Page 7 of You Saw the Best In Me

“Does Grams know you picked me up? I don’t want her to worry when I don’t come home right away,” she shifts in her seat, worried about our grandmother.

“Yes, I called her this morning. She wants a to-go order,” I laugh, and Harper shakes her head.

I listen as she updates me on the wild world of eighth grade, including all the drama surrounding her friends. It pains me to hear this, but teenagers need an adult on their side, so I pretend to be enamored with all things Forest Falls Middle School.

We order our ice cream: mint chocolate chip for me and Rocky Road for Harper, as we take our seats in one of the booths.

This diner is her favorite place, bordering the line between here and Rose Hills, making it an easy trip.

“So, how can I help you beat your neighbor?” she asks, licking her spoon and digging in for another bite.

“Yeah, she declared a prank war on me, so I need some of your good ideas to get a leg up,” I tell her, and I can see the gears in her mind spinning.

She may be thirteen, but she has a wise mind beyond her years.

Soon enough, Harper has given me some golden ideas, and I’m bringing her back home to Grams’ house.

It’s not what I want for her. I'd legally adopt her tomorrow if I could afford a reasonable attorney.

Unfortunately, our grandmother’s declining health isn’t enough to revoke her custody, and I refuse to bring this to court for a fight.

Grams is stubborn, thinks she’s in the prime of her life, and loves having Harper with her. It’s not like she’s being abused; I just hate to see her watch someone worsen healthwise, as I did at her age when our mother got her first cancer diagnosis.

It’s a huge burden to have a loved one’s sickness dropped in your lap and be expected to care for them all alone, and I won’t let that happen to my sister. She deserves to be a carefree, average teenager.

“Thank you for the ice cream, Mav. Are you coming inside?” She hugs me tight, hopping out of the passenger seat and waiting for my answer.

I’m not in the mood to see Grams today, so I politely decline and remind her I have a prank war to win.

I pull into the apartment’s parking lot, and a man is peering through the windows of Karina’s car. He’s tall, skinny, and looks to be a few years older than me. I wait before pulling into my spot to see if he plans to move when I see him starting to tug on the door handle.

Rage consumes me, and I hit the gas hard, tires screeching as I park beside him, our eyes locking.

I roll down my window, and before I can say anything, he has the nerve to question me.

“What the fuck is your problem?” he asks, and I suppress the urge to laugh in his face.

“You’re the one who’s attempting to break into a car. What is your problem?” I unbuckle my seatbelt, preparing for a fight, and turn my truck off.

“Do you know whose car this is?” he looks me up and down, and I take in as many of his features as possible.

This dude is a criminal, and it doesn’t sit right with me that he’s picking Karina’s car as his mark.

“No, I don’t. What’s it to you?” I say, gauging his reaction.

“Nothing. It just looks like one who belonged to someone I used to know,” he ends our conversation at this point, pulling a hoodie over his head and running off into traffic.

If my red flags were going off when I first pulled in, they’re off the charts now. Whoever this guy is, he has a specific interest in Karina, and I don’t like it one bit.

I debate knocking on her door and telling her everything I witnessed, but I don't want to worry her.

Instead, I make a mental note to monitor her better and the strange man I saw lurking around her car.

My urge to protect her has nothing to do with the fact that I’m hopelessly attracted to her. I won’t let someone get hurt under my watch, especially by a man.

I check my door for any traps, half expecting a bucket of water to dump on my head as I unlock my door, but luckily, no pranks are waiting for me this time.

I order a dashcam online, planning to put it in my truck, facing toward Karina’s car. If the creep comes back, poking around her car again, I’ll catch a video of it.