past the point of love

here goes nothing

Good thing for walk in basements. Or was that walkout basements? Josie thought it best to ditch Noah now before it was too late. She really didn’t want him in anymore jeopardy than she’d put him through. And she knew he liked the song and the show, but this was different. This was real jeopardy.

She headed for the tree line. She’d hide in the shade for the most part. She kept walking around wishing school was going on. She didn’t like being alone with her Dad. Never had. It was the last thing either of them wanted.

But somehow with her Mom gone it had worked out in the system that she had be stuck with her biological Dad. It really sucked. This sucked. He sucked. And now she felt as if her life was over.

Why did this have to happen to her?

Why was she like this? Why did she have to get so nervous? Why did he have to be a pest?

So many questions running through her brain. She walked on hoping to make some sense of it. She walked for quite a while in fact and ended up at the park on the swing. Of course, she was the only one there. And she had time to look at the clouds and try to stay calm and hope things weren’t completely awful. But as it was, Josie didn’t have any cash. Just her school ID and her driver’s learner permit. Damn, her Dad wouldn’t even let her get her driver’s license. She felt as is he might as well put her in prison when she had to go live with him. But it didn’t seem to matter to anyone.

She didn’t seem to matter to anyone. Except Noah.

Damn, she looked up and saw him coming. He didn’t have to. Really, he hated everything and this would just make him hate her more in the long run. She wanted to tell him to go away. But then she saw it wasn’t him at all. It was his brother, Jonah.

“What are you doing here?” His smile was sly as he jerked the chain of the swings toward him. “You’re not a baby?” He twisted her up in the swing then and let it roll back, making her dizzy as she hung on.

She never saw him anymore. She thought he left or something, but she didn’t say anything. She guessed he was OK. Maybe.

“I needed some place to think.” She finally told him.

Jonah sat next to her in a swing.

“About what?” He looked at her.

“I need a place to hide.” She kept looking at her feet, wishing he wouldn’t look at her so much.

“Why?”

“I think I killed my Dad.” She could barely say because she didn’t want to believe it, but it was possible.

“No shit?” He almost laughed. “Why are you sitting out here in broad daylight? Huh?”

“I don’t know what to do?” She shrugged.

“Then come on, I know a place.” He was serious.

“Not your house.” She frowned.

“Definitely, not my house.” He smirked. Jonah took her hand then. It felt like a force of its own that she couldn’t stop even if she’d been stronger.