Page 18 of All Your Firsts

“Okay, Dad,” I say.

He keeps his back rigid and clenches his hands tightly at his sides, yet he remains silent as he strides down the hall.

Unbelievable.

I can’t believe I semi-successfully ran away from home just to be locked in a house again while he goes off and does who knows what every evening. Starting next week, I will be changing things.

I glance back at my abandoned phone resting on my bed and release a sigh. At least this will occupy my time for a while. The first app I’m installing is for a car service.

“Oh my fucking God. I thought something happened to you. Why haven’t you answered any of my calls or texts?” My best friend Alexa yells at me through the phone.

“I broke my phone when I fell out of my window.”

Alexa cackles in my ear, and I can just imagine her doubled over with tears in her eyes.

“Not funny. It hurt like hell.”

“Maybe a little funny. Are you okay? Where did you end up, anyway?”

“A small town on the border of Illinois and Indiana.”

“But I thought...”

“I got intercepted.” I sigh.

When Alexa and I brainstormed my escape in the past, the plan was always the West Coast. I’d hop on multiple buses until Isaw the sun and beaches. A plane ride, while quicker, would be a no-go because of the ID checks. The plan was never further east or so close to my father’s reach.

“What the hell does that mean?”

I bite down on my lip, wrestling with the dilemma of whether to disclose the truth about Gage to Alexa. Although he didn’t explicitly mention keeping it a secret from her, his intention was obvious—she was meant to be left in the dark, too.

But I plan to bring her into the light.

During his absence, he didn’t acknowledge a single letter I sent. After being released from prison two years ago, he remained silent until the moment I literally collided with him.

My allegiance does not belong to him. He has to earn that.

“Gage found me.”

Dead silence fills the phone. “Hello?”

“He-he’s back?” she asks in a barely audible whisper.

“Yeah, and he’s not the same.”

“What do you mean?”

“Imagine him from before. Honest. Sweet. Understanding. Now throw that version in the trash. He turned into a hard man, Lex. You can see the ruthlessness in his eyes, but he did hit one of the guards over the head to knock him out cold to save me, so maybe he’s not all bad.”

“Which one?”

“Alfonso.”

“No way.”

“Yeah, he had blood trickling from his head while he was lying on the ground. I even got to kick him in the ribs on the way out,” I say with a triumphant smile.

“You should have kicked him in the balls so he’s unable to procreate. He always gave me the creeps with his leering and weird comments about our clothes.”

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