AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A man outside, cigarette pinched between his fingers, glances at me and then looks away like a dying woman on the patio is a normal occurrence.
I hide my face and close my eyes. Amber won’t make it in time. She’s not coming. Why would she? She started camming again because of me, so it’s best if I die here. Then she can have a better life without me causing all these problems. Without me putting her at risk of going to jail for trying to help me out of a situation that’s impossible to change. I accept my fate. I’m dying. I’m ready. I won’t be a burden. It’s better for the world if I’m not in it.
I fall asleep or I zone out or I don’t know what happens, but I hear Brody say my name. It’s my imagination. No one is coming for me.
“Paige.”
I lift my head. It is Brody. I touch his arm, just to be sure. Solid as a rock. With shaky hands, I press his palm against my chest.
“Yeah, your heart’s racing,” he says softly, the edges of his eyes filled with worry lines.
I shake my head. I’m dying.
He squats in front of me and opens my purse, handing me my phone. I take years to type, hands unsteady and hitting wrong letter after wrong letter. Brody waits, however long it is, studying my expression with calm eyes and calm breath.
He points at the door. “Judging from the smell, you smoked weed, right?”
I nod. Guilty.
“You’re not dying. You’re having a bad trip.”
Tears fill my eyes.
One corner of his mouth pinches into a snarl. “They did? Let me see your pupils.”
I try to open my eyes wide, but the light from a nearby lamp is blinding. I force them open with a finger.
He glances at the door, showing teeth like he has x-ray vision and can see Josh through the walls. “You took a little too much, but you’ll be okay. I promise.”
His hands squeeze the armrest of the plastic chair, circling like a barrier that shields me from the rest of the world. “Yes. I’ll keep you safe.”
I’ve heard those words before. Mom used to say them to me. What if Brody is lying? Lying like Josh? Like so many others who say words they don’t mean? I don’t know if he’s sincere, but right now, I want to believe him. I want to believe those eyes that can somehow see what I’m thinking.
Brody makes me feel like everything will be okay, no matter how much something hurts or terrifies me. And he came even though I scared him off by being too forward. Even though I don’t yet have enough for rent and I take space away from his home gym.
He came for me.
I fall forward to hug Brody, rocking him back. He catches himself with a hand to stop us from tumbling to the dirt. Though we’ve never hugged, the sensation isn’t squirmy or foreign. His touch is perfect. His cheek is smooth against my own, and he holds me with just the right pressure—firm, comforting pressure. I’ve never been held with just the right pressure.
He squeezes slightly. “You’ll be okay. We’re going home.”
I pull back, eyes wide. Home? I don’t want to go home. Not yet. I want to stay with Brody and Amber just a little longer. Please, I hate being a marble. I hate that man and how my mom always smiles at him even after he hurts me. I know I have to go back but please, not so soon.
Brody touches my cheek to brush the hair from my face. “I meant my house.”
I exhale. Good.
Amber appears. Maybe she was here the whole time and I didn’t notice. I spring to my feet to hug her, but a wave of dizziness envelopes my body, so Brody encourages me to sit again. My stomach cramps. That brownie still wants to get out.
Amber crouches in front of me as Brody stalks to the front door and pounds a fist against the fake wood. It opens and I hear Josh stutter, “Woah. H-hey, man. Uh, what’s up?”
Brody shoves him inside and slams the door behind them. I hear his muffled, booming voice through the walls, “Why the fuck would you leave her outside like that? You’re going to tell me the exact amount of every fucking thing you gave her.”
I didn’t think Brody could be scary, but it’s a nice scary since it’s on my behalf. I can’t tolerate yelling, though, and I don’t need a panic attack on top of whatever is happening in my body. I glance at Amber.
