Kade and so many others in this town don’t have to go out of their way to make her life worse, though. We don’t all have to be friends, but we can be kind.
“Girls with blue hair aren’t afraid of anyone,” I tell her.
She laughs, and I see her head bob in a nod before she takes a drink.
“Hey, where’s my purse?” someone says down below.
I look over the railing and notice Kelsey Smith spinning around and searching the area.
Her friend moves her chair, searching underneath it. “When did you see it last?”
“It was right here,” she blurts out.
I raise my eyes a little, seeing a blue hoodie slink through the people.
I blink long and hard. “Wait here,” I tell Tommy.
Dipping under the railing, I jump off the bleachers and push through the people, keeping my head down.
But they notice anyway. I see them do double-takes when I pass.
We have seconds.
I reach out and catch Aro’s arm, guiding her beyond the crowd and keeping my voice as low as possible. “I told you not to cause trouble.”
I reach around into the center pocket of her hoodie and pull out the cash I knew I’d find. I glare down at her.
She shakes her head. “Did you see her shoes?” she asks. “She can afford it.”
“You don’t know that.”
“What do you think I’m going to do?” she argues. “Gamble with it? I’m buying fucking food, since you took away my mom’s meal ticket.”
I advance on her, because she’s fucking yelling and we’re gaining notice. I growl down at her, barely unlocking my jaw. “You should be grateful I took him out of your house.”
She laughs. “All you did was take away one problem and create another. Morals are for people with second bathrooms.”
“Then I’ll take care of it.”
“I will take care of it!” she shouts. “I feed my family. Not you!”
Everyone’s looking at us, and I gaze down at her, too tired and too frustrated to figure out what to say to make her shut up and behave. She escalates everything.
She’s too inconvenient. I’ve never known someone who repeatedly does the exact opposite of what they’re supposed to. And for what? Eighty bucks? Why take unnecessary risk? Why look for trouble?
“We’re going to get caught because you do stupid things,” I tell her.
“Oh, like venture into a public place so you can check on your girlfriend?”
What? That’s not…
I straighten, staring down at her. She must’ve seen Schuyler and me just now.
But I’m not going to explain myself to her. I don’t explain myself to anyone. The longer this goes on, the more trouble I’m getting into, and she refuses to listen. I’m not going down for her.
“This isn’t working,” I say.
“Yeah, you ain’t kidding.”
Screw this. I still have a chance, and no matter what I do she’ll end up in jail one way or another, because she only thinks from one minute to the next. Never tomorrow.
“I’m turning myself in in the morning,” I say. “And I wish you the best of luck.”
I walk back to the bleachers to get Tommy, but I hear her behind me. “I’d say the same, but you won’t need it.”
I stop, glancing behind me, but she’s already gone.
And I stand there, feeling like I’m sinking and I can’t get to the surface.
What will happen to her?
Where will she go?
The men in her life are predators.
My gut clenches, and I dart my eyes around, searching for the blue hoodie. Where the hell did she go?
I don’t see her.
And as I take Tommy back to the car, I can’t stop saying Aro’s name over and over in my head, and I don’t know why.
Maybe so I never forget.
So, I’ll remember she was here.
Aro Teresa Marquez.
Aro
It takes me two hours to walk to my old house. I should probably swing by my former foster mom’s and get a change of clothes, but I need to check on Matty and Bianca. Plus, I don’t have the rent money I owe her.
Only my stepdad’s car sits in the driveway as the place comes into view, which makes sense. My mom would probably be at work by now, and if he’s in jail like Hawke said, then he’s not here even if his car is.
I walk up to the house, gazing at his ’79 Dodge Dart as I pass. I should steal it. It’s worth a good chunk of change.
But Hawke’s words ring in my ear. It would just cause more trouble, blah, blah, blah.
Of course, he’s right. There’s no way Hugo will take it as a payment on what I owe. Not a car stolen from someone we know.
The only thing I can do is run away with it and hope I don’t get caught. I could do it. I should. I know how to get by. Food, fuel, shelter… I could be in Chicago tonight. Seattle by Wednesday. Canada by morning. I could start over. Even if I got caught, it’s so tempting just for the hope of seeing a different view for once.