Page 15 of Fighting Spirit

“Don’t be silly, I’ll stop and-”

“Seriously, I just want to go home,” I cut him off, wanting nothing more than some time alone, away from all his worrying.

He frowns, trying to see if I’ll change my mind. I don’t.

“Sure,” he replies with a slight huff in his voice.

“Thank you.”

As we pull away from the big house, I can’t help but look back as long as possible, wondering about the sulky man inside.

Chapter Six

RUTH

The click of the lock echoes through the empty apartment, reverberating off the walls. I pause in the entryway, waiting for Georgie to come barreling out with the inquisition, but all I hear is the low hum of the dishwasher filtering in from the kitchen. I tiptoe through, not wanting to break the quiet. The streetlight outside casts a soft glow over the appliances as I sit at the dining table, drawing in a deep breath for what feels like the first time all night.

Maybe Georgie is out looking for me? I scramble to plug in my phone in case she’s been calling. Marshall brought it back to me when he showed up, but the battery was long dead. My foot taps out a frantic rhythm against the linoleum as I wait for it to power up. She must be freaking out so hard.

Just as my phone blinks to life, I hear a low rustling coming from the half-open door to Georgie’s room. I stand, the chair behind me scraping painfully against the floor. A rumpled-looking Georgie emerges, rubbing her eyes like a cartoon.

“Oh hey,” she rasps out, “you’re back late.”

I gape at her as a pit opens in my gut. She frowns as I stare at her. “Everything ok?”

“I… Uh, yeah. I guess,” I sputter out, not sure how to respond. Did she even notice I was gone?

“Good night?” she throws over her shoulder, crossing to the sink and filling a glass of water.

“Um, not really,” I mumble at my feet.

“You okay?”

I don’t know how to answer that, I’m not even sure I know. Am I okay? None of it’s really hit me yet, but fuck, tonight was horrible. “I sort of got kidnapped.”

“Sure.” She laughs in disbelief.

“No, I’m serious.” The back of my throat itches with the threat of tears.

“What?”

“I got kidnapped by the Beaufort team.”

“What the fuck?” She’s still laughing, not seeing the tightness I can feel on my face.

“It was kinda scary actually.” I shrug, remembering how it felt when those arms first came around me. Georgie’s expression falls.

“Shit, Ruth.” I let myself be pulled into a hug as she closes the distance between us. “Are you okay? What happened?”

For a moment it’s hard to speak past the lump in my throat.

She wasn’t looking for me.

“I don’t know, it was some weird hazing thing.” My voice is thick as I fight back tears. The whole evening is catching up with me as I think about what could have happened, how badly things could have gone.

“Holy shit, Ruth.” Georgie’s grip tightens. “Are you hurt? Did anything happen?”

“No,” I mumble into her shoulder. “It was just scary.”

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