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Shit.
“Oh, he’s going to love that.” She chuckles to herself.
Still stunned at what just happened, I stay quiet in the back seat. Sam starts the car again and continues down the private drive like nothing happened.
I think she’s forgotten she’s not alone again. But after that show, I’m not about to remind her.
Somehow, this last stretch of road feels longer than the entire drive. That’s probably because we’reonly doing thirty, and there are not many things I wouldn’t do right now to get out of this car.
I eye the door handle but shake it off quickly. There’s no point in breaking my neck as well as my ankle.
The throbbing gets worse the more I think about it, and I breathe out a shaky breath. God, I hope Michael was right, and it’s not actually broken. That will definitely set me back. Even just twisted, I know I will need to be careful for the next few days, but the thought of missing more than one morning run spikes my anxiety.
The idea of falling back into old habits causes a few more tears to fall, and I try to push out the voice telling me I’ll get fat and that no one will love me.
Closing my eyes, I take deep, steady breaths, letting my mind fall empty just like Doc Jane taught me in high school. And as my thoughts retreat, I make a note to email her for a chat this week.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
Be in this moment, I remind myself.
The voice with harsh words that sounds remarkably like my mother fades further and further away until I’m left with peace. My body slumps back into the seat beneath me, and my muscles feel loose from exhaustion.
With one last heavy breath, I open my eyes, only to immediately scowl.
We’ve stopped. And I’m alone.
All of my newfound peace quickly leaves me. I’m in the middle of nowhere, injured, just been in a car crash, and now I’ve been abandoned to die alone.
Panicked, I sit up quickly. It’s still dark out, too dark to really see where I am.
The smell of the water says I’m near the town lake. A large wooden cabin on my right is the kind you see in romance films. I know it’s cozy and warm without even going inside. There’s only one large house on this side of the lake. They really are the Cromwells.
The top floors are dark, while light spills from the ground-floor windows onto the front porch.
The large wooden steps tempt me. Can I knock? Force my way inside and demand she take me home? No, definitely not that. I’m never getting in a car with her again.
Twisting in my seat, I peer out of the back window, but the light only reaches so far, and other than the start of the dirt road we came down, the only things visible are a handful of huge trees. The darkness reaches out, trying to engulf that too.
The blackness beyond the first few trees is starting to creep me out. The stillness of the night is a stark reminder that I’m out here alone. Anything could happen, and no one would know.
Decision made.
Shifting in my seat, I tug the door handle and step out of the car.
Big mistake.
My leg crumples beneath me, and pain ricochets from my ankle up my leg and back down again, where it settles.
I cry out as my weight falls forward, but I refuse to end this awful night by face-planting on the ground. Twisting, I grab the doorframe to save myself, but it just reminds me of the damage the seat belt did to my shoulder.
Pain.
That’s all I feel. My ankle, my shoulder, my ribs, my pride.
