“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I need to shower.”
“Good. You smell.”
“Thanks.”
“You don’t think you smell?” my mother asked.
“Oh, I know I smell. I was throwing up.”
My mother stood up tall. “Booze or pregnancy?”
“Wow,” I said.
“What? Those are the only two choices. So just be honest.”
“I’m not pregnant,” I said.
“So you can’t handle your liquor. That’s a shame. That makes me look bad.”
I laughed. “It’s all about you, huh?”
“Well, it is my house. And I did give birth to you. So, yeah, it kind of is all about me.”
I nodded. “I really thought you’d be happier to see me. Hug me. Kiss me. Say you missed me. Get mad at me for being gone.”
“Winter, you’re not a kid,” my mother said. “You’re an adult. You can do whatever you want. And this thing you have going on…”
“You supported it,” I said.
“I just wanted to see what you would come up with.”
“And?”
“You were riding a bicycle in a motorcycle race,” she said.
I sighed. “Okay.”
“I’m being honest. You took your time. You started to feel things for them. Don’t deny that. You didn’t attack. You let them get close to you.”
“Now what do I do?”
“Whatever you think you should,” my mother said. “Did you get what you wanted?”
“Kind of.”
“Better than nothing,” she said.
“If I left here… I mean, if I went back home… would you miss me?”
“So you’re planning on running from it all?”
“I didn’t say that,” I said. “I’m listing my options.”
“Go shower, Winter. Then think about what you want to do. I’m here if you need anything.”
“Thanks.”
I turned and she said my name.
“Were you serious about the hug and kiss?”
I looked back at my mother. I swallowed hard. “No.”
Because… why would a scared daughter ever want a hug and kiss from their mother?
Chapter 8
What Was Always Coming
The shower might have been the best shower I ever had in my life. Back at Talon’s place, the shower had been dirty, the water pressure had been low and the hot water didn’t seem to exist.
I took a shower so long and hot, I couldn’t see a foot in front of me from the thick steam.
Even after I turned the water off, I just stood there with my head back, taking deep breaths of the steam.
Feeling the Troc world vanish from my body.
The sights and smells.
It was all in the past.
Chances were I’d never see that place again.
Unless Gia was down there and ended up getting herself into some kind of trouble and she needed me.
I exited the bathroom and looked at my phone.
There were a few texts waiting for me.
The first was from Gia.
U okay?
The second was from Talon.
I need my truck back.
I rolled my eyes.
And the third one was from Noah.
Ten. Tonight.
The last one was the one that made my heart jump.
They wanted me to meet them at Xavier’s shop to talk. At ten at night. Which was very early in the night for all of us, but it still had that allure of being a little creepy or spooky.
I sat down on the edge of my bed in my towel and thought about what my next move was going to be.
There was no avoiding Noah, Easton, and Xavier.
The truth was for the most part out there. I just needed to fill in a few blanks to see what would happen next. More so, I wanted to know who was in the black SUV following me. Because it had been happening before I went to the ball with the guys and now it was happening again as soon as I left Talon’s.
If the black SUV was following me, then it was following the guys too.
In a way, we kind of needed each other.
Except… it was three guys. And one girl.
That’s what they were expecting.
Just like with the dresses. They each got me a dress to wear.
What did I do?
I got my own.
Just to show them I wasn’t going to be pushed around.
My fingers went to work on my phone.
To Noah, I texted one letter.
K.
For Gia, I texted something a little longer.
Home and showered. We need to talk. You won’t believe what happened…
She replied right away to meet down on the beach.
Down on the beach.
That was like music to my ears.
I needed the beach.
I was spoiled with it.
I stood up from the bed.
But I wasn’t done texting yet.
There was one more text I had to send.
I watched as Talon walked along the side of the road with the hood of his hoodie pulled up. He looked menacing. And once again I had no idea how he got into town without his truck.
He was slippery like that.
Almost like a magician.
Even if magic wasn’t exactly real.
Or was it?
It felt so good to be behind the wheel of Tank Two.
As much as I hated to admit it, when I got into the driver’s seat, I laughed and kissed the steering wheel a few times.
Nobody else knew that.
I told Gia she needed to stay home.
We hung out on the beach for a few hours. Then we went for a run. Which meant Gia jogged while I ran at full speed until I waved for her to go and she took off on me.
It was a normal afternoon. My body and my mind needed it.
All of it led me to where I was… pulling to the side of the road to pick up Talon.
Tank Two came to a stop and Talon opened the passenger door.
He got into the seat, pulled his hood down and looked at me.
“Got the money?”
“Hello to you too.”
“We just spent how many days together, Winter? And now I’m hanging with you just hours after you left. So we need to say hello?”
“I almost forgot how much of a dick you can be.”
“Money. Now.”
I opened the middle console. “Take it.”
Talon grabbed the money from the console and flipped through it. “Okay. Looks good.”
“Are you sure about this?” I asked.
“Now you care?” he asked. “You had no problem texting me for help. You had no problem calling me because you didn’t want to text everything. You had no problem asking me to hang back and make sure you were safe while you talk to these douchebag Bumps. And you had no problem bringing money to pay me for my time. But now… now you’re worried?”
“I’m not worried,” I said. “I’m asking a question.”
“Money is the answer to your question,” he said. “You pay me. I do my job. That’s where this relationship ends.”
“What happens when we hang out because of Gia?” I asked. “Do I have to pay you then?”
“Maybe,” Talon said. “I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”