Leia's shoes were soaked by the time she reached the driveway, her socks squelching with each step. The drizzle had turned into steady rain, but she hadn't noticed. Not really. Her mind had been spinning ever since school let out-ever since Miles brushed past her in the hallway without so much as a glance. Again.
But whatever hurt she was carrying from him fell into the background when she looked up and froze.
Her mother was standing there.
Leaning casually against the driver's side of a small silver car, arms crossed, looking like she'd stepped right out of one of Leia's old dreams. Hair tied in a messy ponytail, makeup slightly smudged from the rain, but still-she was real. Here. And behind her, in the trunk of the car, Leia's stuff.
All of it.
Suitcases. Boxes. Even the unicorn pillow sticking out from one of the flaps.
Leia blinked, her heart lurching. She hadn't expected... this.
She barely had time to take a step when the front door slammed open and Jessica stormed out onto the porch, soaked but fuming.
"There she is!" Jessica shrieked, voice slicing through the air like a blade. "Your little reunion was cute, Leia. Real heartwarming. Now do us all a favor and fuck off with your runaway mom already!"
Leia flinched, her spine straightening as her arms instinctively wrapped around herself. She glanced toward the door, expecting to see her father coming to at least say something-anything-but the only thing visible through the cracked doorway was a bottle of Jack on the hallway table. Figures.
Her mom didn't move, just lifted her chin slightly, eyes fixed on Jessica. Calm. Steady. Dangerous in a quiet way.
"She's a child," her mom said. "And you just threw her out like she was garbage."
Jessica scoffed. "Please. She's been looking for a way out since the day she turned ten. Let her go. No one's stopping her."
Leia stood frozen in the middle of the driveway, soaking wet, arms trembling. The words hit, sharp and fast, but she didn't react. She was used to it. Used to Jessica's venom and her father's silence. Still, seeing all her stuff piled in the car like she'd already been erased-it stung.
Her mother stepped forward, reaching her slowly, gently placing her hands on Leia's shoulders. "You okay, baby?"
Leia nodded, then shook her head, and then finally collapsed into her mother's arms, burying her face into her coat.
"I didn't think you'd actually come," she whispered.
Her mother held her tighter. "I'll always come for you."
From the porch, Jessica scoffed again. "Good luck with your perfect little project. Maybe now you can teach her how to cry on cue like you used to."
Leia turned her head, meeting Jessica's glare one last time, and for the first time in a long time, she didn't feel scared. She didn't feel small. She just felt done.
Without a word, she turned back to her mom, wiping her face with the sleeve of her hoodie.
"Let's go."
They climbed into the car. Her mom started the engine, the windshield wipers squeaking across the glass.
As they pulled away from the curb, Leia didn't look back. Not once.
---
Rain tapped gently against the windows, a quiet rhythm that matched the hum of the road as Leia and her mom drove in silence. The city blurred by in streaks of gray and gold, headlights smearing through the windshield like watercolor. Leia rested her cheek against the cold window, watching the rain dance across the glass. Her breath fogged it up, and she dragged a lazy finger through the mist, tracing invisible shapes.
Her mom didn't push her to talk. She just drove, one hand on the wheel, the other resting gently on the gearshift. The quiet wasn't uncomfortable, though. It felt strange-foreign even-but safe. Leia couldn't remember the last time she'd felt that.
After a while, her mom spoke, voice soft and casual like she was testing the air.
"You hungry? There's that diner up ahead. Looks like it's still open."
Leia blinked, lifting her head. She hadn't even realized how hollow her stomach felt until her mom said something. "Yeah... okay."
Her mother pulled into the parking lot, the tires crunching over wet gravel. Neon lights flickered against puddles on the ground, casting broken reflections of the red *Rosewood Diner* sign. Leia barely noticed a figure walking alone down the sidewalk as they pulled in-Miles, hands in his jacket pockets, head low, hoodie up, drenched from the rain. But Leia had been looking out the opposite window, lost in thought, so she never saw him. And Miles never turned back to see the car either.
Inside, the diner smelled like coffee and fried food. It was warm, with red booths and fogged-up windows. A song from the 2000s hummed from the speakers above, low and fuzzy.
They slid into a booth near the back, her mom ordering a coffee and a burger, Leia just a hot chocolate and a plate of fries. The warmth of the mug between her hands was grounding, and for a moment, Leia allowed herself to just... sit.
Her mother stirred her coffee slowly, eyes watching Leia over the rim of her cup. "You've gotten taller," she said with a small smile.
Leia gave a quiet laugh. "Puberty. It does that."
Her mother chuckled. "You've still got that sharp mouth, huh?"
Leia shrugged, looking down at her mug. "It's kind of all I had for a while."
The moment hung between them. Heavy but not suffocating.
"I wanted to come back sooner," her mom said after a beat. "But your father made sure I couldn't find you. I tried everything. Letters. Calls. I even drove past your old school once, hoping maybe I'd catch a glimpse."
Leia didn't respond right away. She stirred her drink and finally looked up. "Why now?"
Her mom nodded, as if she expected that question. "Because you called. And the second you did, I knew it wasn't too late."
Leia's throat tightened. "He said you didn't want me."
"I never stopped wanting you." Her mom reached across the table, gently placing her hand over Leia's. "I'll spend the rest of my life proving that, if you'll let me."
Leia didn't cry. She didn't even speak. But her fingers curled around her mother's hand and she didn't let go.
---
An hour later, the rain had softened to a mist, and they were driving again-this time toward a small one-bedroom apartment her mom had just started renting two weeks ago. The building wasn't anything fancy, but it was clean and warm, and when they stepped inside, it smelled like cinnamon and soft linen.
The second bedroom was small, barely big enough for a twin bed and a desk, but it had a window and soft fairy lights her mom had strung up earlier that week just in case. Boxes were waiting, still sealed. Her mom handed her a pair of scissors.
"Figured you'd want to unpack it your way," she said with a smile.
Leia kicked off her shoes, still damp from the rain, and peeled open the nearest box. Inside was her pink unicorn pillow, the one Jessica had tossed like trash. Leia hugged it to her chest, then started pulling out books, a framed photo of her and Miles from last summer-back when they still laughed like nothing else mattered-and her battered sketchpad.
They worked quietly together, setting up the bed, hanging clothes, stacking books. It wasn't much, but it was hers.
As they laid out the final blanket, Leia sat on the edge of the mattress, legs dangling off the side.
"You okay?" her mom asked gently, sitting beside her.
Leia nodded slowly. "Yeah. I think... I will be."
And for the first time in a long time, she believed it.