He shoots me a smile and bows, opening the door and letting me handle myself.
My life is hell.
I’ve given up trying to sneak under the radar. There’s a steady stream of self-appointed drivers at my beck and call, though there’s one who’s conspicuously absent. I should be glad that Lewis has respected my boundaries—I did tell him that I wanted us to stop seeing each other, after all. I hoped that asking him to back off would be a relief, but it turns out I feel edgier than ever. Basketball regular season has ended, but there’s still no sign of him. My heart drops.God, I’m so lame.
Donovan has pushed back the seat, giving me enough space to stretch my leg out. Just as I’m fastening my seatbelt, I catch a flash of blond curls out of the corner of my eye. When Carrie pops her head out from the back seat, I startle, banging my cast against the dashboard.
“Fuck!” I growl, taking a deep breath in.
“Sorry!” She leans between the front seats. “You okay?”
“I think I broke something,” I quip.
“How’s PT?”
“It sucks. I hate that guy; he orders me around like we’re in boot camp.”
“You should ask Lois to come by,” Carrie suggests. “Okay, she’s only a sophomore—but she’s really good. Tell us when you’re free, and we could both come over. I can bring booze and tacos. We could find a series to watch…”
My heart melts a little. These girls have been amazing to me—sweet and reliable. But a girls’ night in is a step too far.Sounds like a nightmare.
“I was only kidding!” I try. “The physical therapist is really nice—and sexy as hell, too.”
If you’re into fiftysomethings.
“Sexy?” Donovan frowns. “I’m gonna need a name, ma’am.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Why—you interested?”
“No!”
“How ’bout you just drive, Don,” Carrie drawls. “That’s what you’re here for, after all—not to scare off Lewis’s competition or convince Amy to hear him out.” She sighs. “I get that he’s been super annoying these past few weeks, and it’d be great if he could stop asking how she is. But he’s a big boy, okay? He needs to handle this himself.” She shakes her head and flashes me a sweet smile. “He got what he deserved, anyway. So it takes you months to realize ‘Hey, you know—maybe I have a heartas well asa penis’? Deal with it, buddy. Just don’t expect us to sit on our asses crying over a piece of dick.”
“Did she just say ‘dick’?” Donovan wiggles his eyebrows at me.
“They think they know it all, don’t they?Sosmart,soin control. Well guess what, suckers? BAM!”
She claps her hands in my ear and I flinch.
“By the time they wake up, it’s too fucking late. Yup, that’s right, sunshine! You messed up, and you can cry me a river—it ain’t changing a thing! You screwed up? Time to own your shit.”
She mimes loading a shotgun. This girl is out of control.
“Damn, Carrie. I just realized you’re the dude in our relationship.”
She flips him the finger, sinking deeper into her seat.
I stare straight ahead, mulling over her words. She’s saying Lewis is struggling with the distance between us.He’s the one who wanted it that way, though.
Just as I’m about to spiral, we pull into the complex, and I limp my way over to meet my physical therapist.
It’s a bad session. I can’t focus on any of the exercises—all I can think about is Lewis, and I’m torn. On one hand, I just want to run as far away as I can, until I find some kind of inner stillness. On the other, I’ve got this urge to just show up at his place and scream in his face.Couldn’t I have picked someone more straightforward to fall in love with?Like my own complications weren’t bad enough.
Lane drops me back home, and I make a beeline for my room, my crutches clattering against the metal stairs. There’s a racket coming from the garage, and I freeze mid-step.
I squeeze my eyes tight and pinch my lips together. That’s the plasma cutter. Suddenly, I make a decision. Screw RJ and his shop ban. I turn back down the steps and hobble my way to the main entrance, stopping in my tracks when I spot the chain and padlock.
“Are you for real?” I yell.
