Page 57 of Ready Or Not

No. I don’t. I try to back away, but there’s nowhere to go. “I’m kinda hot,” I laugh nervously.

The men just grunt, looking at me.

“Come on, it’ll be fun.” Noel pats his knee.

When I don’t move, he waves me over. “C’mon, you can have a popsicle after.”

Despite the tingles moving over my skin, I move to him. I have no other choice. I’m trapped, and closer to him is closer to the way out.

The rest of that afternoon feels like a blur. A blur of pain and fear and confusion. I don’t remember why. All I know after is it hurts to sit, it hurts to pee, and there are marks all over my chest. I’m bleeding, but Noel says I got my period, and that’s what happens when you become a woman.

It’s not the first time it has happened. But I can’t remember. Little snippets come back to me, and I force them way back down.

But I remember that I get my popsicle every time they leave.

29

Take What You Want (feat. Ozzy Osbourne & Travis Scott) - Post Malone

Riley and I ride for what feels like hours. My back aches, my mouth is dry, and my whole body hurts from trying not to touch Riley so I don’t set her off again. I know whatever happened to her was so bad she doesn’t want to talk about it, and she doesn’t want to be touched. And I get that. On a deep level, I get that.

So I just ride behind her. Stiff, uncomfortable, and fucking starving.

When we finally slow, it’s to a small town. Riley takes the neighborhood streets slowly, and I barely notice the houses we’re passing. Not many people are out.

We roll into a lot of land covered in tall grasses. At first, I thought it was an empty lot surrounded by trees and scrub at the edge of town. But then I notice the tiny house tucked into the back. The windows are broken in, and the door is off its hinges.

Riley stops the bike. I struggle to get off. My legs are stiff, my back is stiff, everything is stiff. Riley gets off first and offers me her hand.

I’m so exhausted, I take it.

Riley motions at the saddlebags. “Water and snacks.” She barely looks at me.

I open the bags. There’s a Walmart bag of snacks and a big thing of water. I rip into them, picking out the pretzels. I love pretzels, and I down as many as I can, then follow them with water. The water is warm, but it feels heavenly. I root through the rest of the snacks. She got fruit snacks too, and I rip those open.

When I finally feel satisfied, I stretch and look around. It’s right before sunset, and the world is brilliant and bright. For a second, I don’t see Riley. Then she comes out of the house. She gives me a dark look and motions me over.

Whose house is this? It looks like it’s been abandoned for a long time, and Riley’s face is angry. Cautiously, I walk up to where she’s walking. Riley stops suddenly, and I stop abruptly so I don’t run into her. I glance up to where she’s looking, but I don’t see anything. It’s just an old shed.

“Riley…”

She says nothing. When I glance over at her, she’s as still as a statue. There’s no expression on her face. It’s like she’s somewhere else.

I glance at the shed again. The doors are open, and I can see inside. No one’s in there. There’s junk and old pots and old wood.

She’s still frozen. Unmoving. It makes an eerie feeling wash over me.

“Riley?”

Nothing.

I glance around. Is she okay? I don’t touch her. I know it won’t help her.

I look around, looking for help, when I freeze.

Riley isn’t watching me. And I realize that for the first time, she isn’t paying me any attention, and I’m not chained up. This is my chance. My chance to get away.

I look at Riley and take a small step back.