Page 84 of We Drank the Dawn

“You and Peter have always gone on big adventures together. You know, I asked him once—after I saw that cute picture of you guys bungee jumping—why you guys are always going random places and doing crazy stuff. And he said,” Jackie imitated Peter’s bass register. “‘Sarah moves with the wind.’”

I lightly protested the notion with a thoughtful huff. “I don’t know about that. My family never took me to do anything as a kid, and I complained about it to Peter one day at school. So he told me to make a list of all the things I wanted to do one day. So I did, and he has helped me check them off.”

“There you go!” She perked up, waving an open hand over the table as if the answer to my problems sat right between us. “Maybe you should do something on your list then. Something you could do all by yourself that would make you happy.”

The idea of doing something without Peter was…unheard of. From the moment the list materialized, Peter had been there, an intricate part of the process from beginning to end. But maybe that was a perfect reason to check off a few things.

“You know what?” I smirked at her. “I think you’re right. I’ll do that.”

“Do you by any chance have ‘ride a motorcycle’ on your list?”

I frowned, trying to remember. The list had evolved from hastily scribbled handwriting on the last piece of notebook paper in my binder to a Google Sheet, complete with links, notes, and a section titled pic or it didn’t happen. Half the time, I couldn’t remember what all we had on the list. We added to it so liberally, the result was hundreds of entries. “I’m not sure. Why?”

She smirked. “Well, I finally pulled the trigger.”

I gasped. “Did you get a bike?”

She gave a slow nod. “Yep. And she’s a looker.”

“Is it here now?”

Jackie nodded, her bob brushing her cheeks. That was when I realized the difference in her. The leather everywhere—of course. She was wearing leather pants and a leather jacket with black boots. It leveled up her bad girl look to a whole new level. How had I not noticed before?

“Can I see it?”

“Uh, hell yeah, I’ve been waiting to show you.” She lifted herself out of her chair, leading me toward the garage with a little pep in her step. “It’s nothing crazy fancy. Just a Honda Rebel 500. But, it’s the perfect size for me, which is half the trouble I have with finding a bike.”

I slipped a hoodie over my matted ponytail and followed her into the driveway to see a black motorcycle leaning against a kickstand. Completely dark outside now, the street lights glistened off the new paint and metal. Jackie lifted her chest, proud of her purchase.

She told me some stuff about it that went over my head, but I didn’t have to understand bike lingo to see how much it meant to her. Jackie felt like a black sheep in her family, but here she was—rocking it. Being the most badass black sheep I’d ever met. As long as I’d known her, she’d never stooped to fit a mold. It was always just Jackie.

“So, can I have a ride?”

Her eyes lit in the dark. “You want one?”

“Of course I do!”

She took her helmet off the seat and handed it to me.

“Oh, you only have one helmet?”

She wrinkled her nose and waved a hand. “It’s fine. I’ll ride without one this time.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.” She helped me push the helmet over my head and fastened the buckle under my chin. Inside, I felt like an astronaut—my head heavy and wobbly. Jackie directed me to sit on the bench behind her and hold on to her waist. A few minutes later, I giggled uncontrollably as Jackie weaved in and out of my neighborhood. And I squealed when she pulled out onto the freeway.

TWENTY-NINE

Peter

Present Day

“Alright.” Cooper’s voice disappeared into a stall. “Come in here.”

I followed him in, the scent of hay, pine, and manure tickling my nose. It was only seven thirty in the morning, but already, my mind and body ached for a minute of respite. My muscles coiled around my stiff joints, tight from yesterday’s workload. And my brain glitched somewhere between high-alert stress and debilitating depression. My fight or flight response had been activated by all this madness, and my mental stability flickered.

Being mercilessly dragged from my bed and thrown into the deep end had my nervous system glitching. Day two and, heaven help me, this was hell.