Sebastian:We’ll be at the place down the block if you change your mind.
“I won’t,” I say to myself because if I have any free time, it’ll be spent with Vi.
Alone.
No offense to my cousin and his friends.
I shove my phone back in my pocket and find the spot where Finn told me to meet him. For some reason he didn’t want to meet in Harrison Heights, which works for me since this is closer, except Finn hates crossing the Sycamore River for any reason. If he’s here, it must be for business that doesn’t pertain to me, which is cool because it’s less gas I have to waste driving around.
Although, I probably should head back and check in on Mom. I don’t know what came to be after we left last week. The ambulance showed up, I’m sure, but I don’t know where that left her.
And I should feel guilty for that—for leaving her, but…I’m tired of being trapped in this push and pull with her. Why should I care when she can’t seem to muster the same in return? Why should I have to give up everything I want because she doesn’t want to figure out her life?
Still, I can’t help but wonder.
Did they admit her to a hospital? Did they give her meds to reverse whatever she was on? The sun dips lower across the skyline as I wait. This alleyway isn’t exactly the best place to be when the sunlight is shining. It’s where the homeless come when they don’t have elsewhere to be and they’re not pinching pennies or trying to get tourists to feel guilty enough to buy them food. The two individuals I passed a few minutes ago aren’t the only ones around. There’s another man twenty feet ahead dressed in holey camouflage pants with a canvas bag on the dirty ground next to him.
I watch from afar as he settles in. Maybe I should mind my own business, but I’d rather be aware of my surroundings thanhave my face on my phone, especially when Finn is due any minute.
The guy positions a takeout container on his lap then brings food to his mouth, not even bothering to use a fork. Looks like he got lucky.
I feel for people like him, those who’ve gotten the short end of the stick or haven’t had the opportunity to get themselves out of the dark hole they’ve fallen into.
Sort of like me.
A car revs in the distance, and I look down the alley. It’s wide enough for a car to squeeze down, and up ahead, I see Finn’s. My back straightens, and my fingers loop through the straps of my bookbag. These homeless people would jump me if they knew what was inside.
I’d die before I let it go.
This is my ticket to freedom,myopportunity to move on with my life. To stop enabling an addict and get her the help she needs.
I notice Finn in the passenger seat when the SUV comes to a stop before me and, thankfully, Clyde isn’t with him. With a wave of his hand, he tells me to get in. I round the car, looking back at the homeless guy with one last glance and climb in the back.
Like before, Finn’s signature chemical-ridden cigarette scent hits me. I hold back the choke squeezing my lungs and settle in. The car moves almost immediately, following the alleyway out to the main road of the strip. We pass a block of small shops before Finn speaks. “Janie was picked up by ambulance.”
I’m not surprised he knows. The Lincolns know everyone’s business, and if they don’t, it’s only a matter of time.
“You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
Finn is worried it’ll get back to him. That if the authorities get involved, Janie will rat him out faster than the thought poppedinto her head to dip into the stash they gave her that she was supposed to sell.
If I knew he wouldn’t have a problem with it, I’d tell him it was me. But I’m not keen on having any other ties with him, so I’ll risk keeping it to myself. I don’t want bad blood once I hand this money over.
“No,” I tell him. “I don’t.”
“You sure about that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
He glances over his shoulder, giving me a look that questions my lack of response. He brushes it off and nods at the bag on my back. “That my money?”
“Yep.”
He holds out an open palm. I hand it over, antsy to get this over with. I don’t really want to be in this car, breathing in the results of two people chain smoking. It reminds me of the valuable time I’m wasting. I could be with Violet right now, cozy in her bed with her naked body up against me while we watch my favorite movies.
I look out the window, hearing the zipper scratch open. Outside, tourists are lively as they walk the strip, carry shopping bags, and enjoy the vibe of what surrounds them. We’re moving at a crawl, barely going ten miles an hour since there’s a line of cars ahead of us. Cutouts for parking along the strip fill up fast but don’t stop people from doing laps to find the closest spot possible to slow us down more.
Finn holds up the wad of cash I put rubber bands around. “It’s all here?”
