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“Is he in there with you?” my dad yells.
“Who cares if he is? It doesn’t have anything to do with you!”
“It does when it’s happening under my goddamn roof!”
I grab Sean’s clothes and shove them into his chest.
“Get dressed,” I say in a panic. “We’re going out the window and getting the hell out of here.”
Sean stares at me. “What? Tessa, I don’t think?—”
“How much do you want to bet he’s standing outside my door with his shotgun? I don’t want to believe that he would shoot you, but I’ve never been in this situation before, either. We need to go.Now.”
“Jesus Christ,” Sean mutters, the gravity of the situation finally hitting him. He quickly pulls on his clothes. “Okay. Let’s go.”
Sean unlocks and pushes up my window. There’s a screen, but he tears it out and hoists himself out of the cabin. Then he reaches back in for my hands, and I take them and squeeze them tight as he helps me out.
Outside, it’s freezing cold but strikingly calm. An immaculate blanket of snow covers everything in sight. I would admire the serene calm if I had the luxury.
But I don’t. Still holding onto one of Sean’s hands, I pull him away from the cabin and toward a more densely wooded area. I know we’re leaving footprints and my dad will be able to find us if he comes out and tries, but right now it’s the only option I have for putting space between us and him.
“Where are we going?” Sean asks, keeping up with me as I stumble through the thick snow.
“Somewhere safe,” I say. I glance over my shoulder, looking back at the cabin, expecting to see my dad coming after us. But, so far, there’s no sign of him.
Soon the cabin is out of view and we’re surrounded by trees. The place I’m bringing Sean to is a place I haven’t visited in a long time, but I’ll never forget the way. When it finally comes into view, my chest fills with relief.
“In here,” I say, pulling him toward the fort.
We both have to duck to get inside, but once we’re in, there’s plenty of room for both of us.
“Did you…make this?” Sean asks, catching his breath as he looks around. Now that we’re inside, we’re surrounded by logs and branches and dry leaves.
“My dad and I made it when I was a kid,” I say, peering out the front to see if there’s any sign of my dad yet. Nope. I withdraw into the fort again. “I haven’t come in here for years.”
“Don’t you think your dad will realize where we came?”
“Yeah, but…” I shake my head. “Shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do. It terrified me, him banging on my door and yelling like that. My instinct was to run.”
“It scared the hell out of me, too.”
I take a slow breath in and out, thinking logically over the situation. “I know my dad is upset, but he’s not crazy. He wouldn’t actually hurt you. He might yell at you, but he won’t hurt you.”
“So can we go back? Talk to him about this?”
I admire Sean’s bravery. I nod. “But let’s give him a few more minutes to calm down first.”
“Fair enough.”
A gentle silence falls between us. Then, looking at each other, we both start laughing at the absurdity of the situation.
“I can’t believe we’re hiding out in my childhood fort,” I say, and start laughing harder.
Sean looks around. “You don’t have any fruit snacks or anything hidden around here, do you?”
I push him playfully. “Oh, shut up.”
I move close to him and he wraps his arms around me, leaning me back against his chest. As cold as it is out here, it’s warm in his arms.
