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I indicate right to follow the sign.
“Yeah, I’m totally fine. People are all queuing and causing traffic when they could just take the way I’m taking right—”
I slam on the brakes, my heart jumping to my throat. “Oh my God,” I gasp.
“What’s wrong?”
The sign in front of me forces the hair at the back of my neck to stand with attention.
YOU ARE ENTERING
SILVER FALLS
NORTH SHORE
I glance around me, noticing I’m on the red truss bridge that leads to the North Shore of Silver Falls. How did I end up here? In less than ten seconds, cold sweats dampen my skin from my neck to my lower back.
No one goes there. The North Shore belongs to dangerous criminals. It belongs to the two crews that rule it, and no one dares enter that part of town.
I’ve only been once. Whentheytook me.
Some girls in Stoneview would die to be invited to their parties. They wanted to leave the rich parties behind and go with the bad boys from the North Shore. Some of them even went in their uniforms because they wanted to flaunt to the North Shore guys that they went to Stoneview Prep. My dad wouldn’t even let me go to parties in Stoneview, let alone on the North Shore.
That’s the only thing I’m grateful for regarding his controlling behavior. After that fateful night, I never wanted to be anywhere near this part of Silver Falls.
And now I’m on the bridge that leads right to it.
“Alex, what is going on?”
“I-I…” My heart starts beating loudly in my ears. “Ella,” I panic.
I need to do a U-turn, but this bridge is so tight, it’s impossible. I can drive to the end and just turn around there. I look in my rearview mirror and a small whimper escapes me. They’ve blocked the other way and made the bridge a one-way system for the time being.
“Alex, talk to me, babe.”
“I’m on the bridge to the North Shore. The sign…I don’t understand.”
Someone beeps behind me before circling around me at a dangerous speed.
“What do I do?” I panic. “I can’t.” I shake my head even though she can’t see me. “Ella, I can’t go there.”
“It’s okay, take a deep breath. Can you turn around?”
“They made it one way.”
“Alright, that means you just have to cross the town and go out from the other side. That’s okay. You can do it. Just keep breathing.”
“I can’t breathe!” I practically shout.
“You can, babe. You just need to focus on one thing at a time. You know how it works. Build a pearl necklace one pearl at a time.”
I attempt a deep breath, my lips trembling as I do so. Ella has this technique to deal with anxiety that often works on her and sometimes on me. She pretends she’s building a pearl necklace and that each pearl is a small task. One pearl at a time, and before you know it, you’ll have a whole necklace.
“What’s the next pearl?” my best friend asks softly.
“To…to get to the other side of the bridge,” I murmur. “But I can’t do it.”
“It’s dangerous to stop on the bridge, Alex. Anyone could be coming full speed and not see you. I think the next pearl is taking the foot off the brake and pressing the gas pedal. Can you do that for me?”
