Page 26 of Next to Everything We Wanted
“Oh, who’s Gavin?”
The blood in my veins froze as soon as my name fell from her lips. It’d been years since so many emotions had coursed through me. The only thing I could do was turn into a human popsicle.
“Wait.” Sienna blinked at me. “Is that your real name?”
“You’re not Ivan Hicks?” Emma asked, facing me with wide eyes.
This popcorn was going to close my throat and kill me.
It didn’t sound like the worst thing in the world right now.
I let out a string of curses, running my hands through my soggy hair.
Emma paused the movie without looking away from me, her mouth hanging open. Adam also turned toward me with confusion on his face. I couldn’t dare to look at Sienna. This was the moment that I needed superpowers to disappear into thin air. Or even better, a superpower that could erase time or memory.
“What’s wrong?” Sienna asked as she inched closer to me. It didn’t help the breath trapped in my lungs.
“I have to go,” I said in a rush, my heart thumping wildly in my chest. “I-I just remembered that I left the stove on in my apartment.” What a dumb excuse to have three hours after I’d left my apartment. Still, I grabbed my damp backpack off the floor. “Sorry. Thanks for having me.”
“Okay.” Sienna’s lips barely curved in a small smile. “Thanks for helping Adam and finding Bailey.”
“No problem.” I waved before dashing out the door, not looking back.
It was no longer raining outside, though puddles covered the pathway to the driveway and sidewalk. I avoided them as I ran and kept running until my legs burned. Gosh, I needed to start going for runs in the morning. My stamina was terrible, even as adrenaline coursed through me.
Once I knew I couldn’t run anymore, I stopped near a tree and pulled my phone out of my backpack. I had about fifteen missed calls from Phoenix and Forrest and countless texts. Knowing that he’d be less furious than Forrest, I called Phoenix.
“Where the hell have you been?” he hissed as soon as he answered the line. “Forrest and I thought the rain had washed you away or something.”
“I need you to pick me up,” I said, the phone shaking in my hand. “I’m at April Trails. Near a big tree where you first come in.”
“What are you doing there?”
“I’ll explain later.”
“Gavin, don’t?—”
“Just come!” My voice was loud, filling the quiet air around me. I heard someone open their front door, and I quickly ran out of the neighborhood. “I’m standing outside the neighborhood now.”
Phoenix cursed under his breath before hanging up on me.
Around ten minutes later, Phoenix’s black Chevy truck sped along the curb, entering the neighborhood before he could brake. I didn’t hesitate to get in the passenger seat and throw my backpack in the back seat.
“What the hell happened, Gavin?” Phoenix’s voice was pitched with a mix of worry and anger, his dark eyes wide.
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped, my hands shaking as I tried to buckle my seatbelt. “I don’t want to hear my name for the rest of the day.Please.”
He blinked at me. “What happened? And whose clothes are you wearing? What is this, a walk of shame?”
“Just drive, or I’ll drive myself!”
“Fine!” He hit the gas and made a U-turn out of the neighborhood.
“Thank you.” I leaned my head back. The popcorn and soda in my stomach churned, threatening to make a reappearance on Phoenix’s dashboard. I closed my eyes, trying to push the feeling away.
A minute later, Phoenix turned on the radio. As if I hadn’t suffered enough today, “Change Your Mind” by Charm Street came on, my fourteen-year-old face plastered in the middle of the album cover.
And I let out an ear-shattering scream, nearly making Phoenix drive into a tree.
