Until Trevor (Until, #2)(6)
“No, he just came to tell me something,” I say, walking towards the door.
“Call me and let me know you’re okay,” she says, and it makes me want to cry. She has made working here fun, and has become a pretty good friend.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” I say, opening the door, walking right past Trevor, Cash, and Mike.
“You okay, darlin’?” Mike asks, putting his arm around my shoulder.
“Yeah, I'm just gonna go home. I’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast; and thanks for the internship.”
“I’ll see you then, and we can talk,” he says, squeezing me to his side.
“Great,” I mutter, walking out into the parking lot to my Charger. I open my door and throw my bag across, into the passenger seat.
“Hey, we need to talk,” Trevor says, turning me around with his hand on my waist.
“No, Trevor, we don’t need to talk.”
“We’re friends, Liz. This isn’t you; I just want what’s best for you,” he says, trying to pull me into him. I take a step back, get in my car, and slam the door, engaging the locks before he can stop me or open my door. Turning on the car, I rev the engine, then roll down my window an inch.
“Just so you learn a lesson from tonight, I'm going to clue you in; you know, since were friends and all.” I say sarcastically. “First of all, friends ask each other about their lives. Second, a friend would wonder what circumstances would cause someone to work somewhere that they never would have before. And last, but not f*cking least, a friend would never threaten another friend.” With my parting words, I rev my engine and let the gravel fly behind me. My car fishtails right before I get to the stop sign. I turn up Nickelback’s “Animals” on my car stereo, stick my hand out my window, and flip Trevor off. As soon as I roll up my window, tears start sliding down my cheeks from the sadness and anger I'm feeling. I trusted Trevor at one point, and just like my brother, that trust was not earned, and now I'm more stuck than I was before. I have to find a way to earn the money that I need to save my business, without getting my mom involved and making my brother do time.
Trevor
“Well, I have to say, that went well; don’t you think, friend?” Cash asks, while patting my chest before he walks off. I'm completely stunned, stuck in place, wondering what the f*ck just happened. “Yo! T, are you coming, or what?” He shouts from across the parking lot, snapping me out of my stupor. I lean my head back, looking up at the night sky. Seeing a shooting star, I make a wish; I close my eyes, let out a breath, and walk to my truck, knowing tomorrow is a different day.
Chapter 2
Liz
Waking up to the floor creaking above me, I roll over and look at the clock, seeing that it’s just after nine-thirty. I know that Mike is eating breakfast, then going to sleep. Part of me wants to avoid going upstairs; I want to hide under the covers of my bed like I did when I was little, and pretend that my life is perfect and normal. I want to pretend that Trevor didn’t threaten to tell my mom on me, that my brother didn’t steal my money, and that I wasn’t at risk of losing a dream that I have worked so hard for. I toss the covers back, jump out of bed, grab a pair of pink sweats from the floor, pull them on, and head up stairs.
“Hey, darlin’,” Mike says, as I come through the basement door.
“Hey,” I mumble, heading to the coffee pot.
“We need to talk about last night, darlin’.”
“I know,” I say, pulling a mug down, pouring coffee, cream, and two Splendas into it. I hop up on the counter and take a sip of coffee. “I'm sorry about last night. Trevor caught me off guard, and I was upset. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”
“I know that you’re mad at him, but he really is just trying to look out for you.” I almost tell him that he’s really only looking out for himself. Just like everything with Trevor, it’s all about him. Instead, I bite my tongue and nod my head. Who knows? Maybe in the alternate universe that Trevor lives in, he really is helping me. Too bad for me, my business loan, car loan, and shop rent doesn’t exist in his universe.
“Your dad was my best friend,” Mike says, his face getting soft. “The day you were born, he was overjoyed. I was depressed; I never really thought of being a father. But when I found out that Susan was pregnant, I knew that I would be the best dad I could be. Then Susan took off, and I had no way to get November back. I had no idea where her mom had gone with her. So when your dad told me that he and your mom were expecting a little girl, I was jealous. I wanted that for myself. Then you were born, and your dad handed you to me and told me that I was going to be your godfather. He said he knew just by looking at you, he couldn’t imagine having someone take you from him, so he was going to share you with me.” He chuckled, rubbing his jaw. “Your dad was a good man and a great friend.” I nod my head in agreement. I can feel tears stinging my nose again. “I'm giving you the money, Liz. The money Tim stole from you and your mom. No more bullshit about working for it. You did work for it, and then it was taken from you. So now, I'm going to do what your dad would have done. I'm giving it back to you.” I start shaking my head. “If Tim turns up, he owes me, Liz; you’re not doing this shit anymore. I'm helping you out. You can stay downstairs in the apartment as long as you want. Now, I'm going to bed. I left the check in an envelope on the table near the door. Make sure you take it.” He kisses my forehead, leaving me speechless sitting on the counter.