And I hated being reminded of her with these people as my witness.
After the Berettis disappeared down the aisle, I hurried to the checkout wanting to get out of the store as fast as I could.
When I was back in my car, grocery bags in hand, I sagged against the seat. I didn’t realize I was shaking until I put the keys in the ignition. I sat in the car for a long time, the engine idling, unable to pull out of the parking lot.
I watched as the Berettis left the IGA, with poor Cheyenne trailing behind them, looking so much like fourteen-year-old Ellie McCallum.
What was I doing here?
Why had I come back?
I didn’t want to be here.
I didn’t want to live with the chance of running into the very people I had tried so hard to forget.
I didn’t want to know that I could see Dania on the street or the Berettis in the grocery store. I didn’t want to have to crawl back with my pride in tatters for a job at JACs.
I thought on that day that I had packed my car and drove out of Wellston that I had made my break.
And I had believed when I came back to be with Flynn that things were different.
Iwas different.
So why was I sitting here in my car, feeling entirely too much like the girl I used to be. Violated. Miserable. A failure.
I looked over at the bags containing Flynn’s lunch and knew he was expecting me. I checked the time and saw that I only had a few minutes to get over to the community college before he would start wondering where I was.
It was important for me to remember why I was here.
I was here because of Flynn.
Flynn Hendrick.
My Flynn.
I repeated his name over and over again in my head. Desperately wanting that to be all that mattered.
Flynn.
Flynn.
Flynn.
So why did I still feel sick inside?
Chapter Twelve
-Ellie-
The house was quiet.
Not the sort of quiet that was relaxing and made me want to take a nap.
It was the sort of quiet that had me on edge and hyper aware of every sound.
I had heard Dania out in the hallway earlier. The closed door had muffled her voice. I had also heard Mr. Beretti’s baritone. Their words hadn’t reached my ears and then it had gone silent.
And it had been that way ever since.
