I’m not quite sure. Sitting out here isn’t going to bring me a tow truck faster. Nor will it turn back time and prevent this nail from penetrating the rubber.
“Don’t you have a spare?”
“Already used it.”
Her eyes shift to me, and I can feel the curiosity in her gaze. I don’t look over. “You didn’t replace it?”
That’s a big fat no. I didn’t want to spend the extra on something I didn’t think I’d need right away. A fuck up on my part. It’s going to cost me a hell of a lot more than just a tire now.
“No.”
She hums in response, extending a leg out to stretch it. The other is crossed in the shape of a pretzel. Sitting like we are isn’t safe but neither of us moves. “Is someone on the way then?”
Another, “No.”
I can’t imagine what she must be thinking.
Get a kick out of this guy.
He never replaced his spare and he sat there without calling a garage to come help him out.
Oh yeah, and he walked in on me while I was naked, stood there like a creep, and eyeballed me.
I can still feel the tidal wave of uneasiness that came when I realized I wasn’t alone. The way she softly cleared her throat to give herself away.
“The longer it sits here, the higher the chance of it getting sidelined by traffic.” She says it in a way that tells me she’s a genuinely kind person and worried for me.
“My phone is dead,” I tell her.
She doesn’t think twice before pulling hers from a bag that I didn’t notice before. She thumbs in her password and hands it over. “Here.”
I glance at it, then her. “What are you doing?”
Her forehead wrinkles in confusion. “Lending you my phone?” It comes out as a question when it shouldn’t. “I think Sebastian’s in class if he’s who you want to call. You can search for the closest garage that tows and call them, too.”
I eye her phone once more and force myself not to take it. I don’t need her help. I don’t need more of Sebastian’s. What I need is to pull myself together, stand up, and walk away from this gorgeous girl so I can sort my shit out without her purple tight-fitting clothes offering up distractions. Or her pretty face. Or smile. “I’ll be fine.”
She wiggles the phone. “I can’t walk away without offering help.”
“You can.”
“Sebastian wouldn’t like it.”
I look at her. “Sebastian doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.”
She smiles, the corners of her lips tugging up. It has this domino effect that ends with tiny lines at the corners of hermouth that only draw me in more. “In that case, I wouldn’t like it.”
I’m a fallen tree branch lying in the middle of the street and she’s the car that comes along and snaps me with her unyielding generosity. My tone is merciless. She doesn’t deserve it. “I don’t need your help.”
Real nice.
Make the girl feel bad for trying to help you, Colson.
The guilt from my trash attitude hits me almost instantly, but I can’t do this. I’ve already relied on Sebastian and his parents way too much while lying to them. I’m not going to allow one of Sebastian’s friends to get tangled in my web of lies as well. It isn’t right. I need to fend for myself in the same way I’ve always done. Keep things under wraps.
I stand, open the passenger door, and grab my backpack from the seat. I make sure the doors are locked after finding an extra napkin and pinching it between the closed window so others know I’m broken down.
From the corner of my eye, Violet gets to her feet and brushes her hands on her thighs.
