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“It was nice running into you, Charlotte. I’d like to buy you a drink later. If that’s okay with your bodyguard.”
Mallory rolled her eyes.
“Sure.” I waved as Mallory dragged me away.
“God, what a loser,” Mallory said once we were out of earshot.
I giggled. “He’s not a loser.”
“Don’t defend him! What did you ever see in that guy? He’s like a skinnier, dorkier version of Tom Cruise.”
“I think he kind of looks like Shawn Mendes, actually.”
“Do not insult that beautiful boy like that. Kyle is scum as far as I’m concerned.”
I laughed. Then, I couldn’t stop. Mallory looked at me like I’d lost my last marble. I doubled over, clutching my stomach.
“What the hell are you laughing at?”
I wiped my eyes as the hysterics died down. “I just realized something. You’re like Rizzo, from Grease … and I’m Sandy.”
Mallory chuckled, shaking her head. “Yeah, right. You’d never let me give you a makeover.”
I burst into a laughing fit again, picturing the extreme makeup and outfit Mallory would try on me. She must’ve pictured the same thing because she started laughing, too.
Then, I realized something else: I was lucky to have found a friend like Mallory. I missed Carla immensely … but Mallory had saved me from the dark pit of fear when I arrived on Staten Island. I owed her so much.
“Let’s do shots.”
Mallory’s eyebrows nearly launched off her forehead and her jaw dropped open. “You want to do shots?”
I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “I mean, unless you don’t want to.”
“No, no! I want to. Come on, Sandy!” Mallory dragged me clear across the room, making a beeline to the bar.
Nineteen
Charlotte
Note to self: five shots is too many.
After nursing my hangover all day with Gatorade and ibuprofen, I forced myself to go for a run. The sun was setting, and my breath puffed out in front of me like a cloud of smoke. I needed to feel the high. Once I got there, nothing else would matter.
In the middle of my thoughts, I heard a car rolling slowly behind me. I hadn’t noticed anyone following me, but I also hadn’t been paying attention. I didn’t have mace, my gun, or my phone with me. My heart pounded faster. I wanted to look over my shoulder but felt too nervous. Was someone following me?
I picked up the pace, wanting to break into a sprint, but not wanting to alert the driver. With every block I turned down, the sound of the tires rolling over the pavement followed behind. Finally, I stopped and pretended to tighten my shoelaces. When I bent down, the sound of the moving car stopped with me. Panic set in. TJ taught me what to do. I can handle this.
As I tied the knot on my laces, I casually looked around. A shiny black Cadillac SUV was stopped in the middle of the road. The windows were tinted so dark, I couldn’t see inside. The reflection from the streetlights on the windshield made it impossible to make out the driver. If I was being followed, that could only mean one thing: Tommy was coming back for revenge.
I couldn’t go home. I would lead him right to my father, if he didn’t already know where we lived. My heart beat in my throat as I ran thinking about what I should do next.
Then, a car horn split the air, causing me to jump. I spun around and saw Tanner’s Mustang behind the SUV. Tanner was beeping and waving his hand out the window.
“Come on, asshole! You’re blocking the road! Drive!” he shouted.
The SUV took off, whizzing past me. I strained my eyes as hard as I could to get a glimpse of the person inside, but it was no use.
Tanner pulled alongside me wearing a grin. “Hey, hot stuff. Want a ride?”
