I took the phone out of my pocket and saw a message from Aunt Lizzie saying ‘coast clear’. She had sent it two hours ago, but I had been so engrossed in my conversation with Olivia that I hadn't noticed.
Putting the phone back in the pocket of my white jeans, I crossed my arms over my chest, enjoying the echoing of my Texan boots against the deserted street. When I was about to reach an intersection, the engine of a car roared behind me.
Engulfed by the headlights, I moved as close to the curb as I could, and walked slowly, waiting for the vehicle to drive past.
It didn't.
The car slowed down near me. I stopped and turn to my side, trying to see who the driver was, and sucked in a breath the moment I got my answer.
“It's too late to be walking alone on the streets, Daisy.”
Senator Madeleine Jones.
My stomach turned into a painful knot.
“I-I was just heading home.”
“Zigzagging, it seems.” She pointed, her disapproving face illuminated by the yellow light inside the expensive vehicle. It was a Mercedes sports car. “Get in. I'll give you a ride.”
I cleared my throat. Yes, I was a little drunk, but not enough to accept that sudden act of kindness.
“Th-thank you, Senator. That won't be necessary. My house is nearby.”
Something twisted in her stern features. “My son didn't sacrifice himself that day for you to turn up dead in some ditch.”
Ouch. Low blow.
I nodded and reluctantly opened the car door, getting into the passenger seat. Madeleine Jones' eyes were fixed on me, with an expression I'd never seen before. They were empty, distant. I didn't know if they were analyzing me, trying to tolerate me, or hating me more than ever.
After I buckled up my seatbelt with trembling hands, she drove off without a word, allowing the tension to fill the vehicle. She reeked of an expensive jasmine perfume that made me nauseous. Discreetly, I leaned towards the door, trying to escape the smell, and that was when I found my own reflection in the rear-view mirror. I brushed my blonde bangs with my fingers and pressed my lips together. Despite having changed so much physically, from my skin tone to my hair, even having had my nose done, erasing any similarity to my mother, I was still the same scared girl from the past.
Frowning at that thought, I inhaled deeply.
No.
I was a grown ass woman. Not a teenager anymore.
The insecure, frightened Daisy no longer existed. I no longer chose silence over confrontation. Didn’t tolerate any form of abuse, and would for sure stand firm when it came to my boundaries. Besides that, after losing so much weight over the years and having my nose done, I had also physical metamorphosed into someone else. Someone unrecognizable that, according to my dear Aunt Lizzie, was ‘a cutie’ that looked a lot like the actress Hayden Panettiere.
You know what? Hell yeah.
I was a completely different person. Therefore, I couldn't act like the old Daisy, especially not in front of Senator Jones.
“Please, make a right turn there,” I instructed.
Being in that car, all alone with her after so many years of constant humiliation, was awkward to say the least, but I hoped it might be a good sign. That a part of her might finally start to forgive me.
When we reached the intersection that led to my street, my smile slowly faded. Fluttering my eyelashes, my breath caught in my chest, and I looked at the senator.
“My house is the other way.”
There was no response. With the same unreadable look, the woman kept driving as if I was invisible. There was no music inthe car, nothing except us and that tension that started to feel a lot like a nightmare.
I pressed myself against the door and discreetly slid my fingers to the handle.
Locked.
“Let's go for a drive, Daisy.”
