Brook

The sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach grows when we turn down the gravel road leading to Gin and Grace’s house. I should have known he would bring me here. He wants to get rid of me. Reluctantly, I take my hands from him as he rolls to a stop in front of the house I spent so little time in. I don’t get a chance to talk to him or even thank him for the ride before he’s pealing out and driving back down the driveway away from me. “Jerk,” I mumble, starting toward the house. It’s the same as when I left. The closer I get, I notice the crack is still in the window of the living room—the one I put there the night I left this place and never looked back.

The bang sounds behind me as I storm into the house, Gin hot on my heels. Next, my bedroom door slams shut. I can’t face him right now. I’m too embarrassed. “Open your door, Brooklyn,” Gin yells from the other side, pounding his fist into the wood.

“What the hell is going on?” I hear Grace ask him from the other side.

“You want to open the door and tell Grace what you went and did, Brooklyn?” God, I hate it when he uses my full name.

“Go away!” I call back. I need to get out of here. I can’t show my face in school again. I don’t even want to look at Gin. What the hell is Grace going to think? We started getting along, and I thought that maybe, just maybe, I could begin to feel good about being here. I was starting to fit in, then I went and fucked it up.

Grabbing my bag from the small closet, I toss handfuls of my clothes in. The hammering on the door intensifies, until the hinges splinter from the doorjamb and Gin comes bursting inside, Grace right behind him. It takes him just seconds to realize what I’m doing before he starts yelling again. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“I’m leaving. I’m going to go stay with Mom. I don’t have to stay here.” I have no clue what I’m stuffing inside the bag. It could be socks for all I know.

“You think your mom wants you, little girl? Why the hell do you think she dumped you and your brother off with me?” Gin bellows, making me flinch at his cruel words. I know why we got dropped off here. It was because Mom’s new boyfriend didn’t like kids, but maybe if I’m good, she’ll let me stay. Grace tries to talk Gin down, but her words fall on deaf ears. “She can’t just leave, babe,” he growls, using a softer tone for her.

“Mom said I could stay with her if I wanted to,” I lie, hoping when I do get to California, where I found out she moved to, she won’t make me leave.

“I’m sure she fuckin’ did. Fine, you want to go live with her, go right ahead.” He throws his hands up and walks out of the room. I glance back, and Grace is still at my door, not saying a word. I shove the last of my things into my bag, then zip it up and throw it over my shoulder before storming out of my room. Grace lets me through the broken door, and to my surprise, blocks Gin from coming after me. He still shouts, but I can’t hear him past the pounding in my ears. When I reach the living room, I catch sight of Tanya and Jason in the kitchen. Jason is clutching Tanya to his chest, and the small tears welling in her eyes make my heart drop. Yet another thing I fail at: being a good big sister to my brother and stepsister. They won’t have to deal with me anymore, and they’ll be better off. So will Gin and Grace. Less stress when I’m gone.

“Brooklyn! You walk out of this house, you aren’t welcome back in it!” Gin calls out, and Grace gasps.

“Gin. Don’t…” she whispers.

“This is it, babe. She walks out, she doesn’t get to come back. She wants to live with her mom, that’s what she’ll do.” His voice is harsh and only solidifies that I need to go.

“Don’t worry. I won’t come back.” I turn and leave the house, slamming the door behind me. The crack of glass fracturing catches my ears. When I glance back, the picture window in the living room has a long crack along the bottom, matching the one that became even bigger between Gin and I tonight. I pull out my phone and call one of the people who contributed to the mess I’m in.

“Hey-lo,” Parker answers as I start walking down the long driveway.

“I need a ride,” is all I say. He’s leaving town tomorrow. Heading to California. Unfortunately, he’s my best shot.

“Where to?”

“Take me to Cali with you.” His laughter fills my ear, and I want so much to reach through the phone and punch him in the face.

“You owe me, Parker. It’s your fault I have to leave.” There’s a long pause, then he lets out a defeated sigh.

“Fine. Be at my place by nine. If you aren’t, I’m leaving without you.” He cuts off the conversation, ending the call before I can ask him to pick me up.

It took me hours to get to Parker’s place, but I got there in time to catch that ride to California. He dropped me off at my mom’s house, but that only lasted so long before boyfriend number I-don’t-even-fucking-know moved in and started to take notice of me more than her. It seems like an eternity ago that it happened. If Gin wakes up, I wonder if he’ll make me leave. He did tell me I couldn’t come back through this door again. The door I’m standing in front of. The door I can’t bring myself to walk through. I stare at it like maybe something will appear from inside. Nothing does, though. The distant rumble of Sage’s bike has drifted off, but I swear I can still hear it. That low grumble rings in my ears after having been on the back of it for the last two days.

Deciding I’m not going to stick around, I start back down the driveway, much like I did over five years ago, and head off into the dark.