The Forever of Ella and Micha

Ethan to move forward. “He can walk over the hill.”
    He composes himself and drives down the rocky field, leaving them in the distance. Once we’re on the dirt road and tucked far away into the trees, we both relax.
    “Wait a minute.” It dawns on me. “What are you going to do when he comes after you?”
    “I’ve been thinking about taking a vacation from this place.” He makes a sharp veer to the left, directing the truck toward the side road that will take us back to our houses. “Guess now is as good a time as any to do it.”
    “You’re going to just up and leave?” I turn sideways in my seat to look at him. “And go where?”
    “I’m thinking of a solo road trip, like
Into the Wild
only on wheels, not foot.”
    “Oddly enough, I can actually picture you doing this.”
    There’s a trace of a smile on his face as he turns the car onto the road. We don’t talk for the rest of the drive, but it’s a nice silence. When he drops me off, I thank him again and tell him he should come with Lila and me to the wedding, since it’s kind of a road trip. He says he’ll think about it.
    I walk inside, leaving the carefree night behind in order to grow up again and face my demons head-on.

Chapter 5
Micha
    Things are awkward between Naomi and me. It’s the next morning and we’re supposed to be practicing at a club, but she’s over flirting with the bartender, who is twice her age and has a really long goatee.
    It’s fairly quiet, since it’s barely past noon. There are a few people eating in the booths and chatting at the bar and one of the waitresses keeps coming up to Dylan, Chase, and me to see if we need anything.
    I’m in the middle of a chord when my phone rings. I set the guitar down by my feet and see Ella’s name on the screen.
    “Hey,” I answer in a light tone. “I was just thinking about calling you.”
    “I must have read your mind then I guess.” She’s trying to sound happy, but the pitch of her voice is off.
    I turn in the chair so my back is to Dylan and Chase. “What’s wrong? You sound upset.”
    “I’m fine.” She breathes into the phone loudly. “My dad just ran out of rehab and I had to drive up to Star Grove and take him back.”
    “Why didn’t you call me?” My voice echoes through the room so I lower it. “I would have come over and helped you.”
    “That’s why I didn’t call you.” Her tone is strained. “You didn’t need to come out. Ethan helped me and it’s all good. I’m taking my dad back to the rehab right now and then I’m heading back to school.”
    “Do you need me to fly out there?” I stand up and pick up my guitar, ready to go.
    “No, I’m fine, Micha,” she assures me. “I need to start taking care of myself a little bit more, but I promise I’m not having a meltdown.”
    I should be happy, but I’m not. “When are you heading out to the wedding?”
    She pauses and the phone statics. “In, like, a week, but you don’t need to come. I know you’re busy with stuff.”
    “What the fuck is going on?” I’m getting pissed. “Why are you blowing me off?”
    She sighs heavily. “I’m not blowing you off. I’m trying to let you live your life without my burdens… Look, I have to go. I just pulled up to the rehab center.” She hangs up before I can say anything else.
    I rake my hands through my hair and then kick the brick wall behind the stage. “God damn it.”
    Everyone in the club looks at me with terror in their eyes and I jump off the platform, storming for the door.
    “Where are you going?” Naomi calls out, turning away from the bartender, ready to head after me. I ignore her and walk outside to the busy street.
    Things aren’t going the way I planned. I haven’t even told Ella how I’m feeling—what I want from her—and she’s already pushing me away. Maybe I need to figure something else out.
    Or maybe it might be time to move on.

Ella
    “Do you want me to walk you in?” I say to my dad, putting the car into park. We’re out in front of the rehab center, a small tan brick building with a narrow bench area in front of it where people are smoking. The sky is cloudy and leaves fall from the trees onto the hood of the car.
    He shakes his head as he unbuckles his seatbelt. “I’ll be fine, Ella. And you should probably be getting on the road before it gets too late.”
    “Are you sure?” I check. “Because like I said back at the house, you can talk to me if you need to.”
    He gazes at the