Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 163802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 819(@200wpm)___ 655(@250wpm)___ 546(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 819(@200wpm)___ 655(@250wpm)___ 546(@300wpm)
“Come on, baby,” I whispered. “Don’t give up on me now.”
“I told you I’d drive you.”
“And I told you, there’s no way I’m getting in a car with you.”
Sue rolled her eyes. “Okay, then drive out of the parking lot. I’ll follow behind you.”
The taunt cut particularly well since my engine chose that particular moment to hack up an ear-splitting cough, and then die completely.
Sue smiled at me. “Shotgun?”
Swearing, I shoved out of the car, snatched my bag from the backseat, and stormed over to the only Porsche parked in the lot. “No,” I said, covertly reaching into my bag and turning my phone recorder back on. “I’m driving.”
“Suit yourself.”
She handed over the keys without issue, which was good because I would’ve fought her for them.
For as long as I was forced to endure Sue’s presence, not only would I record everything she said and did, but I wouldn’t put myself at her mercy in any way, shape, or form—and that included being her passenger. She might drive me home, or she might drive me across the border to the sex traffickers she sold me to for the low, low price of twelve bucks.
This was the same person who almost killed an innocent eighteen-year-old boy, and her only response was to laugh over getting away with it.
I’d put nothing past her.
Pulling out of the parking lot, I stopped just short of the street, and leaned out. “Nicky?”
The kid stopped faking like he was texting and looked up.
“I’ve left your lunch in the fridge. I made plenty for your sisters, so take some home to them too.” I tossed him my apartment key without blinking. “No product in my apartment, but if you ever need a safe place to stay for the night, it’s all yours.”
His hard act softened for the barest moment, letting through a shy smile. A reminder that whoever he worked for, he was still just a kid. “Thanks, Ms. Kim.”
“Can we go now?” Sue demanded.
I ignored her. “Also, there are two cops clocking you across the street.”
“Ah, don’t worry.” He winked. “I clocked them first.”
We said goodbye, then I set off—starting the eight-hour drive back home.
I didn’t need directions. I knew the way back to my old life by heart.
“YOU MUST BE WONDERING what I’ve been up to since you went away.”
Twelve minutes. That’s how long it took Sue to break the silence after the fifth time I told her I didn’t want to talk.
“Nope,” I replied simply.
“Obviously I got accepted into a string of Ivy League colleges,” she plowed on. “Nearly did the full sweep. Harvard, Brown, Cornell, Columbia, Penn... Yale.”
I felt her eyes on me, but mine stayed glued on the road—my expression as bland as the gray stretch of road before me.
“I’m sure I would’ve gotten into the others if I applied, but I decided to only entertain universities near Omma. She lost Appa and her youngest daughter took off. I couldn’t abandon her too.”
“Does this car take regular or premium gas?” I asked, not rising to the bait. It was wild how quickly she tried to drag me into our old routines. Sue used to love making her little, biting digs, but when I called her out, she’d spin it on me so fast—saying I was too sensitive, and attacking her for telling the truth. Some people change over a decade.
And some people don’t.
“Or is it electric?” I continued. “If it is, good for you looking out for the environment.”
“Well, I should,” she returned, a tad snappish. “I’ve built my entire brand on natural and sustainable methods and products.”
“Admirable.”
“Yeah, it is admirable, Sarah.” Temper leaked into her voice. The poor thing finally got her favorite punching bag back, only to discover it’s nothing but a damp old sock.
No fun to hit.
“Some of us are trying to build things that last.” She snapped her fingers in my face. “Leave a legacy that makes the world better than we found it. What do you have to show for yourself? Did you even go to college? Or was that rathole what your prestigious law firm gives you when you make partner?”
I burst out laughing. “Hardly,” I chirped. “Can you imagine? Here’s a raise and a smallpox-laden apartment. Try not to think too hard about why there’s a chalk outline on the floor.” I howled. “Everyone turning to random strangers on the internet for legal advice has really hit the profession hard.”
Sue tsked, turning away. “Always the clown, Sarah. That’s forever been your problem. You could never take anything seriously.”
I snapped up straight, setting my chin. “You’re right, Sue. Tell you what? I’ll take the next six hours we’re going to sit in silence seriously. You won’t get another word out of me.” I made a show of zipping my lips and throwing away the key.
True to my word, I didn’t utter another syllable to Sue, even when she made two more attempts to drag me into a conversation where she could brag about how great her life was. When I still didn’t respond, she went ahead and did it anyway.