Chapter 23

Noah

"Where'd she go?" I asked loudly, marching up to Coach while he stood there explaining a drill to the basketball team.

"Keller you should-"

"Where the hell did you send her this time? I swear to God if she's back with Julia I will-"

"Keller!" Coach barked, turning his back to the team. "Do not burst in here and interrupt my practice. I gave you the day off for a reason, now go home and relax, you've had a week from hell." Coach said seriously.

"Where did you send her? Where did she go?" I demanded, not backing down.

Harper had been dodging my calls for a few days now ever since she lost the baby in surgery and when I finally decided to show up at her house, she was gone and all of her stuff was packed up.

"Go home, Keller." Coach said quietly. "I have a practice to run right now."

"Where did she go?" I repeated. "Please, please just tell me."

"I didn't send her away. She wanted to go." Coach said softly. "She begged."

"You're lying."

"I'm not, Noah. You know Harper. She can't... She just needed to get away, okay?" Coach said quietly. "I swear to you I didn't send her away. She's my only daughter and I just got her back, why would I want her to leave again?"

I took a deep breath, resting my hands on my hips.

"She's gone? She's really gone? For good?"

"For good."

I felt tears fill my eyes as my chest got tight and my heart started racing.

"I can't... I don't... I have to go."

"No, if you're here, go get changed, you're practicing." Coach said suddenly. "I don't want you driving off like this, you're not-"

"No, no I'm not." I shook my head, turning away from him. 
"Keller don't you dare walk out that door."

But I left. I ignored him.

My pace picked up to a jog as I sped towards my car.

I quickly turned on the engine and sped out of the parking lot in the direction of my aunt and uncle's house.

"Hey you're back! How's Harper?" Aunt Josie asked happily as I walked through the front door.

"Gone." I replied, slamming the door behind me.

"NO SLAMMING DOORS!" Lewis yelled from somewhere else in the house.

"Gone where?" Uncle Ryan asked nervously.

"Her dad won't tell me." I said, jogging up the stairs.

I slammed that door too but blocked out Lewis and his obnoxious yelling.

I leaned back against the door, breathing heavily for a moment.

What was I going to do?

And then I realized exactly what I needed to do.

Harper was gone and I wasn't about to sit through the last six months of my high school life in a school that knew her well and knew everything that just happened.

I couldn't and I wouldn't.

I pulled my suitcase out of my closet and started piling clothes into it.

Everything that would fit went in and I barely managed to get it zipped.

I'd get my stuff another time.

"And where do you think you're going?" Uncle Ryan said harshly as I pounded down the stairs, my heart about burst out of my throat.

"I can't- I don't- She's gone. I can't..." I shook my head, sobs choking my words. I put my fist to my mouth, my stomach twisting as I squeezed my eyes shut.

I took a deep breath, composing myself before turning to look at my aunt and uncle.

"She's gone." I whispered. "She's gone and I've been pretending long enough. I'm going home."

"You're going home?"

"Yeah. I don't want to stay at this fucking school where everyone knows her story and everyone is talking about where she went. I'm going back to-"

"Noah."

"I'm going back to where people have forgotten her name and I can just be me." I shook my head, tightening my grip on the bag as I walked out to my car. "My parents need me, anyways. They said it themselves. Their therapist wants them to reconcile with me or whatever so I might as well go home I mean there's nothing for me here anymore right?"

"Basketball. High school. Us. Your friends. Baseball. School." Aunt Josie listed off a few things. "Harper. Mick. Roy."

"Harper's gone." I said, opening the front door. "She's gone and I'm gone. End of story."

I didn't say anything else before leaving.

I tossed my bag in the back of my car before jumping into the front seat.

My aunt and uncle didn't stop me as I sped out of the driveway and headed straight for the highway.

Harper wouldn't get all the fucking attention by skipping town.

She's dictated enough of my life.

I was done. I was going to go back to my life. Back to where I was kicked out of because of her.

I slammed my hands on the top of the steering wheel as the anger kept building up inside of me.

Why did this keep happening? Why did we get the short end of the stick every. fucking. time.

Why did she keep getting pregnant if it was so clear that we weren't supposed to have any children?

What kind of doctors fuck up a pregnancy during surgery anyways? Shouldn't we sue or something?

I was initially going to drive to my house and be all cute and shit with my parents.

But when I turned off the highway, I found myself driving towards Hank's house, desperate to see my best friend.

He was outside shooting hoops when I drove up, but didn't stop as I got out of the car.

He completely air-balled the free throw and turned to look at me with a sheepish smile.

"You've got the athletics of this duo and I've got the charm." Hank laughed, walking towards my car.

"I got Harper pregnant again." I said, slamming the door shut.

"Shit."

"And then her spleen burst. In a basketball game. And she lost the baby in surgery." I told him, running my hand over my hair.

"Noah..." Hank whispered, nervously scanning my face.

"And she's gone again. She skipped town. Her dad claims he didn't send her away but nevertheless she's gone." I told him. "She's gone and I'm moving back home because fuck everything."

Hank stayed silent, leaning against my car.

"You wanna talk to my mom?"

"Do you mind?"

"She's in the kitchen."

~*~*~

Dinner was silent.

Forks and knives on plates.

The scratching of a chair on the floor while someone adjusted their seat.

"It's good to have you home." My mom said softly, putting down her fork.

"Yeah." I said softly. "Weird too, though."

I couldn't help but think of the last time we were all together at this dinner table.

It was a Friday night and I was sitting here with my stomach in knots because Harper was coming over after to dinner so we could tell our parents that she was pregnant.

And we all know how badly that went.

"I wish you could tell us why you're home though." My dad said, exchanging looks with mom.

"Yeah I uh... It's complicated." I shrugged, stabbing a small piece of salmon with my fork. "It just kinda got old, you know? I missed it here."

"Well we're glad you're here." My mom reassured me. "It just hasn't been the same without any kids in this house."

"I'm not a kid."

"Not a kid. But you're our kid." My dad corrected, offering a smile.

"Oh." I mumbled, shifting my seat.

I glanced over at the TV softly playing the news, wondering what Harper was doing right now.

Was she even thinking about me?