“I said, get in,” Patrick calls.
Yeah, right. So I can end up in a ditch somewhere? I don’t think so. I begin to walk faster, but no matter how quickly I go, his truck speeds up to stay at my side. My face is on fire, and my stomach is threatening to throw up the chicken nuggets I just ate.
What is he going to do to me? I stop and turn, walking back the way I came. Patrick brakes violently, thrown off by my movement. I listen as he tries to turn around. I know it’ll be hard because the parking lot is narrow and Patrick drives something big to make up for a less-than-impressive package.
Relief washes over me when Cameron steps out of McDonald’s, sipping from his drink and completely oblivious to my terror.
“Cameron,” I call, jogging toward him. He turns to me, looking surprised at first, but then smiling.
“Change your mind about walking?”
The engine revs again, and my heart races. I’m afraid Patrick will grab me and throw me into his truck. That I’ll become a story on the ten o’clock news.
The white truck is next to me again, but I don’t look over. I keep my gaze trained on Cameron, and he glances over at the truck suspiciously. Patrick slows, but I walk faster.
“Youwillapologize,” he yells out the open passenger window. “I’ll be seeing you around,Slutton.”
He peels out with a loud squeal, and I stop walking, catching my breath. If it weren’t for that grab at the mall, I would have told him all the different ways he could fuck himself, but now I don’t. He’s pissed, and he wants revenge. And to be honest . . . I don’t know what to do about it. It makes me feel helpless.
“Who the hell was that?” Cameron asks when I reach him. He looks unnerved but in an “it’s not really my business but I don’t like it at all” sort of way.
“Him?” I say as if I hadn’t noticed a guy harassing me. Cameron narrows his eyes and sips from his drink. I look away. “Don’t know.”
“Can I drive you home now?” Cameron asks.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” I hate myself for taking the ride, but I know Patrick might look for me. And I don’t want to be available for street-side kidnapping.
“Of course I don’t mind,” Cameron says, walking to the trash can and tossing his soda in. “I wouldn’t have fucking offered in the first place if I did.”
I close my eyes for a second, wanting to stop the panic in my chest. I open them before Cameron notices. I let Patrick get inside my head. He’s such a douchebag and I let him intimidate me.
Cameron begins walking to his car, and I watch after him, wondering if he’ll look back at me, but he doesn’t. He’s not going to keep asking. I put my head down and follow behind him.
When I stop at the passenger door, our eyes meet as we both look over the roof of the car. His face is serious and beautiful. He smiles softly, as if he knows more about my situation than he’ll say. Then he ducks down and gets into the driver’s seat.
***
We drive quietly for a while. I’m used to driving with Travis and Retha, and with them it’s rarely silent.
“Why don’t you listen to the radio?” I ask Cameron.
He looks at me, then back at the road. “You want the radio on?”
“I just asked why you don’t listen to it.”
“I listen to it all the time.”
“Not when I’m in here you don’t.”
He laughs. “Sutton, if you want to listen to the radio, turn it on.”
“I don’t want to,” I say, shrugging. “I just thought it was strange.”
“Strange?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. Yes, I’m a total weirdo who hates music in the car.”
