Page 124 of Chasing Infinity

My mother stares at me, blinking a few times. I note the sadness swirling in her blue eyes, but I can’t linger on it for too long. I go back to pulling all my clothes out of my dresser and then work on the clothes in my closet.

“I can talk to your father. Maybe I’ll be able to talk him out of this ridiculous notion.”

I shake my head. “It’s no use. You know as well as I do that once he makes up his mind about something, that’s it. I have to do this.”

“Where will you go?” my mother asks me, her voice somber as she watches me fret around my room.

I pause for only a second, allowing her question to sink in and a sense of wariness takes over before I stamp it down, focusing back on my task. “I’m not sure, but I’ll figure it out. Anywhere but here.”

“What about Addison?”

My eyes fall closed, and I take a deep breath. “She has her friends. They’ll take care of her.”

“She needs you, Noah,” my mother protests, stepping closer. “The way she was looking at you—“

“I know that,” I cut her off, shaking my head. “But I need her to stay safe. And if I stick around, she’ll have a giant target on her back, and I can’t live with that. He won’t stop. He gave me direct instructions, and he’ll take it out on her if I don’t do what he says. I won’t let him—I can’t.”

Compassion floods my mother’s eyes, and she closes the distance between us, wrapping me in a hug. I bury my face against her shoulder, letting her comfort me. My mother runs her hand up and down my back, but she doesn’t say anything. Finally, when she lets me go, her expression is resolved.

“Okay, finish packing. I’ll call my sister and see if she can let you stay with her for a while.”

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. My mother doesn’t talk to her family much anymore–probably because they all hate my dad. “Where does she live?”

“Further north, outside of Burlington. Hopefully, staying with her will at least give you a chance to figure out what to do next,” she tells me. She runs her hand over my hair and then nods her head. “I’ll call her right now, and we’ll get this figured out.”

Less than an hour later, arrangements are made for me to stay with my aunt for the remainder of the week. That was all she was willing to give, but it’s better than living out of my car. I toss my duffel bag into the back of my truck and then turn to my mother, who came out with me.

“I guess I’ll get going then. You told her I’d be there later today?” I ask her. My mother nods and then steps forward, pulling me into a hug.

“I am so sorry, Noah. We’ll find a way around this. I promise you.”

I wrap my arms around her, hugging her back. Part of me is grateful that my mother is optimistic. Still, my realistic side knows that my father is too cunning, too clever. I don’t think beating him at his own game is going to be an easy feat.

Right before I get into the car, my father steps out of the house, standing like an ominous guard at the front of his house. His mouth is set into a firm line as he catches my gaze. I take a deep breath and dip my chin slightly at him. He nods his head at me once before disappearing back into the house. An understanding.

I turn back to my mother, whispering a goodbye and that I’ll talk to her soon before I get into my truck and pull out of the driveway. As I drive away from my home for maybe the last time, I pull out my phone, dialing the one person I never thought I’d be calling, but extenuating circumstances call for sacrifices.

“What?” his voice answers, already as fed up with the phone call as I am.

“Sullivan, I need to talk to you about something. It’s important,” I tell him, my voice feeling thick. Charlie stays silent, waiting for me to continue. “I need to leave town, and I don’t know if I’ll be coming back.”

He’s quiet for another moment before he asks, “Where are you going?”

“I don’t know,” I tell him, though my mother was able to get ahold of her sister, who said I could stay with her for a few days. This should hopefully be enough for me to decide what to do moving forward. “And I need you to know because I’m about to tell Addison I’m leaving.”

I hear him make a frustrated sound from the other side of the line. “You picked a shitty time to bounce, man. She’ll want to go with you.”

“And you need to make sure that won’t happen.”

“Why should I? You’re the one about to rip her heart out. You can be the one to convince her not to follow you.”

“Charlie,” I protest, my voice tight. “Please, just—I need you to look after her.”

He huffs again, and I can practically hear him rolling his eyes at my dramatics. “You know I always do that, which is why the next time I see you, I’ll kick your ass for whatever bullshit you’re pulling right now.”

“I’m not messing around here, man,” I suck in a breath and then decide to send caution to the wind. If I can tell anyone the truth, it would be Charlie. He’s goody-two-shoes enough to be reliable. “I’m almost certain that my father is the one who ordered the fire to be set. He wouldn’t have done it himself, but he’s definitely the mastermind behind it all.”

“Noah, that’s—that’s a big accusation,” Charlie says, his voice lilting in a surprised tone. For a moment, he sounds every bit the sheriff’s son he is.

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