“Someone wants your attention,” Meg comments dryly. I don’t bother reaching for the device, switching off the engine and pushing back my shoulders. A satisfying crack runs down the length of my back. This time, I barely hear the vibration within the plastic holder, but apparently Meg latches onto it like a beacon. “It’s rude to leave people hanging,” she remarks, andthe next thing I know, she’s launched herself through the front two seats.
Before I’ve registered the movement, her elbow thuds against my jaw as she stretches over the console, fingers snatching my phone straight out of the holder.
“No! Put that back!” I start, but it’s already too late. Meg lands half in my lap, half braced against the dash, her hair slapping me across the face. She twists just enough to put space between us, the device held at arm’s length across the passenger seat.
“Come on Everest, no need to be shy. Who wants to speak to you so badly?” Not waiting for a response, Meg double taps the screen. I struggle against my own seatbelt, which has inconveniently locked me into place, grunting and bucking beneath her. “Oooo, who is Cody?”
“Give it back,” I yell, grabbing her waist and yanking her off-balance. Meg laughs in my face, all too pleased with the reaction she’s getting.
“Oh, absolutely not,” she shoots back, twisting her body from my grip. Her knee digs into my thigh as she tries to pull free, keeping the phone held across the car at all times. “I don’t know of any Cody’s at Hollowbrook. Is this a fancy friend from your home life?” My nostrils flare and Meg’s smile grows wider. “Oh, it is. And I’m going to guessCodyis an alias?” I put my features on lockdown, careful not to give her anything but she sees straight through me anyway. “Tsk, tsk, Captain Calloway. And here I was, thinking you were too shallow to keep secrets.”
I lean forward, closing the already minimal space between us, and hold out my hand palm up. “This is your last chance to give it back,” I state evenly. Meg snorts, angling the phone towards my face. The padlock on the screen unlocks, causing Meg to squeal in triumph and attempt to throw herself into the back seat again.
I’m faster this time, unplugging my seat belt in time to grab her around the middle. It takes more strength than expected, given that I’m working against her burst of adrenaline, but I manage to haul her back against me before she can make her escape. The movement knocks the air from her lungs with a softoof, but it doesn’t stop her from howling with laughter, desperately trying to keep the phone just out of my reach. I still at the sound, almost forgetting myself as I realize I did that. I made her laugh, and like the spoiled brat I am, I want more of it.
That’s the only reason I can think of for my fingers curling around Meg’s ribs. Luckily, it appears Meg is prone to being ticklish, otherwise that would have been a very awkward moment.
“Wait, wait!” Meg wheezes, her hilarity filling the confined space. She twists against me in all the wrong and deliciously right ways, somehow managing to peer at my messages through her hysterics. “This Cody is so demanding. You were supposed to check in hours ago,” Meg chuckles, and I double the assault on her ribs.
She tries to scramble backward, but I don’t let her escape my lap. Her hair is everywhere, across my face, in my mouth. I have to turn my head just to breathe properly as I reach for the phone again. She isn’t as quick this time, my hand closing firmly around hers as I finally wrench the phone free. The victory is short-lived as Meg immediately lunges for it, half climbing over me and completely disregarding personal space. My seat creaks as I’m effectively shoved back into it, Meg’s hands flying onto my shoulders before she catches herself braced against me and panting. Gone is my earlier exhaustion, replaced by an acute awareness of Meg straddling me, her hair a mess around us, her parted lips inches from my face.
For a second, neither of us moves, halting the tug-of-war in favor of a breathless pause. Licking her lips, which I really wishshe hadn’t done because that’s going to reappear in my dreams later, Meg blows a strand of hair out of her face.
“Fine, keep your secrets.” She pushes off me, remembering that we’re not friends. Not even close.
Dropping into the passenger seat, Meg exits, pausing long enough to grab her bag from the trunk before heading towards the reception building. I remain seated, breathing tensely and picturing my grandmother naked in an effort to lessen the tent in my sweatpants. Given that she’s a bag of wrinkles with a vicious scowl that I’ve only had to endure a few times in my life, the trick works instantly.
