Page 39 of One Good Crash
Boy, she didn't take any chances, did she?
I told her, "Fine, whatever."
"Whatever?" she repeated. "Don't you mean to say thank you? I'm doing you a big favor, you know."
If I had any other option, I might've told her where she could shove the phoneandthe favor. But I didn't, so I gritted out the two words she wanted to hear. "Thank you."
"You don't sound very grateful," she grumbled, reaching into her tiny black purse. She pulled out a cellphone and said, "What's the number?"
I froze.Oh, crap.I didn't know it, not by heart. I never dialed Allie's number. Mostly, I just hit her name in my contacts and let the phone dial itself.
I tried to think. I definitely knew the area code, but the rest of it was hazy at best.
The redhead said, "I don't have all night, you know."
Thankfully, Ididknow the number to our apartment, the one we'd shared until just a week ago. These days, Allie was living there with someone new, but the number was still good.
With sudden relief, I rattled off the digits and watched as the redhead tapped them out on the screen. When she finally handed the phone over, I turned away, seeking some semblance of privacy.
She demanded, "Where do you think you're going?"
I glanced back over my shoulder. "Nowhere."
"Yeah, well, see that you don't." She edged closer. "And I swear to God, if you start scrolling through my contacts, I'm calling the police."
Knowing her, she'd actually do it. I could practically hear it now.Hello Officer, I'm calling to report phone-snooping.
But this was no joke. For all I knew, she'd also report me as a trespasser and claim that I'd raided the safe or something. A place like this surely had one, right?
Trying to ignore her, I listened intently as the apartment's number rang once, and then twice. I held my breath. On the third ring, it went to voicemail.
Shit.
Probably, Allie was just sleeping, that's all. Praying that she'd get the message sooner rather than later, I said in a rush, "Hey, Allie, it's me. Um, Cassidy."
I gave a mental eye-roll.As if she didn't know.
I continued. "Anyway, I'm in a bit of a bind, but you probably knew that already, huh?" I tried to laugh. "After all, youdidtell me I was making a huge mistake. But the thing is, I'm hoping – praying actually – that you might be able to come down here and get me." I paused. "Like now."
I took a deep, shuddering breath. "And just so you know, I'mreallysorry to ask, and I swear I'll pay you back – for the time and the gas and everything. Just call me as soon as you get this, okay?"
These final words made me realize something, and I felt the color drain from my face.Oh, crap.
She couldn’t call me.
I blurted out, "Wait, forget that. I don't have my phone, so just come here and we'll talk then, okay? I'm at…" I looked to the redhead and asked, "Do you have the address? To this house, I mean?"
She gave an irritated sigh. "It's 432 Beachview." Frowning, she demanded, "And just how long will it take for your ride to get here?"
Oh, about ten hours.
I held up a finger and returned my attention to the phone. "In case you didn't hear that, I'm at 432 Beachview. Well, technically, I won't be here-here, because I need to get going, but I'll be around." In a burst of inspiration, I added, "I think there's a public beach nearby. I'll just hang out there 'til you get here."
If you get here.
I might've said more, but a familiar beep informed me that I was out of time. And I didn't dare ask the redhead for a second call, especially because I needed another favor.
As I handed back the phone, I said, "If you see Jax, could you please tell him to call that number, the one I just called?"
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39 (reading here)
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185