High Risk Rookie by Odette Stone

Author:Odette Stone [Stone, Odette]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Odette Stone Publishing Inc.
Published: 2021-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

I looked over at Krista, who sat silently in the passenger seat beside me. She hadn’t spoken to me since we had gotten in the car. I didn’t know if she had texted Charlie or Mica to let them know we were coming, but I let her sit in peace. We could work out the details later.

As the signs for Port Alberni came up alongside the road, I looked over at her. “I should get gas.”

She didn’t speak or react, so I pulled in and filled the car.

“We should be there in about two hours,” I told her as I got back in.

Still no response.

I started the car and wondered if there was something I should be doing. My only goal had been to pack us up and remove Krista from that situation, but her quiet introspection worried me. Krista was who she was because she expressed all of herself, all the time. It felt spooky when she wasn’t speaking.

I gave her a couple of long looks as we drove through town and pulled back onto the highway.

She made a little noise.

Her face was in her hands. Her shoulders were shaking. Krista fucking Taylor was weeping.

I pulled the car off the highway, into the parking lot of an out-of-town motel.

She continued to sob silently in her hands. Her car was too damn small to pull her into my lap. I got out, walked around to her side, and opened her door. Without speaking, I reached in and unbuckled her seat belt.

“Come on.” I held out my arms to her. “Come here.”

She stepped out and let me wrap my arms around her while she sobbed. I rubbed her back and waited out the storm. When her sobs started to subside, I caught her eye. “It’s going to be okay.”

She stared back at me. “My family hates me.”

I squeezed her tight. “No one could ever hate you.”

“How do I even start to fix that?”

I had no clue. I used my thumbs to wipe her wet tears from her cheeks and lied. “I’ve seen worse family fights than that one.”

Those big blue eyes lifted to my face. “Really?”

Nope. It didn’t get much worse than that. “Really.”

She looked around. “Can we just stay here tonight instead of going to Tofino? I’m so tired.”

The motel was on the faded side, but the lawn was manicured to perfection, and there were colorful wooden Adirondack chairs in front of each room.

“You don’t want to see Charlie?”

She shook her head. “I want to sleep.”

I looked up and spotted the vacancy sign. “We can. Any preference for your room?”

“Can we get one room but two beds?” She wasn’t meeting my eyes.

It took me a moment to realize she wanted me near to feel safe. And that realization humbled me. “I’ll go check us in.”

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