some reason. The car spun out of control, went off the road, and slammed into a tree. It was completely totaled, and all three of us were seriously injured. Ollie’s face was all cut up and she broke her arm. She was unconscious for nearly a week. Sawyer was ejected; they said he broke his back. Last I heard he ended up in a wheelchair. Because I was in the backseat and nearly asleep, I escaped mostly unscathed. To this day, I swear to God, Sawyer did something to cause the accident in the first place.”
I didn’t care that the roads were shitty or that Ollie was inexperienced behind the wheel. Even in my stupor, I knew what I saw, and that was Sawyer messing with Ollie while she drove. Of course, I knew no one would believe me if I tried to explain what happened. Sawyer was the golden boy, and I was the unwanted bastard.
I sighed and looked at my friend, who was staring at me like I was a stranger. “I took the fall for the accident. Sawyer told everyone, our families, the police, anyone who asked, that I was driving and lost control because of the road conditions and because I was fucked up that night. When she was awake, Ollie backed his story up. She lied for him.”
For a minute, it really seemed like I would spend the rest of my teens in juvie. Fortunately, my father, who’d never been much of one, stepped up for the first and last time. “My dad offered to send me away before things got really bad.” I snorted out a bitter laugh and shook my head.
I put my hands on my hips and shifted my gaze away from Harlen’s shocked face. “She blames herself for Sawyer ending up in a wheelchair. She said the whole accident was her fault and she couldn’t leave him to fend for himself. She was ready to be the martyr for the whole incident. I was mad at her, and so hurt by her betrayal, I left without a fight. Last night she said she always wanted to apologize, but I didn’t want to hear it.”
Harlen made a strangled sound in his throat and started pacing back and forth in front of me in an agitated manner. “And you’ve been out here collecting other lost souls ever since you were disowned and sent away?”
It was as close to the truth as anything else. “I knew what it was like to be abandoned and alone. Didn’t sit right with me when I came across others who knew how hard it was to make it with no support system and no family.”
I stopped the heavy conversation as a couple of very cute co-eds suddenly jogged by. I lifted my chin in response when they giggled and waved in our direction, obviously hoping we’d pick our run back up and follow after them.
Harlen rolled his eyes, tapped me on the shoulder, and muttered that we needed to get moving because he still had practice this morning. We didn’t follow the flirty girls, and this time the pace he set didn’t make me feel like my lungs were on fire. We’d been moving for a few minutes when my friend suddenly asked, “If the guy Ollie’s running from is in a wheelchair, why is she so scared of him? Seems like it’d be pretty easy to avoid him if she wanted to.”
I shook my head and moved to keep up with him. “Nothing with Sawyer is that easy. He’s sneaky and manipulative. He doesn’t get his hands dirty unless there is no other choice. While Ollie is here, there is no telling who or what he’s got his claws into to make life miserable for her and anyone around her. And if he wants her back, he’ll do anything to make that happen. He’s got a mom who doesn’t tell him no and a father with a deep-ass wallet. Wheelchair or not, he’s dangerous and evil, and I know there is no way in hell he just let Ollie walk away from him. He’d rather we all die than admit he doesn’t have complete control over her. You think I want you and Vernon anywhere near someone like that? What if he goes after you guys to get at me, or to get Ollie to do whatever it is he wants? He knows she’s soft, and that eventually you guys will matter to her. For him, there