Anxiously, I glanced out of the window. The car had been going for thirty minutes now, and we’d put some distance between ourselves and the Christakis estate. “I’m allowed to collect my belongings. You won’t have to worry about me—”
“Stamáta!” Kat shrieked.
The car immediately pulled to the side of the road. I heard the crunch of gravel, then the hum of the engine as it idled. What even is my life right now?.
My heart pounded against my ribs. “You can’t be serious.”
Kat twisted in her seat, the silk of her dress rustling with the movement. Her diamond earrings glinted as she jabbed a finger toward my door. A motorcycle roared past, its headlight briefly illuminating the interior of our car before disappearing around a bend.
“What are you waiting for?” Her voice dropped to a menacing whisper. “Get. The. Fuck. Out.”
“Kat.” I breathed deeply to calm my racing pulse. My hands clasped together to hide their trembling. “I’m not getting out. I need my belongings from your house, and then I promise you’ll never have to see me again.”
“You think I’m stupid?” she hissed, her breath hot against my face as she leaned closer. “You’ll call Santo the second we get there.”
“I won’t. I swear.”
Katalina’s lips curled into a sneer. She barked something in rapid Greek to the driver.
The interior light flashed on as the driver’s door opened, then closed with a heavy thud. He circled the vehicle. The cool night air rushed in as my door was yanked open.
“Wait—” I started, but the driver’s strong hand was already gripping my upper arm, pulling me toward the opening.
“Kat, please!” I twisted in the seat, reaching for my purse on the center console.
Katalina snatched it before I could grab it, clutching the leather bag to her chest. “Since you want to be a whore,” she spat, “fuck the next man who drives along for a ride.”
I stared at Kat, searching her face for any trace of the girl who’d shared midnight pizza with Tammy and me during finals week, who’d laughed until soda came out of her nose when I’d accidentally dyed my hair pink instead of burgundy.
Instead, I found only a stranger’s cold fury in familiar features.
“Don’t do this,” I said, my voice rising as the driver tugged harder. “Please!”
“You should have thought about that before you fucked my boyfriend.” She turned away, staring straight ahead through the windshield.
The driver’s grip tightened on my arm as he pulled me fully from the car. The air had cooled considerably since sunset, raising goosebumps on my bare arms.
“Kat!” I lunged for the door, but the driver blocked my way with his body. “Tammy would be ashamed of you right now,” I said, a final desperate attempt.
She waved her hand dismissively and said something in Greek. The driver released my arm and returned to the front seat. The car door slammed shut with finality.
The engine roared as the driver accelerated away. Red taillights receded into the distance, then disappeared around a curve, leaving me in darkness.
Overhead, stars pierced the velvet sky in unfamiliar constellations. A light breeze stirred the nearby grass, carrying the scent of wild herbs.
I scanned my surroundings, squinting to make out shapes in the darkness. To my right, the road continued winding between shadowy hills. To my left, it curved back the way we’d come. No streetlights, no houses, no signs of civilization in either direction.
I began walking in the direction the car had gone, my heels sinking into the soft shoulder of the road with each step. The moon cast enough light to illuminate the road.
Each step in my heels sent small jolts of pain up my calves. Sharp pebbles worked their way into my shoes, but I kept walking.
“Just keep moving.”
Honestly? My Black ass should have stayed in America and cut off contact with Kat after graduation, just as I’d planned to. I knew this trip would be a mess.
“This is insane,” I muttered, kicking a stone into the darkness. “I’m in Greece. I was supposed to be fulfilling Tammy’s dream trip, not auditioning for a horror movie.”
I remembered how Tammy had clapped her hands and squealed when we booked our tickets. “Three girls. One Greek summer. Nothing can stop us,” she’d said.
