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What now? I thought to myself as I leaned against my seat belt. After only a day on the road, I was given time to reflect as Chloe and I headed as far away from ‘this shit hole,’ as Chloe would say, as we could.Still, a part of me couldn’t believe this was all happening—like I was there, but not really there .“What do you want?”“Huh?” I asked, being dragged back into reality.“Did you wanna order anything?” Chloe repeated.“Agh.. just um, get me what you're getting.” I smiled at her, yet she looked back at me with worrying eyes.She didn’t say anything after that, but I could tell something was bothering her. I mean how could something not bother you right now? Everything is piled up in my head, like a thick fog I couldn't escape. I shifted back into a huddled position, looking out the window as my vision became blurry again. So many feelings and so many thoughts bottled up, and my heart became stuck in my throat. Once we had gotten our food, Chloe drove us into the parking lot. I opened the bag she handed to me, which contained a burger and fries. While I ate my food, I glanced over at Chloe wolfing down hers. She must have been starving after being on the endless road. We were heading all the way to Seattle—not ideal for Chloe but it was only temporary. It wasn’t like we could run away to the big cities just yet. We needed a home more than ever, and the only place I could think of was my parents’ house.I widened my eyes as a set of blue ones spotted mine. Chloe wiped her mouth with her sleeve, setting down the burger on her lap.“What’s up?”“What do you mean?”"You've been watching me eat this entire time. Don't think I didn't notice. You suck at hiding your stare, Caulfield. What's on your mind?”“How can there not be anything on my mind?” I asked as I looked down at my food. I hadn’t eaten much, other than one bite of my burger and a couple fries.“Well, now's the time to talk, even if it is some mushy shit.” Chloe smiled."Uhmm, I just don’t know. I feel like I can’t pinpoint anything; there’s so much going on I can’t think straight.” I leaned back in my seat with a sigh.“I sense you need a little break. Wanna go outside and take a breather? Walk around maybe?” Chloe suggested.“Honestly, yeah, I think I need that.” I watched as Chloe put away her food and opened her car door. Following suit, I opened mine as well. I walked around the car to stand next to Chloe, who was leaning against the rustic metal. Again, I followed. Quickly I realized how cold the metal was, feeling a chill run up my spine.“This is all happening so fast, huh,” Chloe said as she fixed her gaze on the gray sky.“Yeah, it feels weird, like this is all some dream, and I’ll wake up and none of this happened.”"Like the storm?"I looked over at Chloe, who was still looking up at the clouds with her hands in her jacket pockets.“I guess this whole roadtrip, the storm, everything. It all feels surreal, and yet we're still here together,” I said with a hint of cracking in my voice.Chloe sighed as she took out a cigarette and lit it, putting it up to her mouth. Her face reflected the soft amber light of her lighter before she flicked it back off. Then, as she took her lips away from the cigarette, she let out a puff of smoke that dissipated into thin air.“Yeah, I guess it is a bit surreal, but just know I’m here, and this is definitely not a dream.”“I know.. A part of me does kinda wish it was though.”“Yeah...” She looked away, expression downcast.I had a feeling she wished it too.After we stood there in comfortable silence, we went back in the car and finished our food. After that, Chloe started the car, and back to the road we went. "We're almost there," Chloe said. I smiled worriedly. "I'll let my mom know then." I took my phone out of my pocket, entered my password quickly, ignoring all the notifications on the screen. I dialed up my mom putting my phone up to my ear."Hi honey! Everything going okay?""Yeah, everything's fine, I just wanted to let you know we're close. I think we might get there tonight.""That's good, that's good! How are you feeling? Remember, whatever happens, you'll always have a place here to come to, Maxine."I sighed. My brain was all twisted like wires. "I'm good, thanks Mom. I'll see you soon." "Bye Max! Stay safe." I hung up the phone before leaning back into my seat, exhausted. Chloe looked over at me briefly before looking back at the road. "You don't seem okay. I know we talked briefly, but.. I'd like to know what's bothering you," Chloe said as she grabbed a piece of candy, taking a bite out of it. The car was a whole mess then, as a matter of fact. Then again, we had been practically living in it for a day. We were trying to take our time, but it was good that we’d finally be housed soon."I don't know… let's talk when we get there, what about you?" I asked. We hadn’t really gone over much of what we were thinking or feeling this whole trip. It was all just plans and small talk, really. There was just a lot to process from the storm and leaving what Chloe wanted to leave for years by then. But letting it go just like that and seeing the town we grew up in, in shambles…It had me overthinking a lot. I just didn't know how to express my thoughts in words quite yet, but all I knew was that I felt like shit.Chloe grumbled in response. It felt like she was going to say more but didn't. And we left it at that. I didn't want to bother her and dig deeper into her mind.We went the whole car ride in silence, the only noise that could be heard was coming from the radio, punk loud guitars and angsty lyrics. I wasn’t really into that kind of stuff, but, Chloe being Chloe, she loved every single minute of it, and after everything we went through, I think Chloe deserved to hear something she loved again. I laid my head against my own shoulder as I slowly drifted off to sleep."Max." Chloe nudged me. My eyes flickered awake. It was completely dark outside; I could barely see Chloe's face. "Good morning sleepy head. We're finally here," she said with a small smile.
Actually..? We are?
I unbuckled my seat belt. I was exhausted yet relieved. I couldn’t imagine how tired Chloe was. I mean, she was the one who stayed awake this whole journey while I was napping through it all. Chloe quickly exited the car and opened the door for my sleepy ass, helping me get on my feet. And there it was in front of us: my parents house, at last. I couldn't tell if I was excited to see them or nervous, maybe both. But now I can finally rest easy knowing that Chloe and I are safe."So this was what you called the American dream. At least it's better than home shit home," Chloe snickered, trying to lighten the mood. "Not the time… Chloe," I said. Chloe's smile dropped, as if to tell me, 'I was only trying to help.’ We walked up to the door, and I could feel the world stop as my thoughts gripped my body in a chokehold. How could I face my parents after what I just did? It wasn't like they knew what was going on, but keeping such a big secret from them was terrifying. I couldn't just tell them about my powers and what I sacrificed to keep Chloe here alive. I don't even know how they'd react. I could feel a thumb caressing my hand, tugging me back to reality. I didn't even notice Chloe holding my hand, and as I looked up at her, I could see a smile tugging at the corners of her lips that could make even the saddest of people smile back. I took a deep breath before knocking on the door. Agony struck in those seconds I stared at the closed door, my heart pounding out of my chest and thoughts racing.
What if they already knew?
What would they say?
I looked down at my right hand, the hand that did it all–then, at last, the door opened, and there stood my father. As soon as he saw us, a smile overtook his face. Quickly he called over Mom to Chloe and I. I could hear rustling coming from inside as she rushed over to the door, greeting me with a welcoming hug. Finally, we were at a place we could call home.