Page 25 of Fall onto me
A silence so menacing stretches between us, it’s a long, tight rope that threatens to break. I inhale, attempting to quell the nerves inside of me. I can’t think of him being hurt, and I don’t want to talk about it any further so instead, I ask “So, you break into people’s houses now?” A crackle of lightning sizzles in the distance.
He shrugs. “It’s different every time.” Each word is laced with defeat. I know that I need to be supportive, to think of a better solution than getting upset, but he didn’t tell me TK contacted him, and he’s been out here doing God knows what.
I bounce off the sandy ground and begin to pace. This is worse than us owing him money; this is him owning Foster. He lied to me. To me! It’s my second trip around the base of the banyan before I speak again. “You know what happens when we separate, bad shit.”
“I’ve gotta do what I gotta do.” And there it is, that face, thatlookthat he gives everyone else. It makes my chest nearly cave in.
“Foster you can’t do this!”
“You’re wrong,” he sneers, standing up. “It’s the only thing I have to do right now.”
“Commit crimes?” I scoff, not caring how hysterical I sound.
His head rolls back. “Get us out of this fucking mess.”
It’s raining now, and I throw my head back to catch the drops, I want it to cool me off. “Insanity!” I scream as he steps away from me.
“What about it?”
“It’s doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”
His eyes turn feral, the midnight shade grows darker if even possible. And with a snarl, he bares his white teeth. “I don’t expect a different result, Sky. I know where this road takes me.”
He walks away again, and I stomp my foot. The freshly wet ground slaps back at my ankles. “Let’s take a different road,” I beg.
They have all put us into a broken fucking carousel, and they laugh as we go round and round. Never getting off.
“There is no fork. I will spend whatever time I have doing whatever he needs so I can be here with you!” he responds, not turning again to face me. “No other splice in the pavement to go down. Only this.” He shudders. “Only this,” he repeats before disappearing into the darkness.
And that moment, when the rain pelts my face, I long for the days of watching him race in storms.
That is far safer than what he’s doing now.
And I don’t know if we can weather this new catastrophic event.
9
FOSTER POV
He’s my best friend, but if I ask him, he’ll know I destroyed his bike.
Everything was coated in a blanket of darkness the other night or else I would have noticed it was his.
I don’t want to have this conversation, because I don’t know if I want to know the truth, but if I keep silent, we could be playing a very dangerous game against each other.
I shake my hair out and slip my helmet on. Skyler wears it sometimes, and right now it smells like her. Watermelons and coconuts. I miss her. I fucked up walking away last night, and I thought she would make it to the race. She didn’t. She’s ignored all of my phone calls since.
She may hate me, but she doesn’t understand the alternative. If I deny the Keeper, my body will be thrown into the harbor with cement hugging my feet, but only after he kills my little sister and destroys my grandma in the process. This is the only way for us to have a semblance of a life together.
Ryder is sitting with Callum on the couch, and they’re watching some old action movie from the eighties. I flick it off. “I need to talk to you.” I point my attention to Ryder, and Callum shakes his head.
“You cut it off at the good part!” he croaks.
“We’ve got a race in an hour, and everyone needs to get ready anyways. It’s race week. You guys know better.” It takes a little more persuasion, but finally Callum saunters off while Ryder stays behind.
I don’t know of a better way to find out the truth, so I ask outright, “Why were you at the cliffs?”
He shuffles a little. “I just wanted to go out there before the race.”