Running Away

Bethany grew cold and tired; she reached for the pillow her mother had given her for the flight. She rested it against the icy car window, and snuggled her face into it, as she rubbed at hers arms, trying to get rid of the goose bumps. She had played around with the aircon button before, but it wasn’t working! Damn rental cars, she had thought. It was another wet and miserable day in Wellington. ‘Where I’m headed’ she whispered ‘I’m going to miss this weather’.
‘We’re nearly at the airport sweetie, not long now’ her father said in a casual tone.
Bethany cursed at his words. She didn’t want to nearly be at the airport, she wanted to be home, with her family. Not some stranger, she called her father. Bethany closed her eyes and sunk into her seat, pushing her face harder into the pillow. A familiar sadness crept over her, the same sadness she had felt when she had lost her Grandfather, a year ago. This feeling was worse though, ten times as worse. She was losing her whole family and though she didn’t want to believe it, it was her own fault. One night, one stupid mistake had changed everything.
Bethany could remember vividly getting called out of class by Mr. Guevara. ‘A John Lewis is waiting for you at the front office’, he had said. Beth screwed up her nose and her eyes started to water. She knew what she had done was bad, but her father had never flown over from Australia to tell her off? Bethany trudged into the front office with a puzzled expression. She gave a slight smile, though avoided eye contact as she greeted her father. He looked angry and felt tense when he had hugged her, Beth was scared. She hadn’t a clue what was going to happen.
‘I’m taking you home now’, John said as he guided his daughter out through the office doors. ‘Me, you and your mother need to talk!’ he said quietly. The words whirled around Bethany’s head. Oh no! She thought.
Bethany rushed through the front door, her father trailing behind her. She walked through from the...