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~ Day Dreams ~
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~ Chapter Three ~
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~ Unspoken Words ~
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~ July-Thirteenth ~
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~ Eleven-Years-Old ~
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~ Jake's POV ~
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"Jake!" my mother yelled, throwing her arms in the air. "Come here this instant, young man!"

I stared at her as she yelled from afar, crossing her arms across her low-hanging pearl necklace and tapping her fingers.

Hazel and I sighed as we dragged ourselves up the slippery sand dune. I grunted under my breath but I did as I was told; drying ourselves off, we both hurried toward the parking lot as we approached my furious mother.

"What have I done this time, mom?" I asked, my voice reflecting my annoyance.

"Both of you get in the car, now! " my mother spat, ignoring my question entirely before spinning on her heels toward the clearly idling parked car.

Confused, Hazel and I locked eyes as we shrugged, both obeying my mother's instructions. As soon as we landed in the backseat, before we had had time to buckle ourselves in, my mother sped off.

"Mom, can Hazel stay over?" I questioned, my eyes pleading.

My mother stayed silent for a few moments before deciding to answer, "Ahh... I can't deal with that family of yours, Miss Summers! And you, Hazel, you're no better!" my mother said angrily.

"What are you talking about, Mom? And why are you driving like a maniac?" I yelled in defense. Hazel doesn't deserve this; why does my mother refuse to give her a chance? Why does she refuse to treat her like an equal or with respect?

We rounded a sudden and sharp corner which caused both of us to jerk harshly to the side without time to brace and causing Hazel to be pulled along the back seat, causing her to slide straight onto me.

"Jake, don't you dare start with me!" my mother threatened, "She's a bad influence on you, and Hazel is no longer welcome in our house!"

My mother slammed on the brakes suddenly, causing the tires to skid on the gravel driveway.

"Out, missy!" my mother ordered suddenly, glaring at Hazel in the rearview mirror.

"Hazel no, you can't leave. Not until she tells us why!" I yelled, grabbing hold of Hazel's hand.

"You want to know why?" my mother spat, crossing her arms once more, "Because I said so, and that is enough! Now get out, you silly girl!"

"No, Hazel! Stay," I replied, panic clear in my voice as the palms of my hands began to sweat. "We'll wait here until she tells us the truth!"

I freed my hand from Hazel's as I too crossed my arms, mirroring my mother. My mother scoffed in response before releasing an annoyed sigh. "Alright, fine! Her parents were begging for money from us again! Which means I put you at risk again! They're dangerous people, Jake. I demand you not to associate with them and I don't want Hazel and her family to ruin what we have worked so hard to achieve with your swimming career!" she finished, her voice breaking on the last word.

"I'm eleven years old, mom! I can take care of myself," I shouted in response as my mother and I stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.

The car door slammed suddenly, causing me to break eye contact with my mother; I noticed with a sudden jolt that Hazel had gotten out of the car. I tried to open the door, but my mother had put the child lock on, so I couldn't even get out to say goodbye.

It was all my fault, I don't want to be alone; I'm the one to blame, I'm so sorry Hazel. Please forgive me...

My mother guessed my thoughts as she pulled away from the curb and continued to speed down the road. "Sweetie, it's for the best. She gets you in far too much trouble; Hazel and her family are a bad influence on you and I'm just trying to look out for you. I care and love—"

"You don't need to look out for me! I'm fine by myself, I was f-fine!" I shouted, my voice breaking over the last word.

I crossed my arms with a grunt as tears formed in my eyes. "All you do is work, you've never once paid any attention to me! Now, all of a sudden you care about me and love me?!" I yelled angrily.

"Don't you speak to me in that ungrateful tone, young man! You'd better take that back, son, I'm warning you," my mother said viciously, glaring at me in the rearview mirror before glancing back at the road.

"Whatever," I said, my speech slugging. I didn't care about what my mother had to say; her words wouldn't have made a difference, anyway.

"You're grounded for an eternity, and you are never allowed to see that slimy girl again! So, you'd better pack your bags, because we're moving—tonight!" my mother spat without any hesitation.

"Why are you trying to ruin my life?" I asked, frustrated. Was she serious right now? How could she do this to me? I couldn't bear the thought of having to leave Hazel behind; we had dreams to fulfill and wishes to make come true. It felt as though my life was over.

"Can I at least say goodbye?" I asked, my hands shaking as sweat began to break out all over my body. "I can't leave without seeing her one last time."

"I said no, Jake! Do you hear me?" my mother countered, steering sharply around another corner, causing me to grip the door handle tightly.

"I think you're a really bad driver," I thought to myself, knowing I would be punished for the rest of my life if I actually uttered the words out loud.

My mother parked the car aimlessly in the driveway, shutting the engine off and getting out of the car. She opened my door and once it swung open, I bolted. I ran up the porch stairs and flung open the unlocked door, my mother close behind me.

My mother placed her keys in the antique bowl beside the front door, the room silent. "Jake..." my mother began, "There's only so much that I can do as a single parent, and I really am trying my best here."

