Kass: Remind me again why you can’t come over tonight?
Minutes go by.
Willy Wonka: Had to train. But I’ll make it up to you tomorrow. Promise.
Desperate, I opt for a bait as old as time. The sex bait.
Kass: You sure you can’t spare me a second tonight? My mom is out cold and I’m horny.
The reply is instant.
Willy Wonka: Yeah? What are you wearing right now?
Hook, line, and sinker.
Kass: Nothing. Just got out of the shower.
Willy Wonka: Fuck. Don’t tell me that.
Willy Wonka: If you give me a boner during training, Alex will never let me hear the end of it.
Kass: So, you’re still at training?
/> Ten minutes go by.
Willy Wonka: Yeah.
His lie slices right through me. I don’t reply, holding my phone tightly against my chest and climbing out of my car.
That’s it. I’m going in. I creep toward room thirty-five stealthily and come to a stop near the door, preparing to knock. Seconds before my fist meets wood, I change my mind, settling for the handle.
This place is too cheap for electronic key cards. It’s a regular knob, and I’d rather not give Will time to clean up and hide whoever’s in there.
It’s unlocked.
Time for the truth.
Slowly, I twist the door open, careful not to make a sound as I ghost inside the empty motel room.
No sign of a girl.
No sign of Will either.
On the other side of the door is a double bed pushed up against the left wall. The bed is undone, messy. All over the nightstand is Will’s stuff: his phone, his keys. He even has a phone charger plugged in. He’s not just passing through.
But what sets my thoughts onto a self-destructive course is the suitcase sitting at the foot of his bed.
Wait.
Does he… live here?
I’ve barely had time to let my discovery sink in when the most unexpected sound slashes through the air.
Someone puking.
And I mean puking.
My gaze darts to the closed door halfway across the room. The bathroom. Will’s in there. He’s got to be.