Page 24 of Crash into me
And in that dreadful, heart wrenching moment, I realize that the little girl I’m working so hard to save … I’m not supposed to remember. “Hey there, I like your bear!”
“You saved him for me,” she exclaims, bringing it up to hug. A faint hint of my blood stained his ear.
I look to Rita, to Adeline, for one of them to save me from this situation. “Sophie, it’s time for your medicine,” Adeline decides.
“Ugh, again?” she whines, wrinkling her nose.
“Yes, again. Now say goodbye to the ladies.”
“Bye!” She waves, a smile as bright as the morning sun on her face. “I’ll let bubba know I saw you!”
When I step out into the unforgiving, fluorescent hallway, I take a deep breath. She looks great, and the color is back in her face.
She’s happy.
10
The Hollingsworth family dinner consisted of forced smiles and small talk. Luckily, Warren wasn’t there.
They said he’s been so busy since he’s going into his senior year and has been scouting which city he wants to live in upon graduation. Maybe I’ll be lucky and he’ll meet some nice, successful girl on one of his trips.
I had been dreading it all week, but Brett and his parents joining us was a nice surprise. Maybe if I’m nice enough, they’ll push me towards Brett instead of Warren. But, it’s doubtful. Not that I want to be with Brett in that way, but honestly a life with your best friend doesn’t sound as bad as life with some rich country club guy you barely know.
The best part is, they left on a red eye. Both of them.
It was a last-minute thing and nothing new.
I sent Mrs. Rita home to be with Mario, her husband. She deserves a break and to escape this hell hole for a moment.
So do I … for a little while.
Every fiber in my being wants to crank up the Range Rover and speed down the streets until I make it to Foster’s … but he can’t know that I remember, and I can’t afford to forget.
So, I do the next best thing I can think of, and I walk into my parent’s garage. It’s an assortment of flashy cars, and Foster would probably hate every single one of them. Talking shit about the fanciness of them but appreciating the speed new-age cars give.
I’ll take this one.
I slide in a sleek black Mercedes, knowing I’ll need cover.
I want a burger, and I hope and pray Foster isn’t there.
Yes, we just had dinner a few hours ago, but I’ve never been fond of escargot and veal. The smells made my stomach turn.
Rain patters against the windshield as I pretend that my life isn’t in shambles.
Warren’s parents are the ones who brought the snails. If I marry Warren, will he want those all the time too? Who am I kidding—I’ll run into the ocean before that happens as long as Sophie is safe.
* * *
Thirty minutes later,I pull up to The Burger Joint, carefully peeling my eyes around the parking lot for Foster’s bike or his car.
It’s dark out, and I used to be scared of this part of town, but now it feels like home. And I’m homesick.
The neon lights buzz and flash as I run my fingertips along the window, feeling the wet drips before I stop in my tracks.
Inside, Foster is holding two plates walking back to a table dominated by a girl with black hair with neon streaks in it.
Envy … I can’t stand to watch, but I can’t force myself to look away as he sets down their plates. She smiles at him as she plucks a fry from her plate and sucks down a portion of her green milkshake.