Grabbing my purse, I stepped outside. The morning air, crisp and clean, filled my heart with the promise of spring. Tiny green buds covered the pecan trees lining the sidewalk.
I can't wait to paint these.My eyes took in everything, and the things I'd thought I'd remembered from my childhood seemed brighter, more colorful, and bursting with life.
With my mind, I snapped a mental picture to capture the warm morning light as it fell on the branches.
Steam puffed from the tailpipe of the car as the driver waved.
After locking the front door, I strode toward my ride, then took a back seat.
"Hi there! I'm Bridget," said a blue-haired girl with beautiful dark skin. "You wanted to go to Barkley, right?" She fiddled with the rearview mirror.
"Yeah, if that's okay." I buckled my seatbelt, but couldn't stop staring at the release. I'd always thought seatbelts were black and yellow. I let out a soft giggle. Who knew the button was neon orange? Not me.
"Sounds great." Bridget glanced over her shoulder. "It's going to cost a bit extra since it's out of my area."
I nodded. "Not a problem." The showing last week had given me a boost of confidence. Not just for the people who stopped by, but I found out my pieces had brought in several thousands of dollars.A hundred-dollar ride is nothing compared to what I might gain with this visit.
She backed out of the driveway. "You planning on going there this fall?"
"If I can get a transfer and scholarship. It's kind of up in the air at the moment."
"Right on, chica!" Bridget reached around with her left arm and gave me an imaginary fist bump. "I always wanted to go to college, but—" She laid on the horn and swerved, narrowly avoiding a collision with an eighteen-wheeler. "Goddamn idiot. Watch where you're going." She gave the other vehicle her middle finger as she sped past.
I peeled my fingers from around the seat belt.If this is driving, I want no part of it.Jason or Ryan had been the ones to drive when we needed to go somewhere, and I never remembered them screaming at other drivers or speeding erratically. I would've known, too, by the vibrations and motion of the car.
"As I was saying before that asswipe decided to hit his brakes, I always wanted to go to college, but my grades were shit."
And so is her driving, I thought.
"Well, Sister Carrie says it takes discipline and resolve, but if a person truly wants something, they'll find a way to make it happen."
Bridget's eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. "Are you a nun?"
I laughed, then turned my attention to the world flying by my window. "No, but I grew up with plenty in the orphanage."
"Whew." She lunged the car around a pickup, and it felt like we were falling sideways down a tunnel. "Sounds rough."
I made the sign of the cross. "I guess, but it could've been worse."
"It couldalwaysbe worse. Doesn't mean what you went through was fucking great, though."
Her language was a shock, but it also felt rebellious and freeing. Though it was just my imagination, I could feel the heavy, invisible shroud on my shoulders lifting.
Bridget had a way about her that made me want to paint the world in vibrant, clashing colors.
"If you're really interested in going to college, maybe you should look into Barkley, too."
"Pfft. I'm twenty-six. Too old and too poor to go somewhere fancy like that."
"Nonsense." Something about Bridget called to me. Not only did I want to help, but I felt a kinship with her, like I did with Sister Carrie. The empty blackness growing inside of me since the day I'd lost my friends seemed to shrink. "Bridget, I think you should go with me and see what it's all about."
A loud cackle escaped her mouth and the nose rings hanging from her nostrils clinked together as she shook her head. "You know what? I'm game, but don't say I didn't warn you when they kick me out." She drifted into the left lane and had to jerk the wheel to straighten the car.
"We'll see." I pulled out my sketch pad to keep my mind off the erratic driving. With a vine of charcoal in hand, I began sketching Bridget's profile, smiling at the idea of capturing her wild shade of blue hair tonight when I got home.
Chapter 25
Lucian Elysium
