“I’m taking my stuff to Morgan. They have all those washers and dryers and I have a ridiculous amount of laundry to do.”
He frowned. “You were going to leave without telling me?”
I glanced to America and then to Travis, struggling for the most believable lie.
“She was coming back in, Trav. You’re so freakin’ paranoid,” America said with the dismissive smile she had used to deceive her parents so many times.
“Oh,” he said, still unsure. “You staying here tonight?” he asked me, pinching the fabric of my coat.
“I don’t know. I guess it depends on when my laundry gets done.”
Travis smiled, pulling me against him. “In three weeks, I’ll pay someone to do your laundry. Or you can just throw away your dirty clothes and buy new ones.”
“You’re fighting for Benny again?” America asked, shocked.
“He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
“Travis,” Shepley began.
“Don’t you guys start on me, too. If I’m not changing my mind for Pidge, I’m not changing my mind for you.”
America met my eyes with understanding, “Well, we better get you back, Abby. That pile of clothes is gonna take you forever.”
I nodded and Travis leaned down to kiss me. I pulled him closer, knowing it would be the last time I felt his lips against mine. “See you later,” he said. “Love you.”
Shepley lifted my suitcase into the hatchback of the Honda, and America slid into her seat beside me. Travis folded his arms across his chest, chatting with Shepley as America switched on the ignition.
“You can’t stay in your room tonight, Abby. He’s going to come straight there when he figures it out,” America said as she slowly backed away from the parking block.
Tears filled my eyes and spilled over, falling down my cheeks. “I know.”
Travis’s cheerful expression changed when he saw the look on my face. He wasted no time jogging to
my window. “What’s wrong, Pidge?” he said, tapping on the glass.
“Go, Mare,” I said, wiping my eyes. I focused on the road ahead as Travis jogged alongside the car.
“Pigeon? America! Stop the fucking car!” he yelled, slamming his palm against the glass. “Abby, don’t do this!” he said, realization and fear distorting his expression.
America turned onto the main road and pressed on the gas. “I’m never going to hear the end of this—just so you know.”
“I’m so, so sorry, Mare.”
She glanced into the rearview mirror and pushed her foot to the floor. “Jesus Christ, Travis,” she muttered under her breath.
I turned to see him running at full speed behind us, vanishing and reappearing between the lights and shadows of the street lamps. After he reached the end of the block, he turned in the opposite direction, sprinting to the apartment.
“He’s going back to get his bike. He’s gonna follow us to Morgan and cause a huge scene.”
I closed my eyes. “Just … hurry. I’ll sleep in your room tonight. Think Vanessa will mind?”
“She’s never there. He’s really going to work for Benny?”
The word was stuck in my throat, so I simply nodded.
America grabbed my hand and squeezed. “You’re making the right decision, Abby. You can’t go through that again. If he won’t listen to you, he’s not going to listen to anyone.”
My cell phone rang. I looked down to see Travis’s silly face and then pressed ignore. Less than five seconds later, it rang again. I turned it off and shoved it into my purse.