Right of Way by Lauren Barnholdt

Author:Lauren Barnholdt [Barnholdt, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: 2013-07-09T04:00:00+00:00

Saturday, June 26, 3:37 p.m.

Ocala, Florida

When Jace’s car smashes into whatever it is that’s behind us, it takes me a second to realize what happened. It’s like my brain can’t comprehend or accept the fact that I hit something. I slam my foot down on the brake, which is pretty stupid, since we’re already stopped.

From the backseat, Hector gives a little squeal.

I close my eyes. “What just happened?” I croak.

“What the hell do you think just happened?” Jace yells. “You hit someone.”

“Are they . . . are they dead?” I whisper.

“No, they’re not dead, you hit their car, not them.” He’s unbuckling his seat belt and stepping out of the car. There’s man in a button-up shirt with a receding hairline standing behind us, his face so red and so mad that for a second I think he’s going to explode into a fireball.

I put the car in park, then unbuckle my seat belt and take a deep breath. Hector is just sitting in the backseat, not making a sound. I check him over before I get out, to make sure he’s okay. He looks fine, physically, which is good. But he’s just sitting there quietly, which is kind of disturbing. I mean, usually he always wants to whine and wiggle around. The fact that he’s being so silent means he knows something bad is going on.

“It’s okay, boy,” I whisper into his fur, wishing I could just stay in here with him. How could I have hit someone? I know the answer. The truth is, I was distracted. I was thinking about what Jace said in the restaurant, about how running away wasn’t going to solve anything. Deep down, I know he’s right. It’s not going to help anything. It’s not going to help me figure out how much of the credit card debt I’m going to be responsible for. It’s not going to help me figure out how to confront my mom.

Does this mean I’m a coward? Does Jace think I’m a coward?

“I just need the summer,” I whisper to Hector. “I just need the summer to not have to deal with it, and then I’ll figure it all out, I promise.”

Hector whines and turns his head, then puts his front legs on the back windshield and starts pawing at the glass.

I sigh. I know I should get out and see what’s going on. I take another deep breath and then step out of the car.

“What the hell have you done to my car?” the man I hit is yelling.

Jace doesn’t answer him, just peers down at the cars, looking at the damage. And there’s kind of a lot. At least, it kind of looks like there is. The whole back bumper of Jace’s car is hanging off. I immediately burst into tears. Something like that is expensive. Extremely expensive. You have to pay thousands and thousands of dollars for bodywork. I know because one time my mom got into a fender bender and it cost like two

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