AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s okay,” he assures, starting the drive to school.
“My mom kept waking from these horrible nightmares.” Or flashbacks, going by how badly she reacted to them. I add, yawning, “I ended up falling asleep on her floor at around three.”
“I’m sorry, babe. I can drive you back. You shouldn’t be at school.”
“No,” I whine, pout some more. “It’s the only time I get to see you.”
“Yeah, but—”
“Shh,” I whisper, holding his entire arm to me. “Just let me cuddle your arm and close my eyes. I’ll be fine.” I let his warmth settle over me and give in to the heaviness of my eyelids. Just a few minutes, I promise myself, and I can get through the rest of the day.
My own snoring wakes me from my sleep. There’s a heat pack against my chest and a wetness on my chin. I try to force my eyes open, but I’m too damn exhausted. Then I try to remember how I got into bed… One minute I was getting into Connor’s car, and the next… My eyes snap open, and I cower when the bright sunlight hits my eyes.
That heat pack? It’s Connor’s arm.
And that wetness on my chin? Fucking drool!
I pull away, mortified, only to see my spit all over Connor’s arm. “Oh, my God!” I use my sleeve to wipe his arm. “I can’t believe I drooled all over your—”
“Weenus,” he interrupts.
I’m too humiliated to look at him as I scrub, scrub, scrub. “What?”
“Weenus,” he repeats. “That bit of loose skin on an elbow is called a weenus.”
“It is not!” I tell him, inspecting his elbow closer, making sure I got everything.
“It is. It’s called a weenus.”
“Stop saying weenus.”
He laughs. “Can I have my weenus back now?”
I release his arm and wipe my chin, then finally look over at him. He’s rotating his shoulder as if he’d been in the same position for hours. I look at my watch. “Oh, my God, Connor!” I practically squeal. “You let me drool all over your weenus for three hours?!”
He busts out a laugh. “Say it again but whisper it seductively.”
“Shut up!” I laugh out, then look out his window. It’s nothing but trees. “Where the hell are we?”
“I don’t know,” he says, looking around.
“Wait. Did you bring me here to murder me?”
He smacks his lips together. “You know, I left my shovel at home, so no, at least not today.”
I take a calming breath, try to regroup. “What the hell happened?”
“I don’t know,” he says with a shrug. “You were fast asleep by the time we got to school, I didn’t have it in me to wake you, so I just drove and found this turnoff and… yeah, I’m going to have to use the navigator to get home.”
I take a better look around us. We’re in an empty parking lot with only a few spots, surrounded by trees. And because my window doesn’t work, I open my door and listen. The sun’s out, the birds are chirping, and somewhere in the distance, there’s a stream of water. It’s kind of beautiful. I look back at Connor, who’s focused on a book between the steering wheel and his lap.
“What are you reading?” I ask.
“College essay prep,” he sighs out, closing it and tossing it in the makeshift backseat. “It’s so overwhelming.”
I nod. “I know. Trevor’s forcing me to apply.”
He smiles, but there’s a hint of sadness in his eyes, and I know where it’s coming from. We try not to talk about anything beyond now, but we both know what’s ahead. At some point, we’ll have to deal with it.
