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Casey
Y’all, I need a drink. Dad won’t shut up about me finding a husband already. I’m only eighteen!
Piper
Are we hitting up the cove fire tonight, or will it just be a chill night at the shack?
I look at the guys before replying because I don’t want a chill night. I want to have fun and forget.
Me
Cove fire. We can pregame at my place, though.
Casey
Also, I invited some tourists to come tonight. They said they couldn’t make it but be on the lookout for a couple new faces. The girls are so pretty, and they have an adorable little brother.
Casey is always so excited to meet new people. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not upset with entertaining some tourists—especially the hot ones—but I don’t want our group dynamic to change.
Running away and seeing every river, lake, and ocean is my dream, but I want Alliance to stay the same when I come back. I’ve already dealt with more change than I liked six years ago.
I doubt these tourists will matter a few days from now.
CHAPTER SIX
Sally
Alliance, Michigan—the worst place on earth.
That might be an exaggeration, but for my existence, this place holds nothing but bad memories. Ella is the one currently driving the sibling’s car. I drove most of the way, but at our last stop, Ella asked for the keys and gave me a sympathetic look. I knew what she was doing without even exchanging words.
Ella knew I might panic when we entered the city, and she was right. The minute I see the ‘Welcome to Alliance’ sign, my breathing labors.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
It’s okay, Sally. You will only be here for a few days.
You’ll see the house, decide to demolish it, and then figure out what to do with the land later. Richie is in real estate. Maybe he’ll know what to do once we get back.
The thought doesn’t stop my breathing from getting heavier as we continue into the city. I have to keep my eyes anywhere but the surrounding city. Every building I look at feels like a punch in the gut.
I hate this city.
“Sal,” Ella calls back to me as I keep my eyes on my pale pink Converses. “Sally, you look like you’re going to throw up. Do we need to pull over?”
I finally look up to see Mimi looking back at me. It is rare to get her to put a book down, which means I must look like I’m dying. I might be dying. My heart pounds out of my chest, and everything feels like I’m in a daze. My eyes aren’t focusing on anything in particular. Leon’s hand finds its way onto my back. The presence is nice but not enough to quell the storm wanting to breach my body.
“There’s a gas station over there!” Mimi calls out as Ella pulls slowly into the parking lot.
I run out of the door and into the gas station without thinking. I don’t have time to worry about the people staring as I hurry to the restroom.
The women’s restroom is cold, from the cheap tile floor to the gray-blue paint chipping off the walls.
I only have time to notice the cold air and walls before I am dry heaving into the toilet. That’s right, I didn’t eat breakfast because I was nervous, and now my stomach is mad.
Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door. It is probably Ella or Mimi coming to check in. Leon wouldn’t be knocking to come into the women’s restroom. He’s very adamant about staying out of girl things.
