AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sand Creek was over an hour away, and going with Jo felt like the right thing to do.
Her mom drove us as we sat in the back seat talking.
“You still plan on finishing school?”
“Yeah, mom’s enrolling me in an online one.” Jo leaned her head back. “I left Richard a letter that I was breaking up with him and leaving Port Stella.”
“Harsh.” I shivered. “You left a dear John note?”
“I can’t look at him, Miranda.” She wiped a few tears away. “I love him so much and he doesn’t want this.” Her hand spanned her still flat belly. “And I can’t do abortion or adoption. This is my baby.”
I reached for her hand and held it. “I understand.”
We were quiet after that and my stomach felt queasy. Before we left, I got a bottle of lemon-lime soda and I sipped it, hoping it would help settle my stomach.
I’d been car sick before, so it wasn’t a big deal, but I couldn’t wait until we arrived at her grandma’s so I could get out and get some fresh air.
“Are you feeling okay, Miranda?” Mrs. Whitman asked, looking at me through the rearview mirror.
“Yeah, just a little carsick.” I shrugged it off and closed my eyes for the rest of the ride.
When we arrived, her grandmother hugged us both and sent us in to put our things down in the rooms we were staying in.
The nausea rolling through me ramped up, and I kicked my shoes off to lie down on the bed.
I couldn’t stop the tears that fell. My heart was broken.
“You know if you feel that bad about what happened, maybe you liked him a little more than you wanted to admit?”
“I know.” I sniffled as Jolynn crawled up beside me.
“We can be sad together.” She dropped her head on my shoulder and I felt her tears wetting my shirt.
“What a pair we are.” I giggled half-heartedly. “Jo?”
“Yeah?”
Swallowing hard, I said the words out loud that I never wanted to share. “I think I was in love with Henry.”
“I know, Miranda.” She sniffled. “I really hoped he was a good guy. I’m sorry he wasn’t.”
“Grandpa said first loves hurt.”
“Well. He’s not wrong.” She wiped her nose against my shoulder. “Sorry.”
“Meh.” I shrugged, laughing. “It’s not like you vomited on me.”
We cried our broken hearts to sleep and the smell of charred meat woke me. I loved steak and the smell of it being grilled, but something about this steak made me sick.
Rolling off the bed, I ran for the bathroom and dropped to my knees as everything I ate came back up.
I heard the water running in the sink, and then I felt a cool washcloth pressed on the back of my neck.
“You feeling okay?” Jo’s soft voice made me cry.
In between heaves, I muttered. “I just feel off.”
She stayed with me until I was able to sit back, and her mom stood in the doorway. “Miranda Rose Walker.”
