Chapter Forty-Five: Heading Back to Nowhere:

I packed up my car in the morning. My mom stood on the porch as I closed the trunk.

“I’m going to miss you,” she said at breakfast.

“Same,” I said, nodding. Kim and Mallory said nothing. I just looked down into my bowl of half-eaten oatmeal. I had to give myself a pep talk at the table. I wasn’t going to back down from this. There might not be anything for me here or in Boston, but I had to do something.

“Nathan!” mom shouted from the porch. I looked up from the closed trunk.

“Yeah?” I asked. She motioned me over to her. I dropped my shoulders and walked over to her.

“Yes?” I asked. Mom threw her arms around me and hugged me. I didn’t say anything as I hugged her back.

“Take care,” she whispered in my ear. I hugged her back.

“I love you, mom,” I said.

“I love you too,” she said. She held onto me a little bit longer before she let me go. I walked by the car and climbed into the driver’s seat. Spoony has been trying to call me, but I just blocked his number. This was going to be the last time I would see Wellfleet. Maybe I will come back on Christmas.

I put the car into reverse and pulled away. I do have a place to stay for a while. First, I am going to testify in both cases against my former school and my former landlord. After that, my get a new job. After that, I don’t know. I just going to have to work form there.

My former students keep calling and texting me. I have been ignoring them until now. That’s going to change when I get back. I took one more look in my rear view mirror.

“So long, Wellfleet!” I shouted. I drove away to an uncertain future.