I remain there for far too long before I glance back down at my phone. Firing off a quick message, I power off the device and chuck it into the glove box. I don’t have the mental capacity to deal with any more drama right now.
Meg is gone for an especially long time, to the point that I’m about to go looking for her when she appears again. Holding a large paper bag and a set of keys, she walks the length of the motel and starts up the staircase. I retrieve my bag and follow, joining her just as she’s twisting the key in the second story, central room.
I catch the door that she nudges open with her hip, pausing to take in the room with a slow, unimpressed sweep of my gaze. It’s as bad as I expected, or possibly worse. Dim lighting from an overhead exposed bulb, questionable stains on the threadbare carpet, and a damp smell that can only be described as regret. Not that Meg seems to notice. Kicking off her shoes, she throws her bag onto the double bed in the center, effectively claiming a side.
“And before you start bitching, this is the only room they have left. It’s sleep next to me or sleep in your car. You choose.”
I wasn’t going to argue. With the state of the bathroom visible through the adjacent door, I’d prefer to be close enoughto protect her from the rats that are inevitably going to surge as soon as we fall asleep.
Returning to the small, fold-out table which she dropped the paper bag on, Meg lowers into one of two metal chairs with her legs crossed. I watch, unable to mask my open disdain as she starts to unpack the contents, as if grease isn’t beginning to seep through the bag.
“What the fuck is that?” I ask, my lip curling of its own accord. Meg rolls her eyes.
“Dinner.” The salty scent of fast food cuts through the air, somewhat stirring up the appetite within me, even if I wasn’t sure the place that served it should be shut down by health inspectors. Meg doesn’t look at me, but clearly feels my presence still hovering half inside the door. I’m still deciding if I’m going to commit to this whole undercover thing. “There’s a protein bar in my bag if you would prefer that, but I can’t claim to know how long it’s been in there.”
Unwrapping the resemblance of a burger that is dripping with grease, she takes a bite and my hunger finally wins out. I step inside, allowing the door to slam closed and conceal me inside this living nightmare. My parents would have a heart attack if they knew I was here. This arises a small sense of joy within. If we weren’t laying low, I’d be tempted to post a selfie against the rusted shower to see if I could achieve just that. An orphaned Everest sure would be a happier one.
Meg takes another bite, her shoulders visibly relaxing for the first time since we left campus. There’s something absurd about how easily she settles into whatever life throws her way, while I’m still mentally cataloguing every flaw in the room. No amount of preplanning could have prepared me for this. Grease smudges her fingers, a small line of sauce catching at the corner of her mouth.
I exhale, scrubbing a hand over my face before finally settling into the chair opposite. “If I get food poisoning, I’m blaming you.”
“You’d have to actually eat it first,” she shoots back instantly, glancing up at me with a grin that’s far too amused for someone sitting in what might be the worst motel in the state. She nudges the bag toward me with her elbow. “Live a little, Calloway.”
I hesitate, then reach inside and grab one of the wrapped items, peeling it open with clear reluctance. It’s a matching burger to Meg’s, although the color of the patty looks questionable. The cheese slice has molted, appearing limp and somewhat sweaty. I shudder as I draw it closer to my mouth, still unsure if my finer palette would be able to digest such a thing. Meg is watching me intently, barely containing her anticipation as if this is some kind of twisted social experiment. Conceding defeat, I take a bite.
“See?” she smirks as I attempt chewing. “Not so bad.”
“It’s fucking awful,” I mutter, folding my fist in front of my mouth as I force myself to swallow. Chucking the burger down onto the wrapper, I push it towards Meg, feeling physically green. “Nope. No way. I’ll take the protein bar.”
Meg bursts out laughing, her cackle holding an edge of malice. I blush slightly, both pleasantly surprised and unnerved at being the cause of her hilarity. Rewrapping both of our burgers, she tosses them into the paper bag and retrieves her duffle.
