Glancing around my place, I decided that I could always buy or borrow anything that I forgot to pack. I was scared that if I took too long to leave, my dad would force me to go with only the clothes on my back. I still couldn’t believe that he was doing this. This had always been my biggest fear, and now, it was coming true. I’d always believed my dad’s threats were real, but a part of me was still shocked that he’d actually followed through with them. Had I really done something so awful that it warranted this type of punishment?

I got into my car and started the engine before waiting a few seconds to see if anyone would come and stop me. Maybe my mom would appear from wherever she was, tell me this was all some huge misunderstanding and that she’d try to fix it. But, when no one came, I accepted the truth and stepped on the gas pedal.

Driving to Jeanine’s apartment downtown was a feat in itself. My eyes had never been so blurry before, the road appearing and disappearing with each blink. Thankfully, I got there in one piece and didn’t hurt anyone else in the process, partly because I’d pulled over twice and waited until I could get back onto the road safely.

Navigating into the familiar guest spot, I turned off the engine, reached for my duffel, and trudged up the stairs to the second floor. The door opened before I could even raise my hand to knock, and Jeanine pulled me into a bear hug, which of course caused the tears to start falling all over again.

“Get in here. Tell me everything.”

So, I did.

I told her about our dinner date. When I asked her about the bet that everyone in town seemed to be in on, she claimed she had never heard of it before, and I believed her. I begrudgingly continued and told her about my bolting in the middle of dinner, to which she called me a chickenshit, but then she changed her tune after learning that it’d led to James showing up at my front door with food in hand and one unforgettable night in bed. She called me a genius then.