Page 46 of Aftershock

She and Ashley seemed to be complete opposites, but somehow, I felt like they complimented each other perfectly. As soon as my foot made contact with the pavement, my phone started vibrating. I pulled my phone out of my back and unlocked the screen. There were multiple text messages from my mom. I was thrust back into reality, and the gravity around me felt so heavy.

Mom: I was so worried! I'm glad you're okay. I can't wait to see you. Have a safe flight.

Mom: Also I can't tell if you're joking about meeting Lexi Harlow or not…guess I'll find out in a few hours.

Mom: TEXT ME WHEN YOU LAND.

Mom: I just made it to the church. Have you landed yet?

Mom: Autumn…there’s something I need to tell you. Call me when you get this.

Mom: Hey, have you landed yet? I need to talk to you.

Mom: I can’t believe this is happening. Please call me when you land.

I stopped dead in my tracks, causing Lexi to bump into me from behind.

“Hey!” She shouted before noticing the expression on my face. “Autumn, are you okay?”

I furrowed my brow, reading the messages for the fifth time now.

“I don’t—”

My phone started to ring. When I answered, the sound of my mother's voice echoed through the phone.

“Autumn,” she said, her words coming out strained. “No one's coming.”

“What?”

Lexi put her hand on my shoulder.

“It’s just me.” She broke out in a sob.

“You're not doing this alone, I promise,” I stated firmly. “I’m on the way.” Ending the phone call abruptly, I took a deep breath. Reality had set in. Everything had shifted back into focus. The romantic fairytale I was a part of for the last seven hours had come to an end. No more running from my problems. “I have to go,” I whispered while keeping my head down.

“What? Why?” Lexi asked.

“I’m sorry,” I said solemnly, “I just…I can’t right now. I can’t do this. I have to go.” I took off in the direction of the airport.

I knew my father wasn’t a great man. I could even admit that the reason I hated him for this long was because of all the pain he caused me, but I just never realized everyone else felt the same way too. The fact that no one bothered to show up to his funeral disgusted me.

Or maybe what really disgusted me was the fact I still wanted to skip out on the funeral too.

My father was no saint, but did he deserve this?

I don't know.

Regardless of the answer, who was I to preach morality when just a few hours ago I was on the fence about going to his funeral anyway? What would’ve happened if I didn’t get on the plane? Would my mom sit in that church alone? Would she blame herself? Would I succumb to the guilt of leaving her there to suffer? Would I resent my dad even more? Would I resent myself?

Consumed by my thoughts, I hadn't realized that I had made it all the way to the front of the airport. I saw several taxis lining up along the side of the curb. I quickly flagged one down, and just as I was about to get in, a hand grabbed my arm.

“Autumn!” Lexi panted as though she had been chasing after me the whole time. I spun around to face her and noticed Brian and Andrew running in our direction, just a few feet behind her. “What’s wrong?”

“My mom needs me, and I can’t push her away—not again,” I answered with glossy eyes. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”

“Please just talk to me!” She yelled while still clutching my arm. I pulled away from her grasp, but she yanked me back again. “Wait—”

But I couldn’t wait, and I couldn’t explain why I felt the need to run away so suddenly. Despite all of the progress and growth that I thought I had made, I took twenty steps back when I decided on my next move.

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