�Road To Nowhere� Chapter 20: Too Good To Be True

�Who should I call first?� Courtney asked herself. �Matt? Chelsea? Dan? I should call Dan, but I just can't, not yet at least.�

She picked up the phone and dialed Matt�s familiar number. Matt answered on the second ring. �Hello?�

�Hey Matt,� Courtney said.

�Court? What�s going on?� Matt replied.

�Um,� Courtney bit her lip. �Well my dad and Cynthia are getting married.�

�Wait, back up. Who�s Cynthia?� Matt asked.

�My dad�s girlfriend, er, fianc�e now,� Courtney was about to break down again.

�Wow, Court. I�m, um, sorry, I guess,� Matt had no idea what to say. He stumbled over his words.

�Yeah and that�s not even the worst part,� Courtney could see her father�s face in the back of her mind as she spoke. �We have to move to Orlando.�

Matt was dead silent for a few moments. �What?� he managed to say.

�We�re moving to Orlando with Cynthia,� Courtney repeated.

�Wow, that�s a shocker for ya,� Matt said compassionately. �Are you okay? Do you need me to come over? Do you want to come over here? Can I do anything for you?�

�Um, no, no, no, and no,� Courtney ticked off her responses to his questions. �I really just want to be alone and make the phone calls that need to be made.�

�Okay, Court. I�m here for you if you need anything,� Matt said, sincerity in his voice. �I�ll talk to you later.�

�Bye Matt,� Courtney said as she hung up. As soon as she had she regretted letting Matt go. She didn�t want to make her next call. She had no idea what to say or how to say it. She sighed as she picked up the phone and let it ring.

* * * *

�So, Court, why did you call?� Dan asked. They had been on the phone for half an hour and Courtney had managed to avoid the subject.

�Um, well, I just� I just�� Courtney stuttered.

�Courtney? Are you all right?� Dan asked concerned.

�Dan, I can't be with you, not now, not ever,� Courtney mentally kicked herself. �Why did I just say that? Why didn�t I just tell him?�

Dan contemplated that for a few seconds before responding. �Uh, okay?� he said. �Maybe she�s just having a rough night,� he reasoned. �It can�t be that bad. She doesn�t mean it. She can't mean it, can she?�

�I gotta go,� Courtney said before she caused any further damage. �I�ll� uh� see you tomorrow.�

�Okay,� Dan said still puzzled at Courtney�s actions. �See you then.�

They hung up the phone both in utter shock at what had happened. Courtney picked the phone back up. Her finger trembled as she pushed �redial�. It rang only once.

�Hello?� Dan said hoping it was Courtney.

�Dan,� she breathed his name. It felt good to say.

�Courtney, oh thank God it�s you,� Dan sighed.

�I didn�t mean it. I take it back,� Courtney�s words were rushed.

�Then you want to be with me?� Dan�s hopes rose. He knew that he shouldn�t get his hopes up so high because Courtney had a way of making them come crashing down.

�Yes, I mean, no, I mean, I can't,� Courtney said.

�Why not?� Dan asked cautiously. Did he really want to know?

�My dad and Cynthia are engaged and we�re moving to Orlando,� Courtney�s eyes fell to the ground, she knew exactly what Dan was thinking.

�No, this can't be happening,� their thoughts were parallel. �Orlando. Who moves to Orlando?�

�I�ll be there in ten minutes,� Dan said. �I�m coming.�

It felt good to hear him say the words she wanted to hear. �Okay,� was all she said before the line went dead and she began the longest wait of her life.

* * * *

Courtney sat on the front step waiting for Dan. She had managed to get downstairs without running into her father or Cynthia. Which she gave herself major brownie points for. Sure, it meant ducking under windows and crawling on the floor, but she just couldn�t face them. Not now, probably not ever.

She checked her watch. No, it couldn�t have only been six and a half minutes. Three and a half more minutes of this waiting torture. She didn�t think that she could stand it. Finally, a car pulled up in front of the house making sure its lights were off.

Courtney stood as she watched the driver expertly park and cut the engine. Dan stepped out from behind the wheel and made his way over to Courtney. Without one word he wrapped his arms around her. She liked the way his grip was strong and comforting. He made her feel as if everything would be okay. That reassurance was swept away as he let go.

�It�ll be okay,� he whispered to her.

Anger, sorrow, and regret filled her body and brought her to life. �You can�t just give me a hug and tell me that everything will be okay. Right now it doesn�t feel that way.�

�Okay, Court, calm down. I just want to console you,� Dan soothed her as he hugged her again.

�Okay,� Courtney said as she held onto his back. She didn�t want to let go.

For a moment, the world stopped spinning. Time stopped and let Courtney transform into the person she had always wanted to become. Dan had been the motive she had been looking for. All of a sudden she no longer cared about herself so much, but cared about everyone else. The realization hit her all at once when time was allowed to begin again.

The tears she cried were genuine. She had every confidence in her strength to go on. Everything looked a little brighter to her. Dan felt her change. He felt it in the way she held him, in the way her body shook from her sobs, in the way she stood taller. Neither had to say the words, their hearts felt it, their eyes showed it, their minds believed it. Courtney was a changed person. Never again would she just be Courtney Evans, she had taken on a whole new meaning.

�This is going to be hard, I�m not going to lie. But you�re going to make it through. We�re going to make it through,� Dan corrected himself. �I believe in you, Courtney. I really believe.�

Never were truer words spoken.

* * * *

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