Jake puts his hand on my lower back as we walk across the parking lot, which seems awfully forward, but again, I don’t feel comfortable enough to tell him to stop. When we get inside the car and close the doors, the silence is suddenly all I can think about. I can hear every noise we make—each inhale and exhale and even my own heartbeat. Then Jake turns on the engine and Maroon 5 spills out of the speakers. I relax a little. He gives me a reassuring smile as he adjusts the mirrors. I smile back. This is okay. I’ll be home before I know it, and tomorrow when we see each other, we’ll be friendly and pleasant and totally professional. Everything’s fiiine.
“So that was fun, huh?” he says, as he drives out of the parking lot into the darkened street. It’s late, and though we’re on the main road, there are hardly any cars about. He glances at me, and I nod.
“Yeah, super-fun.” Super-fun? What am I, fifteen? “I had a good time,” I add. That’s stretching it a little, but I guess I didn’t have a bad time, so.
“Me too. You’re a great gal, Meddy.” He gives me a wink, and then—oh dear god—he reaches over and rests his hand on my knee.
I shift, pulling away, but his hand remains there, its heat radiating up my thigh. Come on, dude, that’s the universal sign for Take your goddamn hand off my leg! Okay, I can’t. I cannot with this. Not even for the family business. Sorry, Ma and aunties. Heart racing, I gently push his hand off my leg, as if it’s a hamster I need to handle with care. He glances at me and grins.
“So you wanna play it like that, huh?”
A sick feeling bubbles up in my stomach. “Um.” Think fast, Meddy. “I think I’m feeling okay now. You can just stop right here and I’ll drive the rest of the way back myself.”
He pouts at me. “And leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere?”
“Um. I’ll call you a Lyft, wait here with you until it arrives. I really don’t want to trouble you, and tomorrow’s going to be such a long day for the both of us—”
He laughs. “God, you’re sweet.” The way he says it doesn’t sound at all like a compliment. It sounds dirty, as if he’s talking about an overripe peach he can’t wait to sink his teeth into. He turns down a side street, and it’s as if we’ve left the city of L.A. behind. Everything is dark down here, even the trees look menacing, and there’s not a single car or person in sight.
“Stop the car,” I say, my voice coming out tight with fear. “Stop right now!”
Instead, he speeds up. I scramble for the door, but it’s locked, and even in my panic, I know we’re going way too fast for me to take the jump. At best, I’d break an arm. At worst, I’d die.
Oh god.
The sickening realization hits me. I might actually die tonight. Bile rushes up my esophagus. I can’t tell how long I sit there, frozen, while we speed even farther away from civilization. I no longer recognize my surroundings. Outside, there are only what look like abandoned factories. There is no one to save me.
“Calm down, Meds. Hey, c’mon, we’re just having fun, right?” He glances at me and actually smiles. “Don’t be such a tease; I know you’re not shy. Those texts you sent me, I know you’re a dirty girl deep down inside. So I’ll tell you how this goes. We’re gonna find a nice spot, and get real cozy—”
The Taser darts shoot out and hit him right in the neck. Jake jerks like a doll. The car swerves to the side. I open my mouth to scream. Darkness.
4
Junior Year, Six Years Ago
“This is unreal,” I breathe out as I gaze out the airplane window.
“Yeah.”
I look down at my hand, nestled in Nathan’s. It looks so tiny in his paw. He gives it a squeeze, and we smile at each other. Holy shit, I’m actually doing this. In about ten hours, we’ll be landing at London Heathrow airport, where we’ll be greeted by his parents. Oh my god. I cannot.
“Stop freaking out.”
“I’m not.”
“Okay, tell your face to stop freaking out.”
I force a smile, which comes out as a grimace.
“That is officially the weirdest smile in the history of smiles,” he says, leaning over to kiss me. “Mmm, I love it when I kiss your teeth.”
That gets a laugh out of me, which makes me feel a tiny bit better. But not much. Because holy SHITBALLS, man! I’m on a plane with Nathan! On the way to meet his family! For Christmas! In England! What is this life?