I crossed my arms and slumped in my seat. Hewouldeasily waste gas like that. Burn money without a thought.
The last thing I wanted was to be stuck with Sawyer longer than necessary.
“Take a right up ahead. Third house on the left.”
A minute later, we were parked in front of my house. He bent, looking through the windshield and past the wipers scraping futilely at the rain.
He blinked. “This . . . is your house.” His voice wasalmost monotone, and his expression was equally blank. Almost like it was too much for him to process. He’d never fathomed anyone might live in a dumpshack like this.
I swallowed, even as I lifted my chin. “Yeah.”
A boom of thunder struck, a comedic exclamation point on the tragedy that was my life.
When he didn’t say anything else, I said, “Alright,” and reached for the door handle.
“Wait!”
I turned to look at him, wary. But his expression was almost pained.
After a second’s confusion, I wrenched out, “Thank you for the ride.”
“Is your dad home?” he blurted.
My mouth opened and closed before answering. “I don’t know yet.”
“If your dad calls you tonight . . . to” —his throat bobbed on a swallow— “to bail him out. Will you call me? I’ll pick you up, take you to the station.”
My jaw dropped in a perfect imitation of a largemouth bass. “You’re joking.”
“No.” He shook his head emphatically. “I want you to call me. Not just tonight. Any night. Whenever it happens, call me. Maybe I could even, I don’t know, help.”
“How?” I scoffed. “Get Mayor Daddy out of bed and beg him to handle it?”
I knew I wasn’t being nice, that I wastryingto make him mad so he’d drop the subject and leave. I was playing with fire. If I upset him too much, he might retaliate against me at school.
That didn’t scare me, though.
Five months.
I could handle anything for fivemore months.
But when I met his eyes, he didn’t look angry like I expected. His brow knitted, and he dipped his head.
“I know what you think of me, Brie, but I’m not like the others. My dad’s the last person I’d go to for help. And I wouldn’t tell anyone, I swear.”
My heart started an incessant pounding against my ribcage.I think he’s being sincere.
He reached for my hand and squeezed it. An electric current passed between us. Heat rushed through me, a sensation I’d only ever heard my peers giggle about. I didn’t have the luxury of experiencing it myself. Crushes were for girls with free time. Girls who didn’t have secrets to hide, a sister to keep safe.
But I couldn’t help the way my breath stuttered when I saw his large hand wrapped around mine. There was something protective about it. It made me want to believe hecouldhelp if I just asked.
No.
I wouldn’t let my first crush ever beSawyer. Because he was nice to meonce.
How pathetic could I get?
I pulled myself together and snatched my hand back like he’d burned it, bitterness swirling in me even as my stomach clenched.
