Her face goes a bit pink, and she stares down at her hands.
“I hope that didn’t sound …” I start, but she waves a hand.
“Not at all, and, yes, I’ll do it.” She chews her lip. “If maybe I can ask a favor in return?”
“Of course.”
“You don’t tell anyone about my stepdad or this.” She waves a hand over the bruise, which is a lot less visible now.
“Stepdad?” I thought he didn’t look like Sadie’s actual dad, and she nods.
I purse my lips. The idea that Sadie could be in trouble grips me again. Am I going to regret agreeing to this? Probably. But perhaps she needs someone in her corner as much as I do. “Okay,” I say.
My arm is draped over Sadie’s shoulders as we stagger out of the bar and onto the street.
“Good shing we can walk to Desssshhh’s place from here,” I say as her gray eyes and freckled cheeks swim in and out.
“Absolutely. Can you stand okay?” she says, and suddenly we’re careening across the sidewalk. My shoulder collides with a building.
“Hey! Who put that there?” I shout.
She grips my elbow. “Shhh. Let’s try walking in a straight line.”
“I am walkin’ in a shhtraight line! Whadaya talkin’ about?”
I remove my arm from around Sadie. “Look!” I say as I head up the sidewalk, grinning at her over my shoulder, but then somehow I’m in the road, and a car blasts its horn at me, so I give it the finger. Sadie appears at my side, takes hold of my elbow again, and steers me out of the traffic.
“I think we should find a cab,” she mutters, pulling her phone out of her pocket and swiping across it.
I wrap my arm around her shoulder and peer at her screen.
“Uber. Alwaysh wantada work there. Wasn’t offered the job, though.” I sniff her hair. “You smell nicesh.” I sigh and prop my head on top of hers.
She shifts a bit as she waits for our ride to be accepted, and I rest my cheek against her hair.
“Yours hair’sch shoft, too.”
“James. You know you’re leaning on me, right?”
“Yeeshhhh. It’ss very nicesh.”
“Cab’ll be here in two minutes.”
“Okay.”
The building in front of us starts to tip forward, so I shift back. “I need to shhittt down.” I bend over, but the whole world swims. “Whoa!” I say, straightening up again. “That wasshh weird.”
I gaze around at all the grand buildings, then lean on Sadie again. Whatisthat smell? So goddamn sweet. “Where are we?”
“Broadway.”
“Ah, that’s our taxi,” she says, stepping away from me and taking my elbow.
I shake her off. “You don’t have to hold on to me! I’m fine!”
“Shhh. Don’t shout. I know you’re all right; I’m just helping you walk in a straight line to the cab.” She sounds amused.
“I’m not shouting!”
