We played pass the baby while Tanya’s mom made pizza and Tanya made a salad. Selena told us what she’d told my math teacher and Jordan finally responded to my worried texts.
Jordan: Sorry I was MIA . Axel got me a job. I start tomorrow, will text more after first shift. xo
I stared at my phone, wondering how Axel had managed to help Jordan so quickly. If I didn’t see him tonight, I would phone him tomorrow for the details.
The night really got crazy when Tanya’s mom made two huge bowls of popcorn and Tanya got out the board games. It took a while for them to explain all the rules to me, but once I got going, no one could believe how competitive I was.
“Oh, she’s got the bug now,” Tanya’s mom laughed as I wildly shook the dice, my eyes looking over the board.
“I need a seven or higher,” I told them.
Someone knocked on the door, and Bandit gave a sharp bark, but other than staring at the door, he didn’t move from his position at my feet.
“If you get snake eyes, you can also use that to buy a second turn,” Tanya told me as she walked to the door.
Selena shoved popcorn into her mouth. “If you land on my bridge, I’ll finally get to charge my toll.”
We all screamed when I rolled a double seven, which sent Tanya to jail and gave me three more free rolls.
“Who taught this kid how to play?” Tanya’s mom laughed. “She’s kicking our asses.”
“Mila,” Tanya said from the door, her voice sounding weird. “It’s for you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
AXEL
I stoodin the doorway of the cramped apartment, and I could hear Mila’s laughter, but I couldn’t see her.
Tanya stared up at me with big eyes.
“Hi, Tanya. Is Mila here?”
She left me at the door and disappeared around the corner. Silence fell in the next room, and then Mila appeared in front of me, her face flushed and her hair falling out of her ponytail.
She looked at me in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”
How could I tell her that from the moment I’d heard she didn’t have security on her, I couldn’t rest until I saw her safe with my own eyes? The tension in my chest only unclenched when I saw her standing there, surprised, completely alive and a bit annoyed with me.
“Something has come up,” I lied.
“Right now?” she protested with a whisper. “I’m finally winning.”
I must have had a look on my face, because her eyes widened. “Just let me go say goodbye.”
It tookher a full twenty minutes of laughing, talking, hugs and stories before I finally got her and Bandit bundled away in my truck.
“Why did you go to school without security?” I asked the second her door shut.
She paused pulling her seat belt on to look at me. “It wasn’t my fault.”
“You left without anyone protecting you.”
“I had a math exam,” she protested, “and my aunt was deliberately trying to mess with that. She wanted to make me wait for her.”
“I’m not mad.”
She rolled her eyes. “I can tell that you’re mad.”
