Why Don't We Just Runaway?

It was dark and cold. The soft pitter patter of raindrops landing on my window was the only sound in the room.
My breathing was heavy and my chest was tight. The teardrops dripped onto my bare legs. I inhaled a sharp gasp of air, and exhaled it just as quickly.

"Am I even real?" I thought to myself.
I couldn't feel a single thing. I was numb, unafraid, uneffected by the lack of emotion I felt.

"Of course I am." Common sense demanded.

"You might not be." My thoughts raged.

My mind was angry, my thoughts were envious of the physical being in which I was. My common sense was unsure of the emotions that I felt, but I trusted that more than my best friend.
I wiped my tears away from my red and puffy eyes, and I brushed the bright pink hair back, away from my dampened face.

"You know you could end it all right now and nobody would really give a damn." My thoughts suggested.

"You know they would. You know Erin would." Common sense came to my rescue again.
So I stood up from my messy bed sheets and limped over to the window.
The sunrise was blaring through the window panes. The redness of the sky reminded me all too much of blood.
Birds were whistling as they woke up from their nights sleep.

"Go back to sleep, Kira." Common sense demanded.

But I declined the offer of a wonderful morning of sleeping, so that I could see my best friend on the happiest day of her year.



My outfit that day was dull, and was mostly obtained of dark colors. A black and red plaid shirt, black dress, accompanied wih black tights and ankle high doc martins.
I raced out of the house without any breakfast and ran up to the bus which was just departing.
With a wave at the driver, he opened the doors and shook his head disapprovingly.
"The time on the table says 7:58am, I can't keep stopping for you." He spoke with a deep voice.

I nodded and gulped. "I'm sorry, I'll be better tomorrow."
He took notice of my bus pass and gestured for me to sit down.
I could feel people's eyes on me as I strutted down the aisle of the bus, searching for an empty seat to sit down on.
The bus started up and I stumbled forward. A couple of people who I attended school with giggled as I staggered to regain my balance.
"Enjoy your trip?" One boy mocked.
I sat down across from him and nodded. "It was enjoyable."
The boy seemed taken aback with my sarcastic remark, and I was pleased with the result.




High school dragged. Second felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours and an hour felt like a day. It was unbearably cold in the building, and nobody was willing to turn the heating on. So when the bell rang at exactly 3pm, I was among the first few people to stand up and rush out of the classroom.

"Kira?" I heard a voice shouting.

"Kira!" They called again.

I turned around and looked for the person shouting my name.

"Kira Annabell Lane Jackson." The familiar girl yelled as she charged towards me.

"Are you ignoring me?" She then asked.

I shook my head and bit my lip with cheek.
"Of course, why would I want to speak to my best friend?" I remarked with a wink.
"Because I bought you a ticket to see the best band in the entire world!" Erin replied, holding the ticket in her hand.

"Oh yes, when's that again?" I inquired.

Erin put her hand to her mouth in shock and pretended to pass out. She had been my best friend since pretty much birth. Our parents were best friends, so it came naturally that we would grow up together. However, Erin was slightly over-dramatic.
The slightest situation and she would act out; but that didn't stop me from loving her. She was crazy, fun, cool, and best of all? She gave me information I didn't need.

"On February the 28th this year I entered my card details at exactly 9:01am to purchace two tickets to see the lovely, and most amazing bend ever, All Time Low. By 9:02am the transaction was complete and you, my lovely best friend, are seeing them with me. Tonight."

I looked at my watch and realized the date was November the 3rd. She was right. The day had come that she had been dreaming of all year.

"Ah, that's right, I knew I was forgetting something." I teased.

Erin smiled at me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You better be kidding me."

I nodded and turned to begin walking out of our school building.
"You're a bitch, Kira." She called after me, before running to catch up.




With my earphones in, I drowned out the world. I couldn't hear the crunching of the crisp leaves on the ground, or the howling of the wind as it blew around. The cars seemed silent, people were walking in silence, and this was all because I had my earphones in.
The walk home was pleasant at any time of the year. There was plenty of things to keep me entertained and curious about. Like the overgrown hedge that Mr Donahugh has in his garden with the cracked bird table, and the dried up pond that Mr Kevin has.
I always walk by and think of different scenarios that could have happened to cause their gardens to be like that.

Was it that Mr Donahugh's wife died and she was the gardening expert? Maybe Mr Kevin had a stroke and can't maintain his pond anymore?
What always surprised me was how familiar I was with their names. Mr Donahugh wasn't really called that, neither was Mr Kevin. I often gave names to the people I saw on a regular basis. I never once forgot them either.

I turned down my road and dragged my feet along the sidewalk. The resentment that I felt everyday when I was deciding whether to go home or not, hit me like a brick. One moment I was fine - walking down my road, smiling at the small things, and then the next - I was fighting back tears, shaking with fear, dreading what homelife had for me today.
Living at home was never easy. There was always an argument going on between my step-sister Kelsey and her Mom, or my Dad having a go at me. He was forever wishing I had been more like my older stepsister, but I knew that despite how hard I tried, I'd never be good enough.

That's why that after tonight, I had no plans of ever going home.

Notes