Page 15 of Love Always

“You just remember what I said.”

΅

Laurel won’t look at me when I climb into the car.

“My car is parked back at school. You can just take me there.”

I don’t answer for a moment while I text Bryce with a clipped directive to go straight to Chris Proctor’s apartment. I decide to neglect telling him about his girlfriend’s sister.

“How did you get here?”

“A friend. Colleen.” She says this like it explains everything. “Look, can we just go?”

There’s a text from Bryce. Chris Proctor has just pulled into the driveway.

“No. Look at me.”

She turns to face me and those green eyes glitter again. She looks exhausted. Her bottom lip trembles.

“I need to make sure you aren’t hurt.”

“I’m fine. My arm just got banged up.” She holds up her right forearm. Dozens of angry red scratches flare. They will hurt later when the adrenaline in her system dries up.

I start the car, turn on the blinker and pull out into traffic. “Who is that guy?”

“Kevin Barr.”

“How do you know him?”

“I’ve known him forever. He’s known my family forever. Can we just,” she rubs her nose with her sleeve, “go to the parking lot on campus?”

We drive in silence for a minute or two. She’s texting someone and I guess it’s Devon, probably telling her what happened. There’s a response. She puts down the phone and sighs. Then she lifts her head. “Wait. How come you were there?”

“You tell me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Hey, where are we going?” Her gaze is shortened as we drive past the turn for the college.

“We’re going to my apartment and get you cleaned up. That’s going to start stinging.” I glance at her arm. “Probably already has.”

She sits very still for a moment and then says, “I’ve had a really shitty day and I just want to go home and be with my son.”

“And you’ll do that. Only now you’ll come home with a nice bandage on your arm instead of having to explain to Cory how some asshole threw mommy against a wall.”

It all comes out sounding much more like a reprimand than I want it to.

“Kevin’s all bluster.”

“That wasn’t bluster. That was anger. What are you mixed up in?”

Her eyes grow wide and she puts her seat back a notch or two. I catch her reflection in the glass of the passenger window. She’s pale.

“Nothing. Why should I be? He’s just a jerk and he’s had this crush on me forever and once in a while he gets drunk. It’s embarrassing. Please don’t tell anyone in my family.”

“I won’t,” I say, but her answer makes me uncomfortable. Too long, too explanatory. She’s lying. Another burn shoots up my left leg. It’s bad today.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I say. This time, I feel her gaze on me.