Drive(46)

I was on fire with freedom and deliciously sore. His touch still lingered on my flesh; his desire still danced on my tongue. Up the stairs and feeling confident I could keep us a secret just a little while longer, I shut the door softly and found the apartment quiet. I moved toward my duffle and jumped when I saw Paige on the couch. I froze and then hung my head.

Her voice was ice. “You can’t stay here.”

“What?”

“Get out, Stella. Leave your key.”

“No, what? No, Paige. You don’t mean that. You can’t mean that.”

“I do. This is a big mistake, and I will not watch you make it.”

“Please,” I pleaded through the dark room. “Please don’t do this. I only need a few weeks.”

“Should have thought about that before you fucked my best friend.”

Anger built, and I couldn’t help my bite of defense. “Why, would you rather it be you?”

“Get out.”

“Paige.” I shook my head. “I didn’t mean that. It’s just—”

“Get out. Now.”

“Paige?” Neil said as he walked into the kitchen and turned on the light, making us both wince.

“She’s leaving,” she said as she walked up to Neil and kissed his cheek. “Now.”

“Paige,” I said as my voice cracked. “I really care about him. I want to be with him. Why is that so wrong?”

She walked into the bedroom and closed the door.

“I’m sorry,” I told Neil as I stuffed a few loose T-shirts in my bag and zipped it up. “Thank you for letting me stay.”

“I’ll talk to her, Stella.”

“She’s never been this mad at me, ever.”

Neil sighed and scrubbed his face. “She’ll get over it. She’s more pissed at Reid.”

The gnawing sensation hit my chest as I thought for a second I might have made a mistake. “Is he that bad?”

Neil looked at me with clear eyes. “If he wants to be.” He walked over to his CD collection and pulled a hundred-dollar bill from one of the shelved discs. “Take this and get a cab and cheap motel for the night. I’ll talk to her.”

“No,” I said, giving him a quick hug. “No, keep your money. I’ll figure it out. Bye,” I choked out as I closed the door behind me. A tidal wave struck the second I was out the door as the tears built and fell freely.

Fuck.

I had money for a hotel, but it was 5:00 in the morning. There was only one place for me to go. I took the walk of shame, that only my sister had brought on, and dragged my duffle across the lawn. I looked up to see Reid smoking a cigarette on his balcony. I paused as he stood and crushed it under his foot.

He met me at his front door, my face burning with fresh tears. “Did she call you?”

“If you want to call it that,” he said as he grabbed my bag, tossed it behind him, and pulled me inside.

“I’m sorry,” I said as my breath hitched and more tears flowed. I was embarrassed, furious, and temporarily homeless.

“We both did this,” he said as he thumbed my jawline. “We, not you.”

“She’s so pissed.”

“She’ll get over it.” Nothing in his voice told me he believed she would. Had I just cost him his best friend?

“Can I just stay today? I need some sleep. I need to think.”

Reid nodded as I shook with the revelation that I’d completely alienated my sister.

Was I wrong? Was she? Would Reid make a fool out of me? And what were we? Was it even worth it?

Reid bit his lip and pawed the top of my head. “Stop your brain.”

“I’m so screwed.”

“Welcome to adulthood,” he said with a Cheshire grin. “It fucking sucks here.”

“God, please don’t ever volunteer for a suicide hotline,” I said as I looked around his place in the early morning light. “This looked so different an hour ago,” I said under my breath.

“Because you weren’t stuck here,” he said softly behind me.

I looked his way and saw the shame my words brought him. “I didn’t mean it like that at all. If you think this is bad, you should visit my Uncle Julio in Mexico. He has a dirt floor. You live like royalty compared to him.”

Reid shook his head the way he always did when he dismissed my eternal optimism and led me to his mattress. Tucked in his hold, he kissed me until I came undone for him and fell asleep on his chest.





Watching the Wheels

John Lennon



The next week was a mixture of heaven and hell on earth between Paige’s wrath and Reid’s healing lips. My parents were pissed. She wasted no time telling them I was shacking up with Reid. I avoided their calls. Paige glared at us both from a distance while keeping hers. She refused to speak to either of us. As soon as we clocked in on the same shift, I could feel the heat wave she let off. Reid tried to approach her a few days after she kicked me out, but she just walked away and embarrassed him. We were completely screwed in our footing. I wasn’t welcome back to her house, and she made it known by telling my parents everything, which put me in the doghouse with them as well.

I avoided it all, completely fixated on my bubble with Reid. When I got to The Plate Bar, I went straight to work, doing my best to avoid Paige as we all scurried around like mice trying to tame the dinner rush. But that Friday, we were so busy at one point Paige got temporary amnesia, and we worked together to get through it. My hopes of any sort of truce were dashed when an hour after the doors closed, she slammed her hands into Reid’s chest and yelled at him without an ounce of restraint.