Whatever It Takes by Krista Ritchie & Becca Ritchie

Author:Krista Ritchie & Becca Ritchie [Ritchie, Krista & Ritchie, Becca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: K.B. Ritchie

14 BACK THEN – September

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

WILLOW MOORE

Age 17

* * *

Garrison said he’d fill out the questionnaire later. Maya came in and doled out duties for us before he could even start. Most of the day I spent checking inventory, and she made Garrison clean coffee machines, mop floors, and bus tables.

I don’t see him when I exit Superheroes & Scones at 5 p.m.—though I can’t stop thinking about him. He seems like trouble, like someone I’d stay a thousand feet away from in Caribou, Maine. If my suspicions are right, his friends were the ones that broke into Lo’s house.

He seems characteristically bad.

I’m just scared he’d pressure me to do something I wouldn’t want to do. I’ve never had friends like that, but he seems the type, doesn’t he?

I approach my gold Honda on the curb, knowing that I’m judging him.

But I’m judging him off prior actions.

I can’t make up my mind. In fact, my mind really hurts even trying to place Garrison in a category. Maybe I shouldn’t try to place him at all.

I crawl into my car and then start the engine. It lets out a whiney noise. “No…come on.” I turn the key again, and smoke suