The Perfect Escape (The Perfect Escape #1) - Suzanne Park Page 0,85
a waste of time unless you know what you’re doing—”
I interrupted. “Dude. I don’t need advanced tech-splanation. Do you know how wallets work? How to transfer cryptocoin from my wallet to Kate’s?”
“Yes.”
I hit my hand on the steering wheel. “Great! I’m heading over.”
* * *
I stayed at Zach’s for a few hours, ignoring my parents’ escalating calls and threats as Zach figured out the logistics of my cryptocurrency transfer. My monthlong grounding had been pushed up to six months. But it was more important to me to get Kate the money I owed her. When he finally made the transfer to her wallet and verified it wasn’t traceable, I headed straight home.
Thirst and hunger gnawed at me to the point of nausea the entire drive. I took a swig of the God-knows-how-many-days-old water from the cup holder and fished around on the passenger side floor for my stash of Cheez-Its while stopping at a light. Kate’s birthday present to me had fallen off the passenger seat and onto the floor. She’d used plain brown kraft paper and the good kind of tape that made unwrapping it a breeze.
Her gift? A heather-gray T-shirt, in exactly my size. A mediumish large. Lardium. I held it up by the shoulders and laughed.
THIS GUY LOVES MAROON 5, with two cartoony thumbs pointing in. She’d left the price tag on it: “$10, originally $20.”
Hands down, the best and worst gift I’d ever gotten. The twinge in my chest came back, more forceful now. This stupid gift was perfect.
A horn blared behind me, snapping me to full attention. I slammed the gas pedal to ramp up my speed, awakened to the realization that I would do anything to win Kate back.
Chapter Thirty
Kate
Everything looked the way I’d left it when I got home. I took a long shower, washing the burned zombie stench off me, and carefully cleaned the scratches and scrapes all over my face, arms, and legs. After wrapping my ankle, I changed into the clothes I’d already set out on my chair the night before the Zombiegeddon competition and put on my puffy black down coat.
My roller bag was already packed and ready to go. My one-way ticket printout, secured inside the front zipper of the second suitcase. My new disposable phone, activated and prepaid for three months, in my backpack along with my flash drive loaded with all my important files. My family photos, the ones of Mom, Dad, and me, were tucked inside a padded envelope with my other important belongings. I’d left all the empty silver frames behind.
Deep inside my chest, sadness pushed its way up, making it hard for me to hold back tears. Now that the time had come, saying goodbye to my life was harder than I had expected.
Jeeves rolled up toward me as I made my way to the front door. “Good evening, Kate. It’s time for me to take your vitals.”
“Not now. I’m on my way out,” I replied.
“Incoming call from your father,” he chirped back. “A new feature with the latest software update. Video chat!” The screen on Jeeves’s chest flicked on, and my dad’s face appeared in high-definition color. It was something Digitools had been working on for years.
“I’ll be home in an hour. Another late night at the office,” he grumbled into his whiskey glass. He sat up in his chair and squinted. “Wait, where are you going? You have school tomorrow.”
The lump in my throat burned. I didn’t answer. I gulped instead.
“Jeeves,” Dad barked. “What is Kate wearing?”
“Plaid shirt, jeans, black coat, and beanie, sir.”
His eyes narrowed even more, like he had the power to look into my soul. “Does she have anything else in her possession?”
“Yes. Two suitcases and a backpack, sir.”
Dad slammed both hands on his desk. “Jeeves, detain her until I get home,” he growled. “Kate, I don’t know what you’re planning, but we need to have a serious conversation when I get there.”
“No!” I shouted, my stomach in tight knots.
“You don’t have a choice, Kate. My house, my rules!” he yelled.