Severed Ties and Knots (Part 1)

Runaway, Matty, has come back to Alaska for her sister's graduation only to run into one of the reasons she fled for Columbia University.

 

            It was extremely cold as we wandered aimlessly around the “mall”, clutching our new purchases to our chests as the winter night air seeped into the tiny shopping area and our bones. Living in Alaska was no joke when temperatures dropped.

 

            I myself didn’t really want to be here; I’d rather have been cozied up to the furnace back at mom’s or better yet: back at Columbia. My sister pulled me out of my warm little daydream and back to the bitter and dull landscape of what Alaskans called a mall. There were about ten stores and most of them failed to produce much of anything valuable or close to what you’d call a gown… or clothes.

 

            My little sister tugged at my sleeve again, pointing to a frilly short dress in one of the store windows.

 

            “How’s that for a grad dress?” She asked, her eyes illuminated as she glanced back at the dress. I shrugged, not really caring anymore after two hours of torturous dress-hunting.

 

            “If you like it, get it,” I mumbled as I looked down at the shopping bag in my hand. The words “THANK YOU” screamed gratitude at me for being one of the few to buy something in this place. Two fuzzy, furry-looking jackets poked out of the bag and I pulled mine out, a big black number with gray fur lining. As I shrugged it on, Abbey (my sister) skipped her way into the store and was immediately swept up by a worker there. I started for the pretzel stand a few feet away when I heard someone yelling out my name.

 

            “Matty! Hey, thick-skull! MATTY!” Someone belted out across the tiny mall. I peered over my shoulder incredulously. Who the heck, other than my family, remembered me -let alone know I was here? I hadn’t been in Alaska since graduation 3 years ago.

 

            I saw a dark-haired man running at full speed towards me. His glasses were lop-sided and slowly slipping off the bridge of his nose. When my eyes met his, my stomach became a maze of sailor-made knots. I knew those hazel eyes from high school.

 

            “Sam?” I asked, uneasy, as he came to a halt a few feet from me. He nodded, pushing up his glasses and huffing.

 

            “What are you doing here?” He asked, looking me over once, twice, a third time. I shrugged.

 

            “Abbey’s graduating so I had to come up for the event,” I mumbled, shoving some hair that fell into my eyes behind my ear nervously.

 

            “Oh,” was all he said. I shoved my hands into my pockets and shifted my weight from one foot to another.

 

            “How’ve you been?” I asked, to fill the awkward silence. Bad choice of question, I realized too late.

 

            “You should already know the answer to that, Matty,” he said, his voice becoming serious and, if I was right, sad. I bit my lip, not liking where this was going.

 

            “I had to leave, Sam. Alaska just isn’t my cup of tea,” I said, my voice cracking. I curled my hidden hands into fists, pulling some of the fur out by accident. Sam stared at me, his eyes haggard behind his glasses.

 

            “I’m not your cup of tea either, am I?” He asked, his hands clenching into fists. I saw as muscles bulged under his shirt. When had he become so strong? How could three years go by and yet nothing had changed –yet everything did.

 

            “You’re not the reason I left,” I muttered. He shook his head.

 

            “I’m one of them. You left because you are scared to commit to anything,” he said bluntly and I staggered back.

 

            “W-what?” I gasped, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of me.

 

            “You heard me. The second I said “I love you”, you had your bags packed. I was that little push that helped you leave,” he muttered, his eyes raging.

 

            “Is that why you called me while I’m helping my sister innocently? To accuse me?” I growled, the knots clenching tighter.

 

            “No, I came over and stopped you so that I could see what you got out of it all, out of suddenly disappearing and fleeing to Columbia,” he said, eyes steady.

 

            “I got freedom!” I yelled, my frustration boiling over.

(to be continued...)

Author's Note

Be truthful~~~