Four-Thirty Girl by C.S. McKinney

Author:C.S. McKinney [McKinney, C.S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2024-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Frustratedly

Iventured outside the front entrance a few minutes before noon, keeping my eyes open for the black car. With the stranger nowhere in sight, I settled myself on a bench and waited for Lauren to arrive.

When she pulled up ten minutes later, she greeted me with the same smile as usual, but this time, she seemed relaxed, like the worries of the world were no more. At first, as I got into the car, I hated to even consider telling her about the SUV, but I had already decided she needed to know. If we were going to be honest, it would have to start with me.

Her smile faded slightly as I took a seat, as she could tell my thoughts had drifted since that morning. At first, Lauren waited for me to say something, but when I remained silent, she spoke up.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you lived in the same complex as me?”

Lauren’s face turned a shade of white as her skin flushed in shock. I could not believe what I was saying either, because I had had a purposeful plan that would have given her the chance to be honest, but my mouth seemed to have decided differently. Lauren was not Brooke, and if I wanted to build any type of relationship, I had to separate the two.

“How did you know that?” she finally mumbled, almost afraid to admit I was right.

“You kind of gave it away when you turned down the street, which meant you couldn’t live far. I guess I was being a little bit of a stalker, but I ran to the sidewalk to see which way you went, and well . . .”

“Oh . . .” she whispered, lowering her eyes before continuing. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I’m a private person.”

I nodded my head, then attempted to offer a better explanation for myself. “It’s fine. I just wanted to be honest with you and hoped you would do the same in return.”

“It’s not a matter of being honest, Joshua. Truly, it’s just better, for me at least, to not let people in.” Lauren lifted her head, this time locking her eyes on mine.

“Oh . . .” Now I was the one without words. I had seen the conversation going much differently despite my confrontation, yet clearly, she was initiating the “determine the relationship” talk, and it was not in my favor.

She lay her hand on mine, seeing that her words had hit harder than perhaps anticipated, yet said nothing more.

“So, do you still want to be friends, or should I go ahead and get out of the car?”

A deep thought consumed Lauren as she contemplated what I was asking. Maybe she had not considered an “us” at all but rather only been thinking about protecting herself. I waited for her to answer, but when she offered none, I reached for the door.

Instantly, I felt resentment for initiating my departure. How was I supposed to tell her about the SUV now? Doing so would only appear as a weak attempt to scare her into needing me.

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