Page 22 of Pucked Into Position

Angry, I shove the charger in my backpack and shove my arms through the straps. I consider grabbing my toiletries but decide I can get them later. I really don’t want to be here right now.

The wheels of my carry-on catch on the plush carpet and I pull hard, stumbling into the hallway. The argument stops abruptly.

“Lana?” Ryan’s voice is soft—too soft. I ignore him, making a beeline for the front door.

“Sis?” Tucker asks, and I can hear the tense concern around his anger.

“I’ll be staying with a friend,” I say coldly, letting a wave of numbness wash over me. I just need to get somewhere else.

“Lana,” Tucker says.

I hear Ryan tell him to let me go, and the sound of their bickering follows me out into the hallway. Ignoring the muffled argument, I stomp over to the elevator and push the button. It opens immediately.

I call the only friend at school I’ve gotten close enough with to warrant having a phone number for.

“Hello?” She answers on the second ring.

“Leah? Is it alright if I come stay with you tonight?” I ask, barely holding back tears.

“Oh my god, are you crying? Is everything okay? Of course you can stay. Do you need a ride?” Leah rapid-fires questions at me, and I hear her keys jingling.

“I can get an Uber. It’s al—”

“No, I’m coming to get you. Where are you?” she asks, and I hear a car door slam.

I’m outside now, and I look both ways down the street. There’s a gas station a block down, and I start walking toward it. “Can you pick me up at a gas station near Ryan’s apartment? I’ll text you the address.”

I never gave her the exact address, to ensure Ryan’s privacy. I text her the address for the gas station, then bring the phone back up to my ear.

“I’m on my way. Be there asap,” Leah says, then hangs up.

That’s when the tears start to fall.

***

An hour later, Leah hands me a cool glass of water and sits next to me on her couch. I just finished telling her everything, and my chest feels cracked open for the second time today.

Leah’s one-bedroom on-campus apartment looks like a college girl lives there. Band posters and engineering formula sheets are taped on the walls, a few stuffed animals are carefully placed beside the pillows on her bed in the corner, and a clothing rack full of skinny jeans and skimpy dresses are on display.

My phone buzzes on the armrest for the umpteenth time. The screen lights up with Ryan’s name, the little heart emojis next to it mocking me. I ignore it.

I’d answered one of Tucker’s calls earlier. I told him I was safe, but I wanted to be left alone, then hung up. Screw both of them.

The thought finally breaks the dam holding back my tears, and I bury my face in my hands as deep, sobbing gasps force themselves out of my throat. Leah takes the glass from me and sets it down on the coffee table before wrapping her arms around me. I can smell her strawberry perfume and vanilla shampoo. She smells exactly like walking into Bath and Body Works.

I clutch at her Justin Bieber t-shirt, the softness under my fingers the only thing grounding me in reality.

“It’ll all work itself out,” Leah reassures me, pulling away. “Here, let me get you a cool cloth for your face.”

I take a sip of the water and watch her walk back over to the little kitchenette. She pulls out a pink washcloth and runs it under cold water, wrings it out, and comes back to sit down beside me.

She trades me the cloth for the glass. I press it to my swollen lids and sigh. The coolness feels wonderful.

“Why did I never know about this trick?” I ask, trying to make light of the situation. I’ve been crying on and off since she picked me up.

“My older sister taught me that trick after my first boyfriend broke up with me.” She shrugs. “Come here.” She wraps me in another hug and I scoot closer, grateful for her compassion. We met a few weeks ago and only had a couple of classes together. I wasn’t sure she’d actually come when I called, but she’s the only friend I have here.

“You can stay as long as you need. We can even talk to the office about moving you in permanently if you want.” She pulls back and gives me a reassuring smile. “Sometimes a little distance can force someone to actually confront how they really feel. Maybe he’ll come riding in like a knight in shining armor to fix all this.”