Runaway Bride, chapter 5
Tre laughed. "Billie Joe is the guitarist for our band."
"Oh." I had completely forgotten about Tre's band.
"Well, I mean, he was." He frowned and was silent.
I thought quickly for something to get his mind off of the band that he wasn't in anymore, and never would be again, but all I could think of was another question dealing with what I didn't want to talk about. "And the other guy's name was?"
"Mike." he replied. He smiled distantly, remembering. "Me, and Billie Joe, and Mike. We were fucking awesome. We were so close to making it..." he trailed off.
I didn't really know what to say. I had been so concerned about everything that I had been leaving behind, I had never stopped to think about how much Tre's band had meant to him, and how he had given it all up. It made me feel really selfish and awful.
We reached the bus station then. It was a small building, painted blue and white. There was a crooked sign that read "Bus Station."
"This is it." Tre said quietly. We walked in and looked around. There were a few people inside: a woman with two little kids, an elderly couple, and a man with a long white beard. We got in line behind the woman. I watched the kids run around for a while, until the little girl ran right into me. I smiled down at her, and looked at Tre. He was scowling. The little girl got up and hid behind her mother, who turned and looked at us.
"I'm sorry." she said, looking embarassed and tired.
"It's okay." I smiled and waved at the little girl, who waved back, smiling. Her two front teeth were missing. She then turned and waved to Tre. He didn't move. I poked him. "Wave." I whispered. He just looked at me like I was out of my mind. I guess he was still upset about his memories of the band. I sighed as the little kids went back to playing. The mom seemed kind of lonely, so I tried to talk to her.
"So where are you going?" I asked her gently.
"To Denver, to visit my parents." she replied, seeming grateful to talk to someone.
"Oh, that's nice." I said, for lack of anything better to say.
"And where are you going?" she asked. I froze. I know Tre had said we were going to California, but where, I had no idea. It occured to me how careful I had to be around people, to avoid revealing mine and Tre's situation.
"Um... California, on... Vacation." I said lamely.
"Oh." she smiled. I was all of a sudden desperate to stop talking to this woman, to avoid explaining anything else about myself. Thankfully it was her turn to buy her tickets. She walked up and left Tre and I alone.
I looked at him and tried to smile. It occured to me how nervous I was about everything now, about being found out, and being shipped off to some mental hospital by my parents. Tre smiled back, but it looked like more of a grimace. I wondered what he was thinking.
"Next." The bored kid at the counter called out. He was a tall, pimply kid who had to be a few years younger than we were.
"Two tickets to Berkeley, California." Tre told him. The kid sighed and punched in some numbers on a computer.
"That's two hundred and twenty dollars." he said, as if he couldn't care less.
I hoped I was the only one who caught the panicked look on Tre's face. "Um..." he fumbled with the money he had, but both of us knew that it wasn't enough. "Shit. I left some money in the car, I'll be right back."
"Whatever." the kid sighed again. Tre motioned to me, and we both stepped back outside into the bright sunlight.
Tre leaned against the wall of the bus station and wiped his hand over his eyes. "Fuck." he muttered.
I tried to think of something, but all I could think was "I left those clothes back over under those trees, want me to go get them?" He shrugged, and I walked off.
When I came back, Tre hadn't moved. The pile of clothes was big, and I was struggling. I knew it was going to fall, and sure enough, in a few seconds, the clothes were scattered in the dirt. "Fantastic." I mumbled, picking them up.
I sighed. "It'd be nice if I had a bag or something to put these in."
Tre motioned at a discarded paper bag, a few feet away on the ground. "What about that?" I shrugged and picked it up. It felt full.
"Ew... There's something in it." I dropped it.
"So dump it out." Tre said.
"Are you kidding?" I said incredulously. "There could be dead rats or something in there." Tre laughed, and I was glad to have said something to make him happy, however small. He picked up the bag and overturned it. To our shock, about ten wads of money, bound with rubber bands, fell out of it.
My mouth dropped open, and I looked at Tre, my eyes wide. He wore a similar expression. "Holy SHIT."
I nodded. "Tre." I whispered. "There has to be about a thousand dollars here."
He nodded in agreement. "Cassandra! Do you know what this means?" He grinned.
"Uh... No."
"We have enough money to get to California! We have WAY more than enough! We have enough for... For..." He got up and wrapped his arms around me, picking me up off the ground. I laughed gleefully.
"We have enough to get me some real clothes." I added. He looked at my ridiculous outfit and laughed. "Of course we do! I'll buy you a million dollar dress and diamonds, if you want! This is fantastic!" He leaned down and gave me a long kiss. "We are ridiculously lucky." he mumbled against my lips.
I nodded and pulled away. "Yeah." We paused, and I laughed again. "So what are you waiting for, get in there and buy us those damn tickets!"
He laughed, peeled a few bills off of one of the piles, and disappeared into the bus station. I gathered up the rest of the money, put it back in the bag, and shoved the clothes in on top of it. I figured we had to be careful with the wads of cash that were now ours.
Tre returned, and held up two bus tickets. "One for you." he handed it to me. "And one for me." He put the other in his pocket. "The bus is gonna be here in like ten minutes."
"Good." Now that we had money, and a way to get out of here, I was sick of being in the middle of nowhere.
Tre sat down and leaned against the wall. I sat next to him, and he put his arm around me. A thought came to me.
"Tre... Do you think we're starting to need showers?"
"Why, do I smell?"
"A little." This made Tre laugh, which made me start to laugh, and we laughed and laughed until the bus finally arrived to whisk us off to California, and our new lives.
