The Fourth Short Story

Here's the complete fourth story everyone!

Happy 18^th Birthday:

        It was 11:45 on Madison’s 18^th birthday. Her bags were all hidden in her closet. Her purse  filled with her electronics , favorite notebook, pencil, and her map. On which was highlighted the quickest route to NYC.

        She was already dressed in a sweatshirt, her skinny jeans, and her tennis shoes. She wore her hair up in a beanie, and she had on her glasses. She gripped her car keys tightly in her hand.

        It was now 11:50, and now she was laying out letters in her parent’s bedroom. The letters would make sure her parents knew she wasn’t in danger and that she was running away to New York City.

        Now it was 11:55 and Madison’s heart was pounding in her chest as she draped all of her bags on her shoulders and headed downstairs. Once she was outside, Madison locked the door behind her and headed out to her car. A single tear escaped from her eyes, and then she was turning the key in the ignition.

        Madison had been planning this since she was 14 years old. She was running away to New York City to start off her career as a writer. She would try every publishing place in the state if she had to. Besides, once she had one book of hers published, she would have all the money she would need to buy an apartment and start her life in the big city.

        Along the way, she would stop at coffee shops and pull out her computer. Her goal was to finish the book she was working on before she got to New York. But it didn’t really matter if she did or not because she already had 10 of her book she had written in one of her bags.

        She would stop at hotels along the way when she got tired as well. She had her credit card neatly tucked in her pocket. She had been saving up money for this trip since she had first planned it. Now she had enough money to get to New York and then some.

        Madison snapped herself out of her thoughts. She thought way too much. Maybe that was why she was such a creative writer. That’s what she had gone to high school for. She was thinking too much again. She was just now pulling out of her neighborhood.

        She looked at her dashboard. The fuel was full because of her trip to the gas station earlier that day after her birthday party. All of her friends were there. However, only one of them new of her plans to escape that night. Her name was Adeline, but Madison had called her Addy since the 7^th grade.

        Addy had plans to run away to New York City that night too. She was going to become a cop when she got there. Madison doubted the chances of that ever happening, but she never voiced these thoughts to Addy. Madison’s dream was a bit farfetched too.

        Madison was a mile away from her house now, and she knew this was the point of no return. She decided to turn on the radio and get lost in her thoughts again. It was so easy to get lost that she didn’t try to fight it any more.

        In her favorite notebook, Madison had written down the names and addresses of 5 of the publishers in New York. She hadn’t thought about which ones to try first. She would think about it now. She decided to just try them in the order they were written in her notebook.

        Madison realized there was something else she hadn’t thought about. How long would she drive tonight. She figured just until she was too tired to drive. She knew that wouldn’t be any time soon since her nerves and thoughts would keep her up for hours after this.

***

        3 hours had passed and Madison had heard her stomach moan on several different occasions. She decided to pull over at a nearby coffee shop to get something to keep her awake.

        Madison grabbed her computer and locked her car. Once she was inside the coffee shop, she sat down at a book and opened her computer. Scrolling through her email, she found several replies from publishers in New York, agreeing to schedule some appointments with her about her books.

        Madison was ecstatic. Her plan was going to work after all! For a reward for her triumph, Madison allowed her brain to wander as she went to the coffee shop counter and ordered a tall coffee.

        First, she wondered in what area she would rent an apartment. Surely somewhere near a library and a coffee shop for reading and writing. Most definitely in a good neighborhood. Also, she would like something near a place of transport like a subway.

        Madison took her coffee back to her booth and took three large swigs. Then her stomach flipped. What about college?

        She had always planned on going to college no matter what. She had sure learned a lot at her creative arts high school, so how much more would there be to learn at a college? She pulled out her notebook and made a note to research some good colleges in New York that specialized in the creative arts.

        In case she didn’t get any books published right off the bat, she thought, she would probably have to get a job. A waitress would be the most likely of the choices. Madison thought she could stomach it for just a few months.

        Madison gathered her things and got back into her car. She still had a long journey ahead of her, and it was already 3:00 in the morning. She agreed to herself that she would drive just 2 more hours before she would pull over at a hotel to spend the night.

***

        Three hours had passed and Madison still hadn’t pulled over at a hotel. She was half way through Pennsylvania when she realized what time it was and how much more convenient it would have been to have taken a plane. Of coarse, that would have cost her much more money.

        She spotted a decent looking hotel on the side of the road and pulled over drowsily.

        Slinging her bags over her shoulder, she trudged over to the hotel entrance. When she got to the counter, she was greeted by a middle-aged woman with bags under her eyes.

        “What were you doing, driving so late like this? A little girl like you should be at home in bed by this hour.” The woman’s voice was made loud and harsh by her thick New Jersey accent, even though her words were meant to be kind and inviting.

        “I’m not a child. I’m on my way to some wehre. Can I just get a room? I’ve been driving for the past 7 hours and I would like somewhere to sleep if you don’t mind.” Madison adjusted her bag’s strap on her shoulder impatiently.

        “Right, sorry, Miss.” The lady traded the room key for Madison’s money, and Madison rushed to the stairs to find her room.

        When Madison got to the end of the hallway, she located her room and went inside. There she worked on her stories for about an hour and then collapsed from exhaustion.

***

        Madison was determined to get to New York City by the end of the day and according to her carefully planned out map, she was only 3 full hours away. She decided that after a quick breakfast, she wouldn’t take any more breaks until she got to the big city.

        She was now 15 minutes away, and yet her heart was still pounding as if she were about to get out of the car. She let her thoughts wander to wherever they wanted to go.

        She was thinking about her friends back home. She wondered if Addy had already made it to New York before her. Maybe Madison would see Addy when she got there. She wondered if maybe they would share an apartment together. It would benefit both their safety and their financial state. Plus, Madison thought it would be good to have someone from home around.

        One thing she made sure not to think about was her parents. They had no doubt already read the letters Madison had written them. Strangely enough, Madison hadn’t received any calls or messages from either one of her parents. That made Madison wonder if she would even be missed at all.

        Then Madison’s creativity mended with her scattered thoughts. What if her parents were feeling upset because Madison hadn’t called them yet. Maybe they felt let down as well.

        Madison made a mental note to contact her parents when she got an apartment. When Madison’s thoughts returned to her physical surroundings, she noticed that she was in the parking lot of the first publisher she had scheduled an appointment left.

        Madison checked her watch. She had exactly 2 minutes until her appointment started. She emptied her carry on back into the back seat of her car. She then pulled all of the other bags that were in the back, into the front. She pulled out every binder that had her writing work in it and stuffed it into her carryon bag.

        Madison took her keys and her cell phone with her as she got out of her car. She slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked towards the building. She stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath.

        She had only been in New York City for about half an hour. She had only mentally been there for about 3 minutes. Madison already knew she loved it here. She also got the strange feeling that everything was going to work out.

        Somehow she knew that at least on of her books was going to get published. She knew that she would find some way to scrape up enough money to buy herself an apartment. She would get a job, and a second job if she needed one.

        For one of the first times in Madison’s life, she felt in control of her life. She felt the confidence in herself as if she was feeling a rib. She belonged in the city.

        Madison gathered her thoughts for the last time and took a step through the door.

        “Good morning, Miss Smith. Take a seat and I’ll let your interviewer know that you’ve arrived.” A secretary called out from behind her desk.

        “Thank you.” Madison said, and she took a seat among her fellow New York writers, waiting for the chance to get published.