I go back and forth with wanting to call her and telling myself I shouldn't. I probably should take Pete's advice and stay away from her for a few weeks but that doesn't mean we can't talk.
Two hours later, Pete settles up with the bartender as I get up to leave. Despite all the whiskey I had, I don't even feel drunk.
"Want to go get something to eat?" Pete asks.
"No, I'll just eat something at home." I look at my phone and see a message from Sophie, sent an hour ago.
"What is it?" Pete asks, noticing me staring at my phone.
"A text from Sophie."
"What does it say?"
I open the text and read it. "Her community service starts this weekend. She's working all day Saturday. Going up there Friday night."
"Don't do it, man." Pete puts his hand on my shoulder. "As your friend, I'm telling you, it's a really bad idea. Don't go up there. It's too soon. Celine knows all the people you know. There's a good chance she'll find out you left town."
"Yeah? So? What's she going to do about it?"
"Just give it a couple weeks. What's the rush? You don't have to see Sophie this weekend."
But I do. I can't take being away from her. It's been almost a week since I've seen her and I miss her. I can't stop thinking about her.
I'm single now, and so is she, so why can't we be together? Nobody we know will be in Vermont. Nobody will see us. And I really should go up there to meet with Tom again.
The decision is made. I'm going to Vermont.
Chapter Fourteen
Sophie
I haven't heard from Aiden since I sent him a text telling him I was starting my community service this weekend. He texted back, apologizing once again for getting me in this situation. That's all he said, and I haven't heard from him since.
Now it's Friday and I had to leave work early to make the long drive up to Vermont. I'm almost there but I can barely keep my eyes open. I'm exhausted. I had a horrible day. Celine kept calling me about every little detail of this dinner I'm now in charge of. Celine doesn't think I'm capable of managing the event on my own. She keeps calling Bianca instead of me, and then Bianca gets annoyed and blames me for why Celine keeps calling her. I just want this event to be over, and when it finally is, I better get that promotion. If I don't, I'll be saying goodbye to New York.
After work I raced home to get my overnight bag and was greeted by an eviction notice taped to my door. Last week I gave the landlord five hundred dollars, which isn't even a third of what I owe him but at least it's something. I thought the money could buy me some time but it didn't, and now he's giving me until the end of the month to pay up or get out.
Then, when I went to pick up the rental car, they couldn't find my reservation. The only car they had left was a minivan, which cost twice as much as the car I reserved. Luckily, I found the reservation on my phone and the place was forced to give me the minivan for the cheaper price but the van will cost me more in gas.
I'm at the point now where I need to call my parents for a loan. I've been putting it off because I don't want to hear their speech about how they knew I'd never survive in New York and that I should've stayed in Kansas. But I'm out of options. I have to ask them for money.
Taking a deep breath, I call up their number and put the phone on speaker.
My mom answers. "Sophie, what a nice surprise."
"Hey, Mom. Are you busy?"
"A little, but that's okay. How have you been?"
"Mom, if you're busy I'll just call back later."
"Honey, it's fine. Your dad and I are just out shopping for a new fridge. Did I tell you ours died?"
"No. When did that happen?"
"Last night. We woke up this morning and found it wasn't running. Your dad thought he could fix it so he went to go to the hardware store but his truck wouldn't start. We found out it's the transmission. It'll cost us to more to fix it than the truck is worth so we're going to have to buy a new truck. And if that's not enough, the furnace