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Abby screams.
And with my free hand I’m hitting and kicking and so is Abby and suddenly. . .
He’s gone.
The world spins, and I can’t find my bearings. There’s more yelling and more voices. Gravity overtakes me as I can’t inhale. Abby appears in front of me—dark eyes and hair. “Rachel!”
Abby is free of Eric. We both are. I grab her, still struggling for air, and drag both of us as I stumble into the office. I need to make sure we’re safe—me and Abby. She’s my friend and I can’t leave her behind.
She says things, things I don’t understand, and she strokes my hair while she talks. I can’t breathe. I can’t.
She disappears and in her place are gray storm clouds. “Breathe, angel. Come on. ”
Isaiah. I wrap my arms around him, and he holds me—tightly. I listen to his heart: the steady beat, the steady pace, and within a few seconds I start to match his breathing. I inhale deeply one more time. “Isaiah. ”
He cups my face and forces me to meet his eyes. “Are you okay?”
I nod. “Eric?”
“Is gone,” says Logan from the doorway of the office.
Isaiah helps me walk back into the garage. Logan’s right. It’s only the four of us. With her shoulders hunched, Abby stands beside Logan. She lifts her head only to share a wary glance with him, then Isaiah, but not me.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. Because I can feel it. A heaviness that wasn’t here before.
Isaiah swears under his breath. “I’m sorry. ”
I hate the prickling in my stomach, a sensation foretelling doom. “For what?”
“I hit him. Eric. I came in and saw the two of you fighting him off, and I hit him. Hard. ”
“Good. ” I mean it. If I could have socked him in the jaw and caused the bastard to bleed then I would have, but I’m not that strong.
“You don’t hit Eric. ” Abby nudges her foot at the concrete. “Not without repercussions. ”
My stomach cramps. “Is he going to hurt you?” No, please no. My hands flutter near Isaiah’s face, terrified of Eric hurting him. “I’ll apologize. I’ll. . . I’ll. . . ” I have no idea what to do.
Isaiah takes my hands. “He moved up the due date. We have to pay him in one week. ”
My head becomes light and I sway. Isaiah places his hands on my waist to steady me.
“It’s unexpected,” he says. “But not impossible. We’re close to the total. Let’s race tonight, count our winnings and see where we stand. ”
Okay. He’s right. Plus Isaiah would never lie. “All right. ”
“Abby!” Logan calls out. “Where’re you going?”
With her hands in her pockets, Abby walks away from the garage. Isaiah holds on when I move to go after her. “I’m okay,” I tell him. “I need to talk to her. ”
Isaiah releases me, but keeps his arm near my elbow in case I drop. “Abby!”
She continues to walk away and I quicken my pace. “Abby!”
Abby stops on the sidewalk and doesn’t turn around. I slow as I approach and think of Eric’s words and Abby’s description of her job. She’s a drug dealer.
A drug dealer. My first real girlfriend is a drug dealer. My entire world feels upside down and sideways; yanked inside out then pulled back out again. With new eyes, I look at Abby. She’s exactly the same as before: black hoodie, braver-than-I-could-ever-be jeans and long brown hair. She’s a beautiful girl—a mystery to me, and bold, but what I’ve never seen is how seventeen she appears. How. . . young, like me.
She’s what I should hate in the world, yet she’s come to be someone I love.
