Runaways (1)

Meliaa sat barefoot and shivering on her roof. She scribbled furiously for a few moments and then looked out across her house, her estate, her prison, and into the streets that led to another world. Light red hair was falling out of a messy ponytail and gathering on her shoulders. Pushing her headphones around her neck, Meliaa attempts to pull her hair into another ponytail, but gives up and just leaves it down. A particularly frigid blast of air whips past the sixteen year old and she pulls her knees up to her chest and starts to pull her pink converses on. The cell phone sitting next to her notebook started to vibrate and Meliaa felt her heart fill with joy. She grabs it, and her face falls as she realizes it's just the alarm, telling her that it's 1:30 and a good deal past her 'bed time.'1

With a sigh she turns the alarm off and picks up her notebook and begins to scribble away.2

Biting her lip, she breathes in deeply, obviously holding back tears. Meliaa wondered sometimes why she even bothered. She could just lock herself up in a dark room and slowly fade away, it's not like anyone would notice. 3

Her parents would go on working and drinking and fucking. Her sister would probably be glad to see her go. And Ray, he would...4

"Meli." A voice calls up to her.5

Startled out of her reverie she looks down and hurriedly wipes her tears away. "What are you doing here? You were supposed to call, remember?" 6

"I was going to, I swear, but they took my cell away, and disconnected my line and locked me in my room. I had to jump out of a second story window, just to get here."7

"Then why did you come?" Meli asks closing her notebook8

"Cause I missed you." 9

"Really?" Meliaa asks dropping her blanket, notebook and pen off the edge of the roof.10

"Of course I did. I haven't seen you all day. Where were you?"11

She slides off the roof and onto the air conditioning unit, from there she jumps onto the ground and nearly falls flat on her face. "I was faking." She says with a grin.  12

"Such a little trouble-maker." He says shaking his head as he moves to hug her.13

Putting her arms around his neck, "And that's why you love me."14

Ray just nods and hugs her back. Pulling back a little he looks at her, noticing her tear stained cheeks he pushes some of her messy hair out of her eyes. "Whats wrong?"15

She just shakes her head.16

He takes her hand and sits her down next to a tree in her back yard.17

With a sigh she leans against him and whispers, "You really don't want to know."18

"Actually I really do want to know."19

"No, you really don't."20

"C'mon, stop being a baby." 21

With a classic roll of her eyes she mutters "SSDD."22

"And that means..."23

"Same Shit Different Day. SSDD."24

"Oh. I knew that." 25

"Sure." She says sarcastic despite the tears in her eyes.26

"I did!"27

"Sure you did."28

"I really did!"29

"Mmmhhhmmm" She says raising her eyebrows.30

"I did! and stop changing the subject."31

"What subject?" She asks innocently. 32

"What's wrong?"33

"Nothing"34

"Meliaa?" he asks warningly.35

"It really is nothing. He's drunk again, she's out with Bob or Joe or Shane from her office. And my baby sister is out 'clubbin' with her friends."36

"Oh yeah, thats nothing all right."37

"It is to me, it used to be alot worse." She says quietly in a voice that all but admits defeat.38

"I can't stand that, how you have to act so strong, I swear to god, if you were bleeding to death, you would still tell me that you are 'fine'"39

"But I am fine, now at least." 40

"Really?"41

She nods and curls up against him, eyes closed, surpressing a yawn.42

"So what were you doing all day while I was suffering through geometry."43

She hands him her notebook without even opening her eyes.44

Despite his curiosity he flips past all the other entries to today's date, November 8th, and proceeds to read her entry.45

His jaw drops, "You are running away?"46

She nods tiredly.47

"No you're not."48

"Yes I am." She says with a yawn, "I have enough money for bus tickets and food, i can get a job, and i have everything else I'd need here."49

"You are an idiot. Do you know that? They'd kill you out there."50

"What if that's what I want?"51

"You don't want that."52

"How would you know?" She asks waking up a little.53

"Because I know you better than any damned person on this planet."54

She concedes the point with a shrug, she hadn't really meant to say that, it had just sort of popped out. "But I'm still running away. I'm seventeen, it's perfectly legal."55

"I don't care, you aren't going."56

"Yes I am!" She says standing and turning her back on him. 57

"Fine," he says standing, "But I'm coming too."58

"But..." She says turning around to face him.59

"But what? I need out just as badly as you do. Plus you are definately going to need my help. Besides what kind of idiot would let you go all by yourself."60

"So you'll really come with me?"61

"Yeah, when do we leave?"62

She smiles sheepishly, "Tomorrow morning."63

"You're kidding?"64

She shakes her head.65

"Fine let's go pack."66