Page 49 of Slumming It

Morgan turned to glare at her friend. "Isaid, 'shut up!'"

Nikki glared back. "Why don'tyoushut up."

Morgan looked to me and grudgingly asked, "So, do you need a ride?"

Okay, things were getting seriously weird. Just a few minutes ago, I'd had zero offers for a ride. Now I had two. The only problem was, both were fraught with danger.

I studied Morgan's face long and hard before asking, "Is that a serious offer?"

She rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't ask if I wasn't serious." She hitched a thumb toward the stranger. "Better us thanher." She saidherlike the woman had used the wrong fork at a fancy dinner.

Finally, Morgan's offer made sense. This wasn't about me at all. It was about humiliating the stranger by having me choose to go with Morgan instead – even though the stranger had offered me a ride first.

And the worst thing was, I was actually considering it.

IknewMorgan and Nikki. Sure, they were entitled twat-waffles, but they would get me back to town in one piece. Yes, I would be mocked and humiliated along the way, but it could hardly get much worse.

Plus, going with them was a whole lot safer than getting into any vehicle with a stranger, especially an admitted maniac with obvious anger issues.

Feeling beyond awkward, I looked to the woman and said, "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll just snag a ride with them. I mean…we're sort of friends, so…" I let the words trail off, even as Nikki gave a snort of laughter.

The woman stared at me like I'd just announced that I was going on a hayride with Jack the Ripper. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Uh, yeah…" I stammered. "I mean, I really am thankful but…"

Morgan finished the sentence on my behalf, turning to tell the woman, "But it's time foryouto get lost,psycho."

I spoke up, telling Morgan, "Oh come on. You don't need to be mean about it."

"Are you kidding?" Morgan scoffed. "You heard her threaten me, right?"

In the passenger's seat, Nikki grumbled, "Not justyou. She threatened both of us, remember?"

As they began once again to bicker, I gave the woman an apologetic look. "I reallydoappreciate the offer." I gestured toward Morgan and Nikki. "It's just that I've known them for years, and well…" I gave an awkward shrug. "It was really nice of you to stop."

I only prayed I didn't regret this.

"Fine," the woman snapped. "Iguessthat's what I get for losing my massage."

I glanced around.Her massage?What didthatmean? Maybe shewascrazy.

Regardless, I fumbled through another apology even as Morgan and Nikki stopped bickering and started to snicker at my poor attempts to make amends.

They were laughing atme, not the stranger. I knew this, because the woman had already turned away, muttering obscenities under her breath.

We all watched as she stalked back to the driver's side of her exotic yellow car, yanked open the door, got inside, and slammed the door good and hard, as if it, too, had personally offended her.

A moment later, the engine roared to life, and the yellow sportscar, with its dark tinted windows, squealed away, leaving the smell of burnt rubber in its wake. As it disappeared around the bend, a wave of remorse washed over me.

A stranger or not, the woman had stopped to help. And all she'd gotten in return was the same sort of humiliation that I'd been receiving for years.

Even so, I couldn’t help but feel at least a little relieved that I wasn't trapped inside her car, holding on for dear life, as she took out her anger on the road – or even worse, on me.

I blew out a long, anxious breath before turning back to Morgan and Nikki, who were now laughing like hyenas – as if any of this was funny.

Their laughter grated, but I tried to smile as I reluctantly said to Morgan, "Well, I guess I made the right choice, huh?"

Morgan stopped laughing. And of course, so did Nikki. But it was Morgan who asked with a sly smile, "What do you mean?"