I eyed the bed and shivered in distaste. It was looking less and less likely that I was going to be able to stay here. And since when was Cherry into swinging?
“What do you need me for?” she snapped at me. “I obviously have stuff going on right now,” she continued, not sounding shamed at all over the fact that she was having a giant party that she had failed to tell her best friend about. Not that I’d attend such a sleazy affair, but it was the principle of not being invited.
I let that argument drop just as I did about everything else in our friendship that made me upset.
“I need help,” I told her.
Cherry’s face remained unchanged at my pronouncement, so I continued. “There are three Vepar that have been following me ever since that night at the club. They’re literally everywhere, Cherry. I can’t get rid of them and I’m scared about what they’re going to do to me. Can I stay here for a little while just until I can come up with a plan?” My breath raced as I waited for her to answer.
Cherry burst out laughing, the kind of laughter that would make anyone cry a little at the fact that someone was laughing so hard at them.
“Three Vepar are following you?” she gasped. “Where do you even come up with this stuff?”
Fire climbed over my neck and cheeks. “I’m telling you the truth!” I snapped
“Oh, honey,” she said with a disdainful glance. “If you’re jealous that I haven’t been talking to you this week, this isn’t the way to get my attention back with some made up story. I’m allowed to have other friends.” Her voice rose in anger, and she gripped her hips.
I looked at her shocked, my mouth hung open. “You can’t honestly believe I’d make this up?” I whispered.
With a raised chin, she began to walk away from me. “I have guests to get back to. You know the way out, don’t you?” she asked in a condescending voice as she disappeared from view out the bedroom door.
I sank onto her bed in disbelief before quickly jumping up when I remembered what I’d just witnessed happening on the bed. I slowly made my way back through the party to the front door, taking one last look at my best friend who was now making out with one guy while the one from the club finished his business with his lady friend on the couch next to them - in full view of everyone. Who the hell were these people Cherry was mixing with?
While part of me toyed with the idea of dragging her out here and getting her to open her eyes to what she was doing, I also felt betrayed. An ache curled around my heart, squeezing it tight, reminding me that this wasn’t the first time Cherry had let me down.
More than anything though, I felt hopelessness as I stepped out of the building into the night. The rain came pouring down in sheets, drenching me to my bones in seconds and fitting my mood perfectly.
What was I supposed to do next?
I couldn’t go home and keep putting up with the Vepar following me. But I also didn’t want to sleep on the streets. Looking around, I remembered that there was a small motel a few blocks away that we had stumbled across one night when I was trying to herd a drunk Cherry home. Thinking of the money the Vepar had dumped on the table in the cafe, I decided that wouldn’t be a bad option.
A night or two of being alone, hidden, without having to be afraid sounded amazing. Maybe I’d splurge and get myself a big tub of chocolate ice cream and drown myself in it. I hugged my backpack to my chest, trying to keep it as dry as possible, and ran down the sidewalk in the direction of the hotel. The rain fell in chaotic directions, and the violent wind slammed into me making the walk seem ever longer than it really was.
This was turning into quite the night. Not only had my friend turned her back on me, and three Vepar were following me, but now I was stuck in a crazy thunderstorm. I just hoped I wasn’t hit by lightning.
The rain fell hard and diagonal as if it meant to wash me away. It pelted into the sidewalk, knocking into buildings, roofs, and cars. Water splashed up to my knees, drenching my sneakers, making each step make a squishy sound. But I kept going past the store fronts and fancy hotels, watching as my surroundings became seedier and seedier. People darted past me, hiding under umbrellas and staring at me with pity, but I kept going, because in that moment, I felt pity for myself too. For my friend letting me down, for the fact that I had to run away at all. I wanted to scream at Cherry, maybe even throttle her. She had been a bitch tonight, and I was right back where I always was...taking care of myself.
After popping into a convenience store to grab a frozen meal and some snacks, I turned right at the next street corner where the storefronts grew sparse and walked towards the neon light of a sign flashing that vacancies were open at the Palace Motel.
This place was anything but regal. A three-story, concrete building was surrounded by a parking area filled with weeds growing out of the cracks in the path. Metal stairs were visible, leading up to the various floors. I somehow doubted the safety inspector had visited this place in years.
A young couple were drunkenly swaying as they ran up the path toward the stairs through the rain. I did the same, targeting the reception door. I burst inside and shut myself in while water dripped down my face and clothes creating a small puddle on the floor beneath me. Even my underwear was soaked.
I turned around to the large reception room. The counter on the right had an older woman picking at her nails, and on the left sat a dusty couch where two men in silky shirts and jeans lounged, legs wide, their eyes all over the newcomer. Me.
Ignoring them, I swung toward the receptionist and made hasty steps toward her.
She glanced up, still cleaning her nails. “How many nights?”
“Umm.” I tottered on my feet, unsure how long I planned to stay when I had limited funds and just needed some time to think things through. Check out would be 10am and I wasn’t working tomorrow, so I could at least hide here all day. “Two nights please,” I finally said.
“$172 for two nights. Towels are in your room.” She swiveled on her stool and picked a random key from the wall of hooks behind her before tapping something into the computer on the side.
I dug into my bag, juggling the bag of food, and pulled out two bills. I slid them across the counter holding my breath that she wouldn’t ask for a credit card.
The fact that I was paying in cash didn’t even faze her. Evidently this was the type of establishment where that was commonplace. She didn’t even ask me to show her my license. Once she examined the cash, apparently checking to make sure it wasn’t counterfeit, she handed me my change and the key on a ring with a tag for my room number.
“Number 222. Just give the door a jiggle as it gets stuck when it rains. Have a pleasant stay.” Her smile was anything but genuine… it belonged on someone bored and exhausted. And who could blame her when this was where she had to spend her time. I could only imagine the type of things she had to deal with here.