Escape

By Kaitlyn Leach

Luke didnt quite understand why his parents stayed together; all
they did was argue until the sun went down. On occasion, Luke didnt get
to eat dinner because they were too focused on the words they were
spitting at each other. Jack, his brother and the only thing that kept him
sane, had gone to university five months ago; Luke knew he wasnt coming
back.
He took a breath of the fresh Michigan air as he slowly walked
around the town of Grand Ledge. Walking was the only thing that was his
anymore; it was his escape. He would take the same path: go past Neff
Elementary, turn left onto Edwards Street, pass underneath the bridge
along the Grand River, and then walk past a row of apartment buildings. It
was the same view every day with the same buildings, and the same people;
it was constant.
However, today was different. The sun was a bit brighter as it
reflected off of his pale blue eyes. The wind blew a little harder, pushing
his sandy blonde hair back farther. One of the buildings was different as
well.
Luke halted in front of the third apartment building and examined
it, looking for a change. He studied the red bricks, the flowers blooming
in the front, and the plantation pillars. It bothered him that he couldnt
touch what was wrong, but he wasnt going to waste his walking time
criticizing a building. As Luke began to slump away, movement caught his
eye. In the top right corner, an open window revealed a girl sitting at a
desk.
The girl had the desk lamp on as she quickly moved her arm across the
table top. The light shone off her luscious, golden curls, and a thoughtful
look took its place on her slim face. Occasionally, she would take a break,
setting her writing utensil down and pulling her arms above her head.
He was intrigued by the girl, loving the way she would concentrate
on whatever she was doing. Luke had planned on finishing his walk, but
decided to enjoy his view longer, for he could not look away. After sitting
on the grass for half an hour, he stood up and brushed the dried grass from
his pants. He stole one more glance before turning away back toward his
house.

It was instantly regretted when Luke trudged through the front door
of his home. His parents were still screaming; one was in the living room
while the other shouted from the kitchen. Luke rolled his eyes and went
toward his room, blatantly ignoring the bickering adults. He cranked the
music up to cover the voices of the two downstairs, and lay on his bed
until he drifted into another universe.
Luke continued his daily walks for a few weeks, but began adding in
an extra twenty minutes to study the girl. Some days the girl would be
writing in a spiral notebook, while others she would be on a laptop.
Occasionally, Luke would even notice the girl staring out the window to
the trees across from her.
The extra twenty minutes didnt make a difference at home; his
parents still screamed at each other twenty minutes later. He was positive
they didnt even notice he was gone.
He was sure of it, until one day his mother went out of town for work.
Luke had returned home at the usual time--exactly 7:27 p.m. When he
passed through the front door, he saw his father resting in the suade
La-Z-Boy, eyes stern and chin rugged with scruff.
Where were you? his father asked calmly, which gave Luke an eerie
feeling. He didnt like when his father talked normally, but he guessed it
was because his father didnt use that tone often. Luke was frozen, the
lack of response irritating the big man in the chair. I asked you a
question, boy!" he yelled, abruptly standing from his rocker.
Luke's eyes followed his motions before responding, " I was on a
walk."
His father's eyes burned into Luke's skull, his breath ragged. "You,"
he started sharply, "were on a walk?" Luke nodded hesitantly. "Even
though I told you to come right home after school and made you dinner, you
decided to go on a walk?" After a few silent moments, he screamed again, "
I
asked you a question!
" Luke jolted back when his father punched the wall,
drywall crumbling beneath his knuckles. Out of Luke's surprise, his
father sneered, "Get out."
"What," Luke stuttered, "you want me to leave?"
"That's what I said! Be a wimp! Go like your brother!" his father
bursted, coming closer to the teen, who was slowly backing towards the
door. "I said get out!"
That set Luke off. He reached the front door, pulling it open to
reveal rain pouring down. Despite the icy-cold liquid, Luke sprinted out
into the street, running his usual path.

However, Luke couldn't stay steady. His mind was a mess, tears
rapidly fell from his misty eyes. How could his father kick him out? All
he did was miss dinner, was that enough to get evicted?
Luke attempted to run, keep a straight mind so he wouldn't fall, but
it didn't work. He was dizzy from the rain and the raging headache. He
fell, scraping his knees in the blacktop, his head banging the cement as he
landed. Luke's voice strained while he screeched; from the pain or his
thoughts, he didn't know.
Luke didn't try to get up, he was tired. So, he lay there, the cold
water droplets beating his skin softly, running off onto the cold pavement
below. He wished he could be like his brother, free to do what he wanted.
Maybe he could be like the girl at the desk, who was calm in her home--a
place of supposed comfort--and able to do work. Luke only wished to be
free.
Fingers gently caressed his arm, making him flinch in surprise. He
adverted his eyes to the owner of the hand, a kind expression showing
through on the girl's face. Luke took in her light hair, her bright eyes,
and how her lashes caught rain then blinked it away. Realization caught
him when he calculated that this was the girl at the desk. It was the same
luscious curls, frizzy from the falling water. Her face was soft, clean of
any blemishes, and her eyes were a bright honey.
"Are you okay?" her voice rang; it was just as he imagined. Luke was
positive a smile had made its way to his face, but he didn't care; she was
here. The girl continued, "You're all scratched up. Let me take you inside
and clean you up."
She helped the boy up, holding his arm firmly to insure he doesn't
fall again. Walking through the door, she led him to what he assumed as
the kitchen and got him a stool. The sweet girl prepared a rag and a bowl
of water, then began cleaning out his scrapes. As she softly dabbed the cut
above his eyebrow, a small grin was a playing on her pink lips.
While she finished up, Luke said, "Thank you for helping me. I'm Luke,
by the way." He offered another smile while toying with his black lip
ring, then moving up to push his hair back.
"I'm Aria, and it was no problem," she responded, concentrating on
placing the bandage perfectly. Luke silently admired Aria; she was more
perfect than he could have ever imagined. "Was it a rough day?" she asked.
His eyes caught sight of her dimples indenting into her cheeks. Aria
mentioned, "You were kind of just laying in the middle of the road." Luke

noticed the small freckles on her cheek, three resembling a triangle. She
was beautiful.
Luke grinned, searching her face once more, "Honestly, this day
hasn't been too bad." As he sat in Aria's kitchen, he realized he might never
have the perfect family, a perfect home, or especially a perfect life; yet
somehow, this was enough.