Page 39 of The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle
“I’m serious,” Liz said. “But I need it to be now before I lose my courage. Please.”
Rose’s pierced brow arched high on her forehead. “I can’t teach you. I just learned to drive myself.”
“I have my license. I know what to do.” It was true although Liz wasn’t sure she actually remembered how to drive. “I need moral support more than anything.”
“From me?” Rose’s expression twisted further.
Yeah, this probably isn’t the best idea.“Slide over,” Liz demanded.
Rose hesitated, but then she lifted her body over the center console and into the passenger seat. “Don’t kill us, okay?” As soon as she said the words, her eyes widened. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
Liz ignored the comment, opened the door, and slid into the driver’s seat. She curled her fingers around the steering wheel and began to shake like Danette from the bookstore.
Rose began to speak, but Liz cut her off by holding up a hand.
“Shh.” Liz closed her eyes, forcing deep breaths. The more she breathed, the more breathless she felt. Her heart raced so fast that she felt lightheaded. She reached for the charm bracelet on her wrist, hoping it would center her. “I can do this. I can do this,” she chanted under her breath.
Rose made a squeaky noise beside her.
“Shh . . . I can do this.” Liz finally opened her eyes and looked out the front windshield as the nausea clenched her stomach. “Ican’tdo this.” Pushing open the driver’s side door, she bent forward and vomited on the pavement below.
To: Liz Dawson
From: Bri Johnson
Subject: Friends are good therapy
Liz,
I’m glad you’re going back to Dr. Mayer. I think sometimes it helps to talk to someone. I’ve seen a counselor at the prison a few times. I’m sure Dr. Mayer is a better counselor than the one I saw. I swear that woman was making her grocery list while I poured my heart out to her.
Anyway, you can vent to me too, you know. Always. I can’t promise that I’ll know what to say. But I’ll listen and I won’t judge you. That counts for something, right?
Ally sends me messages almost daily. She’s having a great time with her father in California. That shouldn’t make me upset, but I cry after reading every email (when no one is looking). I want her to have a great time withme. I want to be the one to take her places like Sunrise Park and the movie theater. I want to take my daughter on spa dates and get our nails done together. I want to be a good mom.
I want to be a good friend too. I know you need me. I’ll be there soon.
B
CHAPTERELEVEN
MELODY
“I’m nervous.” The following morning, Melody glanced over at Liz in the passenger seat next to her as she pulled into the parking lot of the women’s prison. It had taken thirty minutes to drive there, and the entire way Melody’s stomach had been tying itself into tiny knots.
Liz placed a hand on Melody’s forearm. “Don’t be. You two were as close as sisters once. We all were. Sisters fight, but they never stop loving each other. That’s a fact.”
Melody offered a smile in Liz’s direction. Liz hadn’t been the easiest to win over since Melody had been back. Even now, Melody could tell Liz was guarded. The Liz of old wasn’t afraid to share her thoughts and feelings. She was an open book. The one sitting next to Melody right now was much more reserved.
Liz turned her attention to the large brick building blocked off by a barbed wire fence in front of them. “It could’ve been any one of us that ended up in there,” she said quietly. “We all handled things in our own way. Bri just had so many injuries and the pain medication they put her on . . . well, it wasn’t good.”
“I knew Bri was here because she was caught with drugs. I just wasn’t sure of the details,” Melody said as she navigated through the parking lot. Melody trailed off because she didn’t really need to admit to Liz that she was an awful friend who hadn’t kept in touch. Liz already knew that.
“Yeah,” Liz said. “Bri struggled after the accident. We all did.”
Melody parked the car and pulled the key from the ignition, noticing that her hands were shaking. “I guess I just thought it was none of my business. That I didn’t need to know the details of what put her behind bars. But now that I’m about to walk inside and sit across from her, I feel like I should know all of it before I go in.” Melody looked over and met Liz’s eyes, hoping she would understand.
Liz gave her a small smile. It was getting warmer every time she offered it in Melody’s direction. The two of them were becoming closer. Just like friends again. “Okay. Well, Bri was in a lot of pain after her injuries—not only physical, but emotional too. She got to the point where she was desperate to numb it, I guess. Then, a couple years after our accident, she met this guy—Lazer.”
