Page 127 of Something Tattered
Chapter 57
Standing on my front doorstep, Derek gave me a knowing smirk. "Where's your boyfriend?" He turned and made a show of looking at the driveway, where Joel's car had been parked the last time Derek had stopped by.
That was how long ago? Three days? Or was it four?
Still half-asleep, I rubbed at my eyes. The morning sun felt too bright and too harsh. I squinted at my unwelcome visitor. "What?"
Derek turned to face me, and his gaze dipped to my thin rumpled shorts and matching tank-top. "You just getting up?"
I gave him an annoyed look.Hisclothes weren't rumpled. He was wearing a gray business suit and striped yellow tie. He looked fresh and wide awake, like he'd had plenty of sleep and the perfect double cappuccino.
Well, goodie for him.
I ignored his question and tossed back one of my own. "Is your phone working?"
"You mean my cell phone?"
"Yeah." I felt my jaw clench. "Your cell phone."
He reached into his pocket and pulled it out. Frowning now, he studied the display. "Yeah. Why?"
"Because next time, you can use that thing to call first, okay?"
He stiffened. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying, I don’t want you popping in here anymore."
At this, he had the nerve to look insulted. "Why not?"
"Because I want some privacy."
He was frowning again. "So heisyour boyfriend?"
"And," I continued, "I'm tired of you giving me grief all the time."
"Boy, you're in a mood."
Yes. I was.
It had been two full days since my argument with Joel, and I still hadn't heard from him. Yesterday, I'd even gone to his campsite. It was utterly empty. No tent. No nothing.
Had he left town?
It sure looked that way. And I couldn’t even call him, because right there, on my own kitchen counter was Joel's cell phone. He'd left it there when we'd driven out to the storage unit. Would heevercome back for it? I swallowed. Would he ever come back for me?
The odds weren't looking great.
The situation was so depressing that I wanted to crawl back into bed with an oversized stuffed animal and a pint of ice cream.
But I didn't have either of those things. I had Derek, who was literally the last person on Earth I wanted to see. And this included my pilfering relatives.
I mean, at my least my uncle might make me laugh.
As for Derek, he just made me want to hit something – like his face.
Oblivious to his danger, Derek gave a low chuckle. "What? Did he run out for donuts and forget to come back?"
At the mere thought, something squeezed at my heart. Oh sure, Joel had run out, alright. Unfortunately, no donuts had been involved. Was it over? It sure looked that way.
