Melissa
The sun had already set, but the sky had not yet turned a completely dark shade of black. In the distance, I could see the lights of downtown Phoenix, but I couldn’t yet see the actual buildings inside. And just like the setting, it felt like everything inside of me was concentrating on one tense, overwhelming spot.
I felt sick as I approached Phoenix. What if Corey saw me? What if we were out and he said something or did something? Would he stalk me all the way back to Texas? We dated long enough that he knew my family lived in Texas, but mercifully, it never seemed to register with him that they lived in Odessa specifically.
I spent a good deal of the last bit of the car ride angry at Hailey. Why the hell did she have to do something so stupid? Why the hell did she have to…to be braver than I was, facing her problems instead of running from them?
And for my parents, too—why did they have to be so distant? Why did they have to have such a dysfunctional relationship?
Only when I actually pulled into the complex where Hailey lived and I saw her waving and smiling at me in gym shorts and a tank top did I start to feel more at ease. I’d wanted to see how Hailey looked when I got there, and she looked very comfortable. She hadn’t lied in her communication with us; quite the contrary, she looked even happier.
“Hey!” she said as I got out of the car.
She embraced me in one of the tightest hugs she’d ever given me. She’d always been the more cheerful and upbeat sister, but this was beyond even what she normally did. She had to be seeing someone and getting laid. Nothing else made sense.
“How are you? How’s Mom and Dad?”
“They’re normal, but you look far better than I’d expect for someone who just quit her job.”
“Like I said, it paid nothing, and I’m already getting views for some videos I uploaded to YouTube. Come on inside. I ordered us pizza, and I got some wine waiting for us.”
I sure wasn’t about to argue. I always felt odd drinking in front of my parents, even if it was just a glass of wine with a nice dinner. I had no plans of getting drunk, but it was an enormous relief to be able to drink without fear of judgment or even presumed judgment.
When we got inside her place, the first thing I noticed was that it smelled kind of odd. I couldn’t quite place it, but it almost smelled like someone had walked through recently and smeared certain spots with oil. It was very similar to when I dated Corey, except Corey’s smell was omnipresent. I assumed that Hailey, being the money-saving gal that she was, had simply changed her oil recently and sat down before showering and washing the scent off her.
“So I’m going to guess,” I said, getting right to the point, “that you’re seeing someone these days.”
Hailey, at the fridge grabbing the wine, chuckled.
“Yeah, that’s accurate,” she said. “I’ll tell you more about it in a bit. Tell me how things are with you. I haven’t seen you since, what, last Christmas?”
Had it really been that long? It felt like we frequently chatted over messages and Facebook, but that obviously didn’t come close to the real thing. Christ, I’d become quite the hermit of sorts since I ran back to Odessa.
I wanted to say something like, “No one could blame me,” but I was kind of blaming myself anyway.
“It’s just…same old,” I said. “Freelancing is feast or famine. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t. Unfortunately, my savings account has slowly been dwindling, so I’ll probably need to get a real job at some point.”
“In Odessa?”
I shrugged.
“I haven’t thought that far ahead, to be honest. Marketing jobs are plentiful across the country, but I’m trying to stay in this corner.”
“Makes sense. You could come back here.”
I felt a sharp feeling at that, like a knife I’d never removed from my side had suddenly gotten twisted. Whatever joy would be had from being close to my sister would vanish under the weight of having to deal with Corey and whatever goons he had near him.
“Maybe,” I said, trying to be polite.
“You’d be worried about your ex?”
I nodded.
“I know it’s far easier said than done, but I wouldn’t worry about him. He’s so far removed, and he can’t find you now—”
“But all it takes is once, Hailey,” I said. “I know what it’s like to go months evading him and then for him to see me again downtown. It’s an absolute nightmare.”
“What if he’s changed?”
