all my firsts to. Was blindly in love with. Whether it’s because her parents just got divorced or not, there’s no excuse. “You’re nothing but a cheating bitch.”
I spin around and storm away, shrugging off Tyson who tries to stop me with a hand on my shoulder. I ignore the way he shouts out my name. I ignore Lizzy’s cries to stop walking away. I ignore her pleas to come back to them and listen. I ignore the looks of everyone as I push through the crowd around the fire and climb into my pickup. I start it up with a satisfying roar, take a breath, and close my eyes for a moment to gather my thoughts.
How could I miss this?
How could I have been so blind to the fact that the friend I consider as much a brother than my own two had been sleeping with my girlfriend?
The passenger door opens and Addy climbs in.
“Drive.”
“Addy…”
“Just drive. You need this.”
She’s right. Whenever I need time to think, I do it best behind the wheel of my pickup.
Putting my truck in reverse, I tear out of my spot at the edge of the field, switch to drive, and do just that. I drive. Addy in the passenger seat, sitting quietly with one leg tucked under the other, her elbow resting on the console.
Out of the corner of my eye I see her flip open her ringing phone and slam it shut, shoving it in one of the empty cupholders.
I grunt, knowing that Lizzy was just trying to call her.
“You didn’t know?”
“No. I didn’t.”
I nod, knowing that she’s telling the truth. She’s a terrible liar. She can’t manage to sit still, rather fidgets and winces because it goes against her nature.
“I have no idea what she was thinking.”
“Are you surprised?” I ask in a whisper and hold my breath for her answer. I don’t know what answer I’m hoping for because part of me wants her to be just as surprised as I am. That I’m not the only one who was an idiot.
“No,” she says just as quietly, shaking her head back and forth while looking down at her lap. Timid. Shy. Pained. Her slender fingers slide across the console and grip my forearm. “There is something wrong that I can’t put my finger on but she’s been off since just before prom.”
“Probably because she was trying to hide the fact that she was screwing Tyson behind my back.”
“Maybe. Maybe it’s something else? I don’t know but I wish… I guess I wish things were different.”
I sigh and relax into my seat. Still driving. Letting the purr of the engine and low music coming through the speakers calm me. “Me, too.”
We’ve been driving around for a couple hours, letting the music coming through the speakers speak for us when Addy’s phone rings again. She reaches down for it, flipping it open and sighing heavily. This time answering, “Hi, Mom.”
I glance over at the clock and wince when I realize it’s way past her curfew. She squeezes my arm and I bite back a laugh when her eyes widen comically.
“Sorry, sorry. I know. It’s late.” She pauses as her mom no doubt yells on the other end. Suzie’s a single mom and incredibly protective. “I’m with Beau. Something happened tonight and we’re just driving around.” Another pause and she looks at me, our eyes meeting for a second before I turn my attention back on the gravel road before us. “Okay. Yeah. I get it, Mom. I promise I’ll be home soon.” She hangs up and places it back in the cupholder.
“Mama Suzie on a war path?”
“Oh, yeah. She’s pissed.” She laughs and makes an eek face. “But when I told her who I was with she seemed to relax a little bit. I’ll be grounded for sure but whatever.”
“I’m sorry. My bad. I’ll get you home,” I tell her but make no move to change the direction of the pickup. Continuing down the quiet dusty gravel road, past old farmhouses and barns. I love driving these back roads. I’ve always felt more at home surrounded by nothingness.
“No!” she shouts and I chuckle at her outburst. “No. She said I could stay out another hour.”
I turn right and glance at Addy. “Suzie’s being generous tonight?”
“Apparently,” she murmurs.
We drive in silence until it’s time to bring her home. Neither of us needing to speak. Content to think and move forward from the shit storm that occurred tonight.