Page 3 of Weather the Storm

“Y-you don’t have to do that,” she told me.

“I want to. Now, go on. I’ll come find you inside and let you know.”

Magnolia gave me a curt nod before she turned and made her way into Dilly’s, the restaurant I also happened to have lunch plans at. I made my way over to her car and walked around it, inspecting it thoroughly for any possible damage, but as I suspected, it was nothing more than a bit of paint transfer.

Satisfied with my findings, I moved toward the entrance, ready to join my friends for some good food, and maybe a little excited to talk to Magnolia again, even if only for a second or two.

“Hey!” came the dickbag’s voice from behind me just before I pulled open the door. “You need to teach your bitch how to drive.”

My fists clenched at my sides, and my molars ground together. This motherfucker must have had a death wish. Pivoting around, I stalked toward him, steam all but blowing from my ears. “If you know what’s best for you, you’ll get in your truck and drive away.”

“Drive away? No. That little bitch needs to cough up the money to fix my bumper.”

“Call her that one more time—I dare you,” I goaded him, lethal and low. When he didn’t respond, I laughed to myself. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

I once again headed toward the restaurant, but then he spoke up again—obviously too chicken shit to say anything when I was looking.

“This is why my bitch stays her ass at home.”

I whipped around to face him, and he apparently managed to find some courage because he drew himself up to his full height—which still left him looking up to my six-two—and puffed out his chest like he was looking for a fight. That suited me just fine. “You need to learn a thing or two about respect—”

He caught me off guard when he pushed me away with his fingertips pressed to my shoulders. “And your bitch needs to learn to drive.”

I swear, this guy had a death wish, and…he touched me first—hello, provocation. Without a second thought, I swung out, clipping him in the jaw. He stumbled back from the force of my blow.

“The fuck?” he roared, rubbing a hand over the reddened flesh of his jaw.

“I warned you,” I told him as I turned and finally walked away.

Pushing through the doors of the café, I scanned the space for Miss Magnolia, only to be shocked as shit to see her seated directly in between Myla Rose and Azalea.

Seraphine kills the engine, pulling me from my thoughts. We instantly exit the car and start toward the emergency room entrance. “She’s okay, right?” Seraphine asks me as the automatic doors slide open to let us pass.

“Sure of it,” I tell her, hoping like hell I’m right.

Together, we march over to the nurses/ station. “May I help y’all?”

“Yes. My cousin was just brought in by an ambulance.”

“Name, please?”

“Magnolia Ellington.” Seraphine fishes through Magnolia’s purse and pulls out her wallet. “I have her I.D. right here.”

“Insurance?” the nurse asks.

“Uh, let me look.” Seraphine flips open the wallet and slides Magnolia’s driver’s license from its slot. Sure enough, right behind it is her insurance card. Seraphine holds it up victoriously. “Yup. Right here.”

The nurse takes the cards from Seraphine and hands her a clipboard with a pen attached to it by a little chain. “Great. Fill these out to the best of your ability—her name and contact info, birthday, all that.”

We retreat to the waiting area, where Seraphine gets to work filling in the blanks on the forms while I settle in for a long wait.

Chapter Two

MAGNOLIA

Would anyone miss me if I were gone? Would anyone even notice, or care? If one day I were to cease to exist, would it even matter? Or would I just become another statistic—a cautionary tale? It’s hard to say, but it’s so tempting to find out.

The allure of being able to end it all is so strong that it pulls at me, nips at my skin, eats at my brain. It promises me silence and peace and safety from him. It promises me a way out.

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