Page 8 of Savior
“No, that’s okay. Thank you.” I sip the coffee but barely taste it. “I hope you don’t mind if I’m not too chatty today.”
He waves my concerns away. “I’d be more worried if you were. I just wanted to make sure you were okay after what happened with Carly and then that shit between you and Gavin the other day.”
For a second, I don’t remember what he’s talking about. Then it’s all there again.
At my crestfallen look, he winces. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to bring it up—”
I take another sip of my coffee before I respond. “I completely forgot. Shit, what a couple of days.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look like hell. You need to take care of yourself.”
“I haven’t been getting much sleep,” I admit, sliding the sandwich he got me closer and picking up half. “It’s been hard on Paige.”
“Do the police have any updates?”
“Not many. They aren’t even sure if it’s related to the disappearance of the other girl.” I say, forcing myself to take a bite. I can’t remember the last time I ate anything.
“They’ll come up with something soon. They’ll find the guy.”
“I hope so.”
We both eat and chat some more, the topic turning from Carly to other, easier, subjects. He tells me a funny story about work that I manage to laugh at, and I tell him about what happened with Gavin.
Joseph frowns. “What a dick!”
I wipe my mouth with a napkin. “Tell me about it.”
“I hope you don’t think what he did is a reflection of you.”
“Right now, Gavin is the least of my worries.”
Piper
The rippleof awareness slithers across my skin, and I shiver at its unwelcome caress. I steel myself with a sip of God-only-knows what cheap brand of beer they have on tap. It leaves a bitter taste on my tongue...or maybe that’s just regret. Regret for coming out tonight. Regret for the sudden and absolute mess I’ve made of my life. Regret that, in spite of it all, I can’t seem to muster up the energy to care enough to claw my way out.
The shadows shift to my right, and when I glance over, my ex-boyfriend Gavin rests his elbows on the deck railing next to me. I drown the resulting spark of attraction that ignites with another long gulp from my plastic cup.
Gavin. Another regret.
I shouldn’t have come out tonight, but I needed the change of scenery so desperately. In the three weeks since Carly’s murder, I haven’t been able to focus. The fear on campus has abated. Maybe it was just a coincidence. The prevailing opinion seems to be that she was killed by a drifter. Someone passing through. Since the body of the senior was never recovered, they don’t think it was the same person and everyone has returned to normal.
Everyone except Paige and I, who are reminded every day that evil touched our lives when we pass her still-empty room.
In the weeks since Carly’s death, my grades have plummeted and my parents are putting more and more pressure on me to find a job to support myself. No more volunteering, they said. It’s time for real work. Because my father’s voice rings all too true over the sound of the pulsing music, I turn to Gavin and look up into his familiar face.
The pain from his betrayal is muted with the warmth of the alcohol in my belly and the sharp ache of Carly’s loss. His actions seem so very trivial in comparison.
“I’m surprised to see you here.” His voice is smooth and low enough that I automatically want to lean closer to hear, to bathe in the comfort his closeness has always given me.
For my own safety, I put a few more inches of necessary breathing room in between us while I still have the mental capacity to remember how much he hurt me.
“C’mon, Piper. Don’t be like that.”
My faux-casual posture belies the racing of my heart. “And how would you rather I be?”
“Pretty much any way but this.”
I bark out an incredulous laugh, which feels just as hollow as the rest of me, and turn away from him. “Right.”