Page 40 of Fast Lane

The sincerity in her voice lets me know it’s true but it doesn’t matter. Our illusion is broken. We ran in the fast lane, but now we’ve crashed and I’m trapped burning in the car watching her escape.

Thirty-Five

Roscoe

It’s been a week. A very long, miserable week. My mood has been shit. Actually, pretty much everything has been shit except Free Fall. The school has been amazing. It’s booked solid for three months. I’ve never seen it this busy even before I purchased it. I should be celebrating but instead I’m sulking. I’m fixing to close up for the day when the front door opens. When I turn around, I’m shocked to see my two best friends standing in the doorway. “Hey guys, what are you up to?”

“I told you we’d find him here,” Lane says to Bowie as if I can’t hear her.

Bowie shakes his head. “We’re going out.”

Going out doesn’t sound like something I want to do so I shake my head. “I’m not really in the mood to go out. How about a raincheck?”

“Oh I’m sorry, did it sound like Bowie was asking?” Lane asks in her typical snarky fashion. Lane is closed off and defensive to everyone in the world except for me, Bowie, and her grandpa. She has a story but it isn’t mine to tell. Her fire engine red hair is gone. Platinum blonde now sits there.

“I didn’t think it sounded like a question,” Bowie comments.

I roll my eyes. “You two are being ridiculous.”

“Nope, that would be you,” Lane tells me.

I cross my arms over my chest. “How?” My gut reaction is I’m not going to like the answer to that question.

Bowie and Lane both smirk and exchange a look. “Lock up and meet us outside. We’re going out,” Bowie says. He even stoops as low as to use his dad voice on me. As if I’m a child. Although I have to admit his dad voice is a little scary. For a moment, I stand there and try to think of a way out of this. The last thing I want to do is go out tonight. All I want is to go home and eat some leftover pizza, watch a horror movie, and cuddle up with Mushu. In the end, though, I do exactly what Bowie told me to do. I lock up and meet them outside.

I don’t say anything. I just slide into the passenger seat of Bowie’s car. Lane sits in the back seat. Classic rock plays throughout the car. Bowie drives us to the place we usually meet up—JamesTown. We head inside. Bowie heads for the counter to order while I follow Lane to a table. The place isn’t too crowded, then again it is a weeknight. Things around here are a little slower on weeknights. Lane and I sit while we wait for Bowie. I look over at Lane. “What is going on?”

“You need an intervention, Ros.”

Scoffing, I sit back in the chair and cross my arms over my chest. Defenses up and it is not normal for me to be defensive around these two. If there’s one thing a person never wants to hear is that they need an intervention. Bowie joins us. He looks at me then at Lane. “You called it an intervention didn’t you?”

Lane rolls her eyes. “That’s what it is!”

“No one wants to hear that shit, Lane. You tell him we need to talk. Never call it an intervention.” Bowie turns to me. “It’s not an intervention. We just want to talk.”

“About what?”

Lane sighs. “You know what.”

The one who shall not be named. Yes, immature but avoiding the subject they are now wanting to talk about is on my to-do list. “We’re not going there.”

“Do you know who you remind me of?” Bowie asks. I shake my head. “Me.”

“How?” I ask. There is no planet where I sound like Bowie James. Bowie has it all these days. Most days I feel like I barely have anything.

Bowie smirks. “Do you remember how I was when Hollis left?” I give him a ‘come on’ look and he just smiles bigger. “You sound exactly like that version of me. I was so mad at the world for losing her, but guess what, she came back. And Kosi, she isn’t gone yet. You can still stop it.”

I shake my head and look away. “I can’t,” I mumble.

“Can’t or won’t?” Lane challenges.

Her eyes meet mine from across the table. There’s a reason she’s such a hard ass the majority of the time. Lane keeps the world at arm’s length. “Can’t,” I bite out.

She shakes her head. “You mean you won’t. You’re going to let your pride get in the way of whatever you and Kosi had going on. That’s just stupid, Ros!”

Burgers and fries are placed in front of us. Bowie sighs. “I think you should at least think about it.”

“You don’t get it. She’s meant to go. She is meant to succeed. There’s no way for her to do that here. She doesn't want to be some waitress and girlfriend.” I pick up a fry and aggressively dunk it into ketchup.

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