Racing for Freedom - By Bec Botefuhr Page 0,23

you’re very careful about how you treat them, how you speak to them. You tiptoe around them, in fear they’ll break. You don’t say the words you want to say, because you don’t want to be the one that causes them to end everything. I’ve lived like that for so long, but today had to happen. It just had to happen.

When I arrive back at my unit, Lucas rushes out right away, pulling me into his arms. I’m not really sure how he knew I’d need this, but I don’t care. I fall into him, desperate for comfort. He leads me inside and pulls me down onto the couch, where he holds me while I silently tremble. I don’t cry though, no, I’ve cried enough. Eventually my body begins to calm down and my eyelids droop. Lucas is warm against me and his breathing is deep and even. It calms me and soon I’m asleep, finally drifting to a world where nothing hurts.

Chapter Sixteen

I wake during the late afternoon. I shift and move, my body is sore from lying on the couch for hours. I look around and realize Lucas is gone. I guess he had to go to work. I get off the couch with a groan and walk into the kitchen, my stomach grumbles angrily at me. I pull out some bread, ham and cheese. I make myself a sandwich and shuffle about, until I find my phone, then I text Lucas and thank him, before settling back onto the couch. I don’t want to go anywhere tonight, I just don’t.

I’m thankful I don’t have to work. I work three days and three nights at a local restaurant and it’s fairly good money. It’s enough at least, to keep me from having to move back home. I wrap a blanket around myself and flick through the channels until I find a movie on television. Country Strong, I love this movie, it always makes me cry, so it’s probably not the best choice for a day like today, but I can’t look away. It just grabs me.

I’m half way through when the front door opens and Slade comes in. He’s alone, which surprises me. He’s had Kandee with him more often than not lately. He looks at me, pitifully wrapped in my blanket on the couch and smiles. He walks over and slumps down beside me, staring at the television with a scowl. I guess this movie is not his type, well so what, I like it.

“You and your girly movies, you always did like them.”

I look over at him and poke my tongue at him. He smirks and flicks it.

“Ouch, you bully.”

“Well, don’t poke it at me then.”

I pout and turn back to the television.

“Who’s the hot chick?”

I frown at him. “That’s Kelly, she’s a country music star.”

“Oh, she’s hot.”

“Slade!”

“Just sayin’.”

“Well, she kills herself in the end.”

He scrunches up his nose. “Way to ruin a good movie.”

“It’s a beautiful movie.”

“The leading lady dies, how’s it beautiful?”

I smile. “Because the leading man falls in love with the other girl, and they save each other from going down the same path.”

Slade snorts. “He must not have loved her a whole lot, if he fell in love so easily.”

“I don’t think he really loved her, he just felt connected to her. He wanted to help her, to make her better.”

Slade nods and stares at the screen a while, settling further into the couch beside me. Our thighs are touching and an electric bolt shoots through me. I swallow, suddenly uneasy. I shouldn’t be sitting this close to Slade and feeling ok about it.

“Hey Dash, you remember that first Christmas we had together?”

I smile, though it’s pained. “Yeah, you made me that stupid Christmas ball and I broke it.”

“Hey, it wasn’t stupid. I spent hours on that.”

“I know, and secretly I loved it. I pieced it all back together you know, I still have it.”

“Bullshit.”

“Serious!” I grin.

“Show me.”

I stand and drop my blanket, and I rush to my room. I dig through my cupboards until I find the ball. It’s red and made of light plastic. It’s all pieced back together with shitty super glue. It has my name on it, and Merry Christmas. I swallow and feel my throat tighten, when I stare down at it. Slade’s behind me in a moment, taking it from my hands.

“Shit, you…kept it.”

“I felt so bad that I broke it, I spent hours trying to piece it back together.”

“You did a shitty job,” he chuckles.

“Yeah,