I slid into the leather interior and he peered at me for a moment more before closing the door with a solid push. I scrutinized him as he crossed around the front end, surveying the way he moved, standing tall, comfortable in his ownskin.
When he got in and started the car, backing out of the parking spot, I continued to watch him closely, under my lashes as I pretended to pick at my nails and the fabric of my shirt. He never once extended his hand towards the radio, so it was left silent and the lack of background noise made me all the more aware of how close he was. I pushed my legs up against the backpack I had left sitting on the passengerfloorboards.
"Is your mom going to ask where you've been?" It took me a moment to realize that he'd asked me a question, I was so focused on his physicality and the way hemoved.
"Oh, um, maybe." I bit my lip. "It depends on if she's awake or not." It also depended on if she was coherent ornot.
"I understand she has some medical issues?" His voice tilted slightly up at the end as if he were clarifying an answer he already knew by turning the statement into aquestion.
"How did you – never mind." I was the one stopping myself this time. It shouldn't surprise me anymore. They likely knew my entire life story. I would like to know how, but my guess was Texas. He was the tech guy. "Yes, shedoes."
"That must be hard." I shrugged in response. "Her records said that she has...what is it? Bipolar disorder as well? I've heard that can be difficult byitself."
"She didn't really know she had it until later in life. She wasn't diagnosed right away." I picked at a thread on the hem of myshirt.
"How isshe?"
"She has good days and bad days." Really bad days. But that was likely normal with her medication. I often found that she would skip several days in a row of taking her medication. I was away so much with work and school sometimes I feared coming home and finding her lifeless body. It was a nightmare that had ruined more than a few nights ofsleep.
"Do you have thosetoo?"
"Do I havewhat?"
"Good days and bad days," hereplied.
I twisted my body to lean against the seat and stare openly. "Doesn'teveryone?"
"What do they looklike?"
"My good days and bad days?" Iclarified.
Henodded.
"Well, I suppose my good days look just like this except without the weird guys carting me around the city, stealing me from school and such." He smirked. "My bad days happen when bills come in and I have to sit down and count how much I made and how much I get for groceries and how I'm going to get to the store. It gives me a headache and it just stresses me out. But loads of people go through that, so it's not as bad as it couldbe."
I didn't consider why I was telling him this. I wasn't usually so open. The conversation died down as he concentrated on driving while I gave up my concentration of him and listened to the quiet hum of the engine instead. The rhythmic beat of the car flying over the road lulled me and I found myself gazing out the window, staring at passing trees and cars andsigns.
Something occurred to me. "Do I need to tell you where to go?" I flipped back over, sitting sideways in the seat again. Marv had both hands on the wheel,conscientious.
The closer corner of his mouth lifted slightly. He was even more stunning when he smiled. "No."
I sighed and pressed the button to slide the window down an inch or so to let in fresh air. Within the next few minutes, he flicked the blinker and pulled off on the exit closest to my house. The lights of the BMW flashed across the front entrance of my neighborhood and then again across the darkened duplexes and dirty mailboxes that lined the streets. I supposed it undoubtedly looked like a rundown community, but it was actually one of the nicest, safest places my mom and I had everlived.
Marv parked the BMW and walked around to open my door again. It wasn't unheard of, the kind of gentlemanly behavior that he and the other guys exhibited was different, but it wasn't something I was usedto.
"I'll come by tomorrow to take you to school. Bright and early, Sunshine." I took his profferedhand.
"Tomorrow's Saturday," I remindedhim.
He shrugged, the dress shirt stretching over his shoulders under the pristine jacket. "Then I'll come by tomorrow morning for a studysession."
"I don't know, my mom isn't used to strangers." I hesitated on the corner of thestreet.
Could I call the whole thing off and tell them to put my life back in order before tomorrow? Likely not. Did I want them to? Frankly, I wanted things to be different. I had always wished for it and the idea of sending them away and never seeing them again made my chest clench up and start toache.
"–promised Knix I would," Marv wassaying.
"How about meeting at the diner?" Isuggested.