"Well, I wasn't the one that kicked dad out now was I?" I spat in a harsh tone before swiftly jogging up the marble stairs and running into my bedroom before slamming the door shut.

I hated my mother; I hated her! She ruins everything—my life, my future, and my happiness. How could she do this to me? How could I possibly fix this? What have I done to deserve this? I needed to fix what was broken with Hazel now, or I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life.

My hands quivered as they took hold of my backpack, picking my teddy bear off the bed and placing it into the bag. I wanted to give Hazel a part of myself, so she had something to remember me by. Something to remind her of all the good memories we had shared together.

My feet darted toward the wooden desk in front of the ocean-facing bay window. My fingertips shook as I scrambled through the wooden desk draws and found what I was searching for—a dusty picture frame. I touched the frame sitting inside the cluttered draw, glancing down at it sadly.

It was a picture of Hazel and I at the beach, hanging out in the water and having a good time at the beach; she had no idea this photo existed nor did my mother for that matter. But I had wanted to show Hazel how beautiful she was and just how much she lit up the world around her.

I shuffled through the wooden drawers of the desk before finding the crayons I was searching for. I opened the frame, flipping over the photograph and pondering what to write on the blank side.

What should I say? I could think of a trillion things I wanted to tell her, but I didn't have the time to hesitate.

I wrote the first words that came to mind, the words that my heart was screaming at me. I placed the photograph in an envelope and placed it carefully in my bag. I changed out of my wet swim trunks, kicking them to the side of the room before donning dry, casual clothes. I put on my sneakers before slinging my backpack over my shoulders.

Taking a deep breath, I opened my bedroom door and made my way down the stairs, holding my breath with each step. I snuck silently through the sliding side door, running past the chickens as quickly and as quietly as I could, the chickens clucking in response to my presence.

I thought I was busted for sure, and my suspicions were confirmed by my mother's stern voice, "Jake, get back here! I know where you're going, so don't even try it!" she shouted from her bedroom window.

"Watch me. You can't stop me from loving her, mom!" I yelled back at her, glancing briefly in her direction as I swiveled on my feet and ran towards Hazel's house.

Do I really love her? I do, and I always had. I hoped Hazel was okay... I bet she thought that she'll be seeing me tomorrow at school; she had no idea that I was leaving for good this time. There had been several times that my mother had threatened me with moving away, but she had never forbidden me from seeing Hazel before. I knew I would regret letting this opportunity pass me by, and that meant there was only one option.

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A few minutes later, I was pondering as I walked down the road, the streetlights clearly illuminating my path through the dark neighborhood. The smell of fresh rain awoke my senses, the brisk breeze blowing my hair around my face.

Cold raindrops trickled from the dark clouds above as the sky growled; lightning struck the sky, the bolt striking the sky and illuminating the area around me. The wind howled, branches swaying angrily, blowing my hair in all directions.

As I neared the end of the road, I spotted Hazel's cottage as I came up to the driveway; I ran to the front door, the porch squeaking under my steps as I pounded on the screen door, making my hands sting with pain.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming, hang on," Hazel's stepmother, Fiona said in her lazy tone.

The wooden door opened, Fiona's eyes widening as they found mine.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want?" Fiona asked rudely.

"Can I please see Hazel? It's really important and will just take a moment; then I will be out of your hair for good," I pleaded sadly.

"I see... While that's a very tempting offer, there's not a chance I'm letting you see her," Fiona spat coldly. "Leave my property and never come back!" Fiona laughed, slamming the wooden door in my face.

Panic struck my mind, flooding my thoughts. What do I do now? Then it hit me; if I couldn't go inside the house, then I will just have to try from outside the house.

I searched for the broken window indicating I had found Hazel's room; she always told me that she sleeps in the front bedroom which has a broken pane. Over the last two years, I had never been inside Hazel's house, so it took me a few moments to find the window.

I paced back and forth outside Hazel's house, pondering the words I should say. I didn't want to upset her, but I had to tell her the truth about how I feel, before it was too late.

Suddenly, two bright headlights emerged from the darkness, illuminating the rain and stopping my heart. My mother's vehicle came into full view as she parked the car on the curb.

I knew I was in trouble, but I didn't care. Hazel was far more important to me than anything else in this moment. My mother's paranoid nature and my father's disinterest were irrelevant at this moment. Hazel was all I had left, and I couldn't stand the thought of losing her.

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~ Cheers ~
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Please, tell me in the comments what you thought about Chapter Three? 🙈 I'll be greatly appreciated, thank you, you very kind soul!
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~ Chapter Three ~
~ Dedications ~
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HeliiBoh
DebMorey
PeterPetruzzella
CaitlinWoodward9
DaniJones_14
ChloeMayerhofer
savvvy1998
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You guys should totally check out PeterPetruzzella short story! Lighthouse. It's amazing! Please also go check out Peter's YouTube account pure56 for awesome content on movies, tv-shows, and game reviews!
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You guys should totally check out ChloeMayerhofer story! Fallen! It's awesome!
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C.Morey 🥕 xoxo
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