“Right. In one of those fancy communities?”
“Is this about them or me?”
She laughs, but it’s a little too loud. The hell is her deal? “You’re silly. I was just curious.” She jots something down in her phone and gets up. I follow her. I want to see if the cat is awake yet.
The sight I’m met with has me gasping like a schoolgirl. Liam is spread out on his bed withmyCinnamon on his chest as she purrs and rubs all over him.
“What the fuck, dude?”
He jolts. “She woke up and came to me!” His eyes shoot to Ellie, who only seems amused. There’s no way I’m letting him replace me as the favorite.
“It’s ok, Liam. I don’t mind.”
“Bullshit!” I interject. “Liam, step away from the cat.”
“Travis,” Ellie scolds.
“What? She’s a ginger! Don’t let him get too close to her. He might try some weird shit.”
Liam gapes at me, and a cross between hurt and horror passes over his features. “Dude!”
“You’re an ass,” Ellie says.
My hand flies to my chest. “Me? I’m looking out for her. You know he has a weird ginger fetish.”
She rolls her eyes, then looks at Liam. “Ignore him.”
I reach for the cat. “Come here, Cinnamon. Daddy’s here now.”
“Oh my God,” Ellie groans. “You’re not her dad. I’m a single mother!”
I ignore her. “Come on, girl.”
She rubs under Liam’s chin again, then walks to the edge of his bed and pounces in my arms. Ellie scoffs, heading to her bunk. The smile I send Liam is triumphant, before I take the cat to my bed.
44
TRAVIS
I stretchmy legs as best I can and start to roll over, then I remember I fell asleep with Cinnamon on my stomach. She’s curled up in the corner by my feet. Apparently, sleeping with me is her new favorite spot, and I’m not going to tell her no.
We’ve been on the road for a while. We should be getting close to wherever we’re going. I’ve only been asleep for a few hours, but I’m guessing it’s somewhere around 2 a.m.
I hit the bathroom, then head to the main area. Calvin’s driving the bus. I need to talk to him about getting a few more pills. We have a little over a month left, and my supply is running thin again.
My feet freeze when I see Ellie curled up on the sofa watching some dating show, it appears. Typical. For the girl who says she doesn’t want love, she loves to watch it on TV. Always rooting for the couples after, even though they never last long. Once the cameras turn off their true selves come out. They realize after the drinks have dried up and there are no longer glorious views and fancy dates, that they don’t like each other at all.
“Hey.” I take the spot by her feet, and she sits up.
“Hey, you can’t sleep either?”
“Had to pee.”
She studies me, but I jerk my chin to the TV. “This again?”
Her gaze moves back to the screen. “Yes. I like it.”
I know. “Why?”
