Page 43 of The Sidekick

I shrug, “The stigma lives on.”

“What’s the first one?”

“A martial art form.”

“Can I get into one of the classes?”

I lean back in my chair as I study him. “What happened to boxing?”

“The guy is never here. I end up hitting the bags, which I could do at home for free. When you told me to channel the anger, it really hit me that no one is teaching me shit. I don’t want to come from a frustrating day outside this place just to continue it here.”

“What kind of fighting do you do?” I ask easily. I understand being pissed off about his teacher bailing. The guy is an ass. Getting him into something that helps him calm down seems like the best idea, and he decided that himself.

“Mainly self-taught,” he sits back as if he’s waiting for me to judge him. I know from experience that he means street fighting. That’s never an issue for me, though.

“Sign up for Muay Thai. The Friday class is just opening.” I wave a hand for him to leave the office and return to my paperwork.

Babygirl,

Please call me. Or Max.

I want to know you’re ok.

Where are you?

Yours,

Trevor

Chapter Sixteen

Tera

Four Months Later

I stand there staring at the ATM, feeling like an idiot, and berating myself. It should not be this hard to check an account balance. I haven’t used my card since I left Ander Springs in some insane bid to stay off the grid. For absolutely no reason.

My therapist, Dr. Robinson, says this is the first step in letting go of my irrational paranoia of being found. The idea that a broken friendship and non-start of a relationship would lead to being hunted down like a rabid animal sounds far-fetched. She’s so right, too. Who tracks a sidekick? I don’t have any invested enemies. I’m fine. Just because those people, who I refuse to name, were my whole world doesn’t mean I was to them. The thought hurts a bit, but much less than it did a month ago.

I’m now officially 800 miles away from Ander Springs in a large town that I can’t remember the name of to save my life. If I don’t even know where I am, how could someone else?

Stop it. No one is looking for you, no matter how hard you wish they would. Check your darn account.

I’m standing in broad daylight at a hidden ATM near my dingy apartment building with my card in my hand like a moron. This is a perfect opportunity to get mugged. And if I don’t hurry, I’ll be late for work.

“Let me help,” an excited voice pipes up behind me. I jump and spin around. I had no idea someone was back there. So much for my epic awareness of what goes on around me.

The golden-haired Adonis grins at me, which is a little unnerving because despite how well he’s dressed, he seems a little insane when he smiles. But his hot pink shoes and aqua-colored eyes win me over. He's a total main character and adorable, to boot.

He snatches my card out of my hand and leans around me to insert the card into the ATM. Am I getting mugged? If so, this is the weirdest way to do it.

“Now you turn around and put in your four chosen numbers, and it spits out money,” he tells me earnestly. “It’s ok. I didn’t get it at first either. With practice, it’ll get easier.”

With that, he starts walking away, hands in his jacket pockets and whistling a song I don’t recognize.

“Hey,” I call out, and he spins back to face me, walking backward. “Thanks for the help. And I love your shoes. They look good on you.”

The stranger gives me another insane grin and two thumbs up, “You’re the first nice human I’ve met here. It’ll get better in this chapter, babycakes!”

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