Drive(10)

LEXI: Do you know who he looks like?!





Defendant number #2345678


LEXI: What?

Nothing. What an awesome plan for you. You come down on a manhunt. Will there at least be cake?

LEXI: SORRY. I know you’re hurting.

I’m okay. I’m brushing it off a lot better than I thought I would. He didn’t give a shit about me. I’m not that stupid. You know what’s weird? I’m more pissed off than hurt. At myself.

LEXI: He was hot and funny at times. But I told you he was a douche. I promise your birthday will be epic. I’ll make sure of it. But seriously get somewhere and call me. I need to decipher whether you’re full of shit or not.

I’m not. And I don’t want to talk about him. It’s weird, but I’m okay. I knew. Deep down I knew.

LEXI: He was a total tool.

A pathetic part of me wanted to defend him. But I knew better.

In hindsight, I think you may be right.

LEXI: I’m here if you need me.





I know. Love you. XO


I looked up to see Reid watching me. “What?”

He pressed his lips into a line, and I had a feeling whatever was about to come out of his mouth might wage war, but Paige interrupted us.

“Ready?” She looked between us, and I was sure she could feel the tension and confirmed as much with a frown before she grabbed her purse from the counter. Reid and I were on opposite sides of her living room, but we might as well have been on different sides of the planet.





Feel Good Inc

Gorillaz



“Turn this up, please,” I asked from the back seat, still a bit pissed that Reid had no intention of acting like a gentleman or offering me shotgun. It was apparent he’d stuck me into some sort of category where he felt I was entitled to little and better off ignored.

I wasn’t a fan of Reid.

But he got along famously with my sister. Conversations and private jokes were easy between them. In fact, I couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

“Can you please turn it up?”

They both ignored me as my sister drove toward downtown, rattling on about some shenanigans they’d gotten into recently.

I sat back fuming, sure one or both had heard me at some point. When the song was over, Reid slowly moved his hand toward the console and turned up the next song. I narrowed my eyes as a slow-building smirk spread over his face while he glanced my way.

Oh. You. Dick.

And that was when feeling became certainty. I did not like Reid.

“Let’s hit up the pub after work,” Reid muttered.

“Can’t.” My sister nodded back at me.

“Oh, please. I’ve had a fake ID since I was seventeen. You know this, Paige.”

Reid shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt to try.”

“No way, and have those assholes pawing on my little sister? No thanks.”

“She’s safe. You know I won’t let anything happen.”

My next announcement might have come out something like, “I’ve got condoms.”

Paige glared at me through the rearview as Reid chuckled.

“Stop playing the mother role. I’m well versed in penis and vagina. I don’t need you protecting me from anything.”

Reid looked back at me as I crossed my arms like a four-year-old. “Jesus, if I knew you were going to be this damn protective, I would have stayed in Dallas.”

Paige sighed. “Penis and vagina?”

“Well, I’m only going into my third year of college. Experimenting hasn’t started yet, but I’ll keep you updated.”

Reid’s head shot back on a laugh. I ignored him and moved forward, gripping my sister’s headrest as I spoke to her. “What’s got you acting all Mary Poppins all of a sudden? You know I can handle myself.”

“You just got dumped by the lead singer of a band called Meat.”

Pissed at my sister’s inability to keep my private crap between us, I fired back. “And I saw the vibrator in your dresser drawer. Are we going to openly discuss every private detail in front of him?” Paige slammed on the breaks at a stoplight and turned around to glare at me.

“What in the hell, Stella? You’re going through my shit?”

“What in the hell, Paige? You had to mention him? Equally as personal of a detail. Just forget it. I don’t want to go out with you. I’ll get the key and take a cab home.”

“You don’t have any money,” she snapped.

“I’ll find some. Green light.”

I pointed to the neon light in front of us just as someone sounded their horn. The car stayed quiet until we pulled up to El Plato Cantina—The Plate Bar. The dumbest damn name for a Tex-Mex restaurant imaginable. It was obvious the owners were white and had thrown the title together without much thought before they forked out a fortune to open a restaurant.

Reid pulled two clean aprons from Paige’s glove compartment as she fumed in the front seat.

“No one’s judging. I commend you for being so adventurous, sis.” I got out of the car as Reid belted out another laugh before he caught a direct chest slap from my sister. She ripped the keys from the ignition, got out of the car, and then laid into me.

“Stay out of my crap!”