"Oh." I had completely forgotten about Tre's band.
"Well, I mean, he was." He frowned and was silent.
I thought quickly for something to get his mind off of the band that he wasn't in anymore, and never would be again, but all I could think of was another question dealing with what I didn't want to talk about. "And the other guy's name was?"
"Mike." he replied. He smiled distantly, remembering. "Me, and Billie Joe, and Mike. We were fucking awesome. We were so close to making it..." he trailed off.
I didn't really know what to say. I had been so concerned about everything that I had been leaving behind, I had never stopped to think about how much Tre's band had meant to him, and how he had given it all up. It made me feel really selfish and awful.
We reached the bus station then. It was a small building, painted blue and white. There was a crooked sign that read "Bus Station."
"This is it." Tre said quietly. We walked in and looked around. There were a few people inside: a woman with two little kids, an elderly couple, and a man with a long white beard. We got in line behind the woman. I watched the kids run around for a while, until the little girl ran right into me. I smiled down at her, and looked at Tre. He was scowling. The little girl got up and hid behind her mother, who turned and looked at us.
"I'm sorry." she said, looking embarassed and tired.
"It's okay." I smiled and waved at the little girl, who waved back, smiling. Her two front teeth were missing. She then turned and waved to Tre. He didn't move. I poked him. "Wave." I whispered. He just looked at me like I was out of my mind. I guess he was still upset about his memories of the band. I sighed as the little kids went back to playing. The mom seemed kind of lonely, so I tried to talk to her.
"So where are you going?" I asked her gently.
"To Denver, to visit my parents." she replied, seeming grateful to talk to someone.
"Oh, that's nice." I said, for lack of anything better to say.
"And where are you going?" she asked. I froze. I know Tre had said we were going to California, but where, I had no idea. It occured to me how careful I had to be around people, to avoid revealing mine and Tre's situation.
"Um... California, on... Vacation." I said lamely.
"Oh." she smiled. I was all of a sudden desperate to stop talking to this woman, to avoid explaining anything else about myself. Thankfully it was her turn to buy her tickets. She walked up and left Tre and I alone.
I looked at him and tried to smile. It occured to me how nervous I was about everything now, about being found out, and being shipped off to some mental hospital by my parents. Tre smiled back, but it looked like more of a grimace. I wondered what he was thinking.
"Next." The bored kid at the counter called out. He was a tall, pimply kid who had to be a few years younger than we were.
"Two tickets to Berkeley, California." Tre told him. The kid sighed and punched in some numbers on a computer.
"That's two hundred and twenty dollars." he said, as if he couldn't care less.
I hoped I was the only one who caught the panicked look on Tre's face. "Um..." he fumbled with the money he had, but both of us knew that it wasn't enough. "Shit. I left some money in the car, I'll be right back."
"Whatever." the kid sighed again. Tre motioned to me, and we both stepped back outside into the bright sunlight.
Tre leaned against the wall of the bus station and wiped his hand over his eyes. "Fuck." he muttered.
I tried to think of something, but all I could think was "I left those clothes back over under those trees, want me to go get them?" He shrugged, and I walked off.
When I came back, Tre hadn't moved. The pile of clothes was big, and I was struggling. I knew it was going to fall, and sure enough, in a few seconds, the clothes were scattered in the dirt. "Fantastic." I mumbled, picking them up.
I sighed. "It'd be nice if I had a bag or something to put these in."
Tre motioned at a discarded paper bag, a few feet away on the ground. "What about that?" I shrugged and picked it up. It felt full.
"Ew... There's something in it." I dropped it.
"So dump it out." Tre said.
"Are you kidding?" I said incredulously. "There could be dead rats or something in there." Tre laughed, and I was glad to have said something to make him happy, however small. He picked up the bag and overturned it. To our shock, about ten wads of money, bound with rubber bands, fell out of it.
My mouth dropped open, and I looked at Tre, my eyes wide. He wore a similar expression. "Holy SHIT."
I nodded. "Tre." I whispered. "There has to be about a thousand dollars here."
He nodded in agreement. "Cassandra! Do you know what this means?" He grinned.
"Uh... No."
"We have enough money to get to California! We have WAY more than enough! We have enough for... For..." He got up and wrapped his arms around me, picking me up off the ground. I laughed gleefully.
"We have enough to get me some real clothes." I added. He looked at my ridiculous outfit and laughed. "Of course we do! I'll buy you a million dollar dress and diamonds, if you want! This is fantastic!" He leaned down and gave me a long kiss. "We are ridiculously lucky." he mumbled against my lips.
I nodded and pulled away. "Yeah." We paused, and I laughed again. "So what are you waiting for, get in there and buy us those damn tickets!"
He laughed, peeled a few bills off of one of the piles, and disappeared into the bus station. I gathered up the rest of the money, put it back in the bag, and shoved the clothes in on top of it. I figured we had to be careful with the wads of cash that were now ours.
Tre returned, and held up two bus tickets. "One for you." he handed it to me. "And one for me." He put the other in his pocket. "The bus is gonna be here in like ten minutes."
"Good." Now that we had money, and a way to get out of here, I was sick of being in the middle of nowhere.
Tre sat down and leaned against the wall. I sat next to him, and he put his arm around me. A thought came to me.
"Tre... Do you think we're starting to need showers?"
"Why, do I smell?"
"A little." This made Tre laugh, which made me start to laugh, and we laughed and laughed until the bus finally arrived to whisk us off to California, and our new lives.
