of it was true. He loved me very much, as I did to him. We got along perfectly- he’d help me study, and I would sit in on his guitar practice telling him the little mistakes so he’d get better. He’d come over, sitting in on me doing my hair, and tell me if I missed a piece or not.

Our relationship to the school was one that people knew not to get in between. Sure, they’d thought it was doomed, but we made sure our relationship was out in the open. He’d hold my hand in his everywhere I’d go, meeting up with me after class, and I’d give him cute kisses. At lunch he’d pull my chair out before I sat down, and sometimes even carry my food. I looked like a spoiled brat. But that wasn’t the case at all, really. Some days we’d skip lunch all together, and go to his house. I’d cook for him. Usually grilled cheese sandwiches with tea.

Whenever we’d fight, he’d come over an hour later and pretend as if nothing ever happen. He’d sneak into my room, lie on my bed, and wait for me. I accepted it because I loved him.
It was senior year. It was bone chilling cold, and everything was dead. I was in school, walking around the halls with Jack as usual. I was hand in hand with him, walking to Biology when my friend came up with wide eyes.

“There’s a new guy!” She said, extending her lips into a grin.

I nodded, giving her a quizzical look. “Oh?”

She nodded quickly. “Yeah. He’s so your type. Are you going to get with him?”

I was staring at Christy, but I could already see Jack grinning with amusement. This would happen at least once a week. I shifted my weight my foot, and held up Jack and I’s joined hands. “Well, Christy, you see… I sort of have, what you would call, a boyfriend.”

She formed her lips in a shape of an O, nodding. “Right! Well when that’s over… the new guy’s just around the corner.”

I nodded. “Okay. I’ll make sure to end it ASAP,”

Christy walked away.

I turned to a half smiling, half scoffing Jack. I shook my head. “I’m getting really tired of that,” I said. “I just want to prove them wrong,”

“We could always run away,” He said, sarcasm dripping.

I stuck my tongue in my cheek, wishing we could. “We always have that to fall back on,” I giggled.

Later that night, I was working on an English paper in my bed. I was creating the outline, so I had papers scattered all over. I heard a quiet knock on my window. I knew it was Jack. I walked over, and pulled it up. He climbed in, looking rushed.

I stepped back, waiting until he was fully in to close the window back down. He paced around my room.

“Why’d you come through the window?”

“Your parents are asleep,” He murmured, fist to his mouth. He paced around for a second before narrowing his eyes at me. “Were you serious about running away?”

I shifted awkwardly, shrugging. “Why? What’s up?”

“I’m just tired of people doubting me- doubting us!”

I walked up to him, pulling him down on the foot of my bed. “What happened?” I frowned.

He sighed. “My mom wants me to break up with you. She wants to move to Florida, and said that we're not serious enough that it'd last anyways.”

I fell silent. I thought his mom liked me, really.

He put his hand on my leg, gripping it. “I’m not,”

I was serious about this relationship. I didn’t want to lose Jack. I didn’t want him to become a childhood sweetheart of mine, that’d I tell my future children about, trying to make my husband jealous. Actually, I wanted him to be that husband. I wanted him to be the one standing in front of the minister at the church, smiling at me as I walked down the aisle. I wanted to grow old with him.

I knew I was young, I knew I had those people in my life that’d I meet, and they’d just become memories. But Jack wasn’t just a memory I could let go.

And now I had to show all of the people that had doubts about us that they were right?

I looked down, and then back up at him. “Get your stuff.”

He knitted his thick brows together. “Are you serious? El, I love you, and I know school’s important to you, and I know you actually want to be something in your life. You’re about to throw all of that away for me?”

“Don’t make me think twice about this, Barakat. Sure, school’s important. But think about the life we could have by starting over. We could go to New York! We could even go to Los Angeles. I could be an actress. We could seriously just start over. And no one would know our relationship was doubted. We can take on new names. I could be Giselle, and you can be Justin. This is our life. We need to take control of it.”

He stared at me, smirk on his face, before pulling me into a kiss. I pulled away with a smile.

“Now come on,” I said, rising up. “Get your stuff. We’re having ourselves an adventure.”

He left. I packed my clothes, deodorant, hair brush, and other stuff I thought was necessary. I grabbed some of the money I had saved up for clothes. I had made it by working shifts at a diner. It was only around $600, but it was now only intended for gas.

I passed by my parents room on the way to the bathroom. They slept side by side. I hovered by the door way with a sad frown.

My mom stirred awake, looking at me. She was always the one to be easy to wake. “El…?”

“I just wanted to say I love you.” I said.

She fell back to her pillow. “Love you too, hon. Get some sleep.”

I walked back into my bedroom, setting the hairbrush in my suitcase. I got down to my knees, zipping it slowly. I looked around my room and sighed.

I called Jack and told him I was on my way.

“Can’t wait.” He said.

Once he got in my car, he handed me a slip of paper. It had an address scribbled across it.

I looked at it. “What’s this?” My eyes flickered back to Jack.

He threw his suitcase in the backseat. “It’s an address.”

“I see that, Jack. But whose?”

“Someone I know. He makes fake IDs. Not even just that, but birth certificates, social security cards, whatever we need- he has it.”

My mouth dropped. “Jack, how do you know this guy?”

He shrugged. “It’s my cousin’s boyfriend. How do you think I get liquor so easily? This guy makes the best stuff. I usually get it half off, thank God.”

I threw my head back, shaking with a breathy laugh. “Never fail to amaze me, Jack. How much are we looking at here?”

He shrugged. “Let’s find out, shall we?”


It cost $300 in total for everything. We got IDs (I was Sasha Tiny, and he was Parker Tiny.), a credit card, and a social security card. His cousin’s boyfriends name was Jerry. He knew exactly what we were doing.

“Listen, Jacky. I won’t let Sam know what you’re doing, but I don’t think you should be doing this. It’s a crazy world out there; you don’t understand what you’re getting yourself into.” He said, handing us the manila envelope.

Jack grimly took it with a frown imprinted on his lips. “Thanks, Jer. I’ll see you soon.” He handed Jerry the money, turning away.

“Hopefully, kiddo. Hopefully.”

Jerry looked at me. I smiled, and walked away.

In the car, Jack took the stuff out. He smelt his credit card, taking a deep breath. “The smell of illegal money,” He grinned. “My favorite thing.”

I pulled out of the parking lot, taking whatever highway I saw first. “Can you get the map?”

He bent down, getting the map from the side of the door. He reached up and turned the light on, and unfolded it. “Where to, Ladybug?”

“The thought of LA is oddly stuck in my mind,”

“Then let’s go.” He dragged his finger from Baltimore to southern California.

“We’re in Baltimore. Do you realize how long it’d take for us to get there?”

He shrugged. “Few days if we pace ourselves.”

He fell asleep shortly. My mind started to swim in the thought of us getting caught, and getting in deep shit. We were using fake identities, fake credit cards, and fake everything. We were starting a new life, I understood that, but it wasn’t thought it’d be.

Something told me, though, that it was with Jack. And that’s all that truly did matter.

Notes