Page 74 of Dare You to Run
I cried myself to sleep, completely ignoring Mara, Janelle, Sami and Lizzie when I walked in. I threw my things down on the floor, not bothering to take off my clothes, and fell face down to my bed.
I don’t know how long I cried for, but I know it’s definitely not morning time as my phone goes off. I’m groggy and my hands feel like they’re on a sandy beach. Then I realize that it’s not my alarm going off but my phone ringing.
My eyes pop open and I reach for my phone that is still tucked tightly into my back pocket. I pull it out to see the time read four-fifteen and Hendrix’s name on the caller ID. My fingers fumble as I try to swipe over and over, then take a deep breath to steady myself and try again.
“Hendrix?” I answer, worried that it might not be him.
“Hey little mouse.” His voice is tired and gravelly, like he’s been trekking across a dry desert for days. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you.”
“It’s okay. Malik told me why you couldn’t.” He grows quiet, only puffing out air. “What happened?”
“It’s a long story that I really don’t want to get into right now. Is that okay?”
“Yeah. Of course.” I can tell his mind and his body are exhausted and the last thing I want to do is push him when he’s already had such a rough day. “Are you alright? Aside from being arrested?”
“I’m a little rough for the wear to be honest. Danté wears this fucking ring that has a pointed end on it. He uses it for…stuff. Well the asshole sliced me right above my eye with it, so I’m definitely going to need stitches. It’s my first stop in the morning.”
“Oh my gosh. Does it hurt?” I sit up in bed and look over at Lizzie who is snoring away.
I decide not to wake her, and quietly tip toe out of my bedroom and out onto the back patio.
“It’s fine. I’ll just have a gnarly scar, but he should have one too. I caught him good on the cheekbone. We also have cuts on our arms from rolling in gravel and several bruises, but it’s whatever. I just don’t know if we’ll be able to recover from this.”
He sounds hurt, not just physically but emotionally. If I could reach out and take his heart in my hands and keep it safe I would. Something occurs to me and I just have to ask.
“Hendrix?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Was your fight about me?” His silence tells me everything I need to know.
I pull my legs to my chest and hug them tight, resting my head on my knees. A chill blows in the early morning hours, and shivers roll through my body. But it’s not from the cold.
“I don’t want to be the reason you and your brother fall apart.” My voice cracks and I sniff.
“Dagen, you won’t be. Trust me. Danté has a chip on his shoulder and doesn’t like when someone puts him in his place. He’s stubborn and hard headed and doesn’t know when to just shut up. He runs his mouth and it’s the source of many of our fights. This one got a little more…heated.” I can hear how worked up about it he is and I feel even more guilty.
“Well if you ever need a break from there, you’re always welcome here,” I tell him.
“Be careful what you say little mouse. I may drive up there and steal you away. Maybe hide us from the rest of the world.”
“That would be perfectly okay with me. Just tell me when and I’ll be ready.” I smile, my heart feeling a little lighter than it was hours ago.
“You better go back to sleep. It’s late. I’m sorry for waking you.”
“Wake me any time you want. I’ll always answer.”
“I’ll remember that. Good night, little mouse.”
“Good night, Mr. Wolf.” He laughs softly and the line goes quiet.
I stay up for the next hour, staring up at the navy blue sky and wishing I was back in Cattywump Bay, far away from the problems that chase me down.
A week passes with Hendrix and I talking every chance we get. He sends me texts while he’s at work and I’m in class. Once the evening comes, we’re on the phone until our eyes were weary and our yawns abundant. He spent little time out of his house aside from work, and my friends grew increasingly angry with me over my lack of communication.
They knew the reason why I ran from my house that day, and have since come to know about my time in Cattywump Bay and Hendrix. But I just don’t have the energy to be the person they know me as. Something changed in me. I can’t say whether it was finding out about Stephanie or meeting Hendrix, but I know that it shifted my life’s trajectory.
Last night, we spoke about the possibility of me flying down for a weekend, soon. I’m trying to find a way to pay for it without my parents knowing about it, since we are still on very limited speaking terms. I mainly call to talk with AJ and Sloane.
