Page 55 of Without You

“I don’t care if my trainer makes me do a hundred burpees, this is worth it.”

I smirk and dive into my own meal. We talk about random stuff while we eat and he surprises me by being one of the most genuine and relaxed guys I’ve ever met. And that’s saying a lot because my best friend is Johnny who’s absolutely the most relaxed person I’ve ever known, and aside from Johnny’s pa passing away, nothing seems to bother or upset him.

I don’t learn much about his time spent putting on concerts or going on tours because he seems to want to know more about me and Benton than talk about himself. Which, I suppose, isn’t too surprising considering his line of work. He probably never has a chance to not think about himself, what with everyone constantly asking him about himself.

“Time to see what these tires can do?” he asks.

“Seems about that time,” I agree. “I’ll show you where to go. It’s a little pocket of land that’s just notoriously wet and muddy. When we were growing up, we buried lots of vehicles out here.” I laugh, reminiscing.

As we’re driving to the spot, a memory hits me full force. One that I hadn’t thought of in so many years, I’m surprised it wasn’t buried forever. The memory is so vivid, I don’t even pay attention to Chase’s whoops and laughter as we’re flinging mud all around us.

A bunch of us were celebrating the start of summer after our junior year of high school and came out to go mudding then camp out by the bonfire and in the cabin. Tate and Katie were there, and a couple of us ended up having to pull him out of the mud.

When we got them unstuck enough that they just had to drive over to the cabin, we figured all was good. But, Katie was freaking out because, it turns out, Tate had been drinking and she wanted out of his truck. He’d driven them all over country roads and she didn’t know he’d been drinking until they’d gotten out to the field. Then he pulled out another beer and she freaked on him. He laughed it off and said he was perfectly fine to drive, but she didn’t find it very funny. By the time we had gotten to Tate, we realized he was not only being a dumbass because he got himself stuck, but that he was also being a dumbass because he put Katie, himself, and anyone else he came into contact with in danger by drinking and driving. I resisted the urge to throttle the idiot and I got him in the passenger seat of my truck while I took over in his.

“You okay?”

“Brody, oh my gosh. I was so scared.”

“I can’t believe he was stupid enough to drink and drive. Especially with you in the truck with him.” Even though my voice is calm, I’m fuming inside. Does Tate not realize how bad that could have ended up? Sure, it’s not like mudding is fast driving or anything, but what’s the point in risking it?

She shrugs and that almost sets me off more because it immediately makes me wonder if that means she’s used to him drinking and driving. “Katie.”

“Hmm?” she asks, looking out the window.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine,” she whispers.

“Just fine? It’s the last day of school. You should be great.”

“I know. I know. I’m just a little nervous to be out here, I guess.”

“Nervous how? Why? It’s just us.”

She turns her head to look at me and I see fear in her blue eyes and it scares me but also angers me, which is confusing as hell. I’m a seventeen-year-old kid, I’m not exactly aware of other people’s feelings but for some reason, when Katie looks at me, it’s like I can feel whatever she’s feeling. And right now, she’s scared out of her mind. A little nervous was a lie.

“What’s going on?”

“Hmm? Nothing. Just… I don’t want to stay the night. Is that okay?”

“I mean, obviously, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Did someone tell you that you did?”

“No. Tate will probably be mad at me but he’ll get over it. I just don’t think I can stay.”

“Okay. You’re kind of confusing me. Did Tate hurt you or somethin’?”

“He’s great. Honestly. It’s not him.”

“Someone else hurt you?”

Her lips press together tightly and that anger I was feeling earlier turns into rage. I don’t know who has hurt her, or what she’s afraid of, but I’ll find out. Come hell or high water, I’ll find out. And I won’t just sit on that information, either. I’m gonna make sure whoever it is that’s freaking Katie the fuck out pays for it.

I unclench my jaw and release my tight hold on the steering wheel. “I’ll take you home. Whether you want to go now or later, that’s up to you. But you don’t get in a car with anyone else tonight, you hear me?”

“B, you don’t have to do that.”

“I do and I will. Promise me that when you’re ready to go home, you’ll find me.”

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