Page 20 of Return To You

My eyes go to the bike, my mind going a million miles an hour.

I don’t believe it, the picture. I know Noah, I know us. He’d never hurt me that way.

God, he has my initial tattooed on his arm!

I grab my phone and quickly bring up his number. The goofy picture of him sticking his tongue out at me fills my screen.

I smile a little and press call.

“The number you have dialed is no longer available…” an automated voice says, causing me to freeze and, for a split second, I believe Gina—only a split one, but I shake my head.

There must be some explanation; there has to be….

Surely he wouldn’t leave me, not after I gave him all of me.

Just as I think of trying Barnett, the door opens again, and Tamera, Noah’s mom, fills the doorway.

Her light blue eyes assess me, looking from my phone to the tear-stained cheeks, and then to the bike I’m standing next to.

“He always wanted one of those,” she croaks.

I nod and whisper, “I got it him as a surprise….”

She swallows hard. “He thinks you cheated on him with an older man. He, uh, he got a record deal and left Rose, not with Piper, though, but he did go.”

He thinks I cheated, and he left instead of confronting me?

He left….

“He said he loved me,” I rasp, tears falling fast and hard. Tamera rushes down the rickety steps and quickly grabs hold of me, hugging me to her as sobs rack my body.

“He does love you, Rose; he’s just confused and hurt,” she tries to soothe me.

I shake my head and pull back, wiping my cheeks, then lift my phone. “He blocked my number. He didn’t even ask me. He believed whatever Gina and Piper showed him. I’m guessing it was a picture of the single dad who hugged me after I gavehim more for the bike than he was asking because his disabled daughter needed emergency surgery.” Tamera’s tears fall and I shake my head. “I know he’s your son, but he’s just broken my heart. He wouldn't have run if he loved me, but he did.” I look at the bike. “I-I need to go. My father, he-he kicked me out, I-I, oh God, I'm pregnant, and I-I need to figure out what to do with my life….”

Tamera gaps and opens her mouth, but I kiss her cheek before climbing on the bike, unwilling to hear what she has to say.

Without looking at her, I start the bike, then spin out of Tamera’s driveway, not knowing where I’m going or what I’m going to do.

It’s about an hour out of town when I’m on the freeway that my reality hits me, and pain like no other fills me. It’s also then I wish I had bought a reliable car instead of this bike for a bad boy who clearly didn’t love me.

I need to figure my life out. I need to see if I can be a teenage mom, and if I can give this baby the life it deserves with the small savings I have left. And I hope I can do it all with a heart so torn up that even breathing kills….

six

Noah – One Year Later – Nineteen Years Old

I stareat the glass table in front of me, tapping my finger over each rose on my arm, ignoring the suits talking around the table, trying to figure out our tour dates for the next eight months before we take a break to write a new album.

Since leaving home, everything has gone by quickly; as soon as we got to LA, the producers didn’t even hesitate to put us up, opening for big acts all over the state, and now, The Delinquents are one of the highest, most sought-after bands.

We only just got back from touring last night, and already they’re discussing our next tour, starting one month from now. This time, we’re the headliners, and it's insane.

Yet, I’m not fucking happy, and neither are my boys.

Barnett is depressed while Cameron is just fucking angry all the time, and me, well, I’m just a fucking robot, doing what I must, day in and day out.

My heart is not in it, my music has gotten fucking depressing, and I’m drinking more, becoming my fucking mother, who,according to Nick, has barely touched a drop of alcohol since I left.

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