before I kicked her out.”
“Hindsight, right?” the driver asked.
“Yeah… hindsight…”
I lift my head from the table, a playing card and a poker chip stuck to my cheek. I flick the poker chip away and peel the card off my face.
Two of hearts.
How fucking stupid…
I open the window on the bus and flick the card out it
I stand up and the bus is moving. Not just from being on the road either.
My hand grabs a bottle of whiskey and I walk to the bathroom.
I drop down to one knee and propose to the toilet before throwing up.
I wash down the taste of vomit with the whiskey.
That’s a rock star’s breakfast.
I walk to the back of the bus and the second I get into my bed, I smell her.
The fucking sheets reek of her.
I hurry and ball up the sheets, including the pillow and pillowcase.
Then I open one of the drawers and I see her shit.
Some stupid fucking jewelry. A bottle of perfume.
I look around.
I know I’m alone.
After I shut my eyes, I twist the cap off the perfume and take a deep breath.
The smell brings back a thousand memories.
Her laugh.
Her hair.
I’d smell that scent just before I’d kiss her.
When we’d fuck and get all filthy and sweaty, I’d smell that scent…
I put all of her shit - except one ring - into the balled-up sheets.
I take it to the window that I opened and throw it all the fuck out.
Then I sit down and put my head down.
“Ah, fuck!” Bill, the bus driver, yells.
I pick my head up again.
We’re getting pulled over.
For littering.
That at least makes me laugh.
The corner was empty.
“Fuck,” I growled.
The driver had on the hazard lights while we just sat there in the middle of the road.
Cars whizzed around us, beeping their horns.
“You saw them there, right?” I asked.
“Yes, I did,” he said. “What do you want me to do now?”
“Go around the block,” I said. “Slow. Let’s see if we can find them.”
The car crept forward and turned left.
I kept my eyes peeled.
Abby? Where are you at, honey? It’s been long enough… right?
I couldn’t believe this bullshit.
That I was actually doing this.
Shit… just seeing her was enough.
It meant she was alive. Well. Whatever.
When I ditched her on the side of the highway, I had no idea what would happen to her.
But she was alive.
Singing in a group of four women on the corner, but whatever.
That was her life.
The driver circled the block.
“What now?” he called out.
“Stop,” I said.
I opened the door and got out of the car.
I walked to the corner and stood there.
The streets were busy. The sidewalks were busy.
It was the hustle of the city.
Abby could have been anywhere by now.
I then made the really stupid decision to crouch down and touch the sidewalk. Like I was some detective in a show. I was going to touch the sidewalk and suddenly know where she was.
Get the fuck out of here, Reed.
I stood up and someone grabbed my arm.
“Reed?”
I turned with a grin. “Ab…”
“Ohmygod! It’s Reed! From Filthy Line!”
I had no idea who the woman yelling in my face was.
Shit.
Next thing I knew, there were ten people coming toward me.
Everyone hurrying to take out their phones.
“Reed! Reed! Reed!”
My name echoed in all directions.
“Hey, honey, I, uh, I’m on my way to the studio,” I called out. “No time to chat. Unless anyone is showing their tits…”
Two ladies grabbed the top of their already low-cut shirts and pulled them down.
I felt another hand grab my right arm from behind.
I turned and the driver nodded to me.
“Sorry, but he has to go,” the driver yelled. “My orders.”
“Reed! Don’t go!” someone yelled.
I dove for the car and got inside.
The crowd was a mix of cheers and boos.
Cheering for me.
Booing because of the driver.
He got into the car and drove off in a hurry.
“Thanks for that,” I said. “What’s your name?”
“Leon,” he said.
“Can we keep all this between us, Leon?” I asked.
“Of course.”
He drove.
We were in silence for about a minute.
“Reed, where to now?”
“Let’s go find Kelly. The one with the nice tits.”
The driver looked at me in the mirror.
But he didn’t say a word.
He did his job and drove.
It was now another game of finding a woman I kicked to the side of the road.
With Kelly, I just wanted to suck on her tits for a little while to forget the reminder in my heart about Abby.
See, this was why women were pure evil.
All they did was tear up my heart.
Leon drove to the spot where Kelly had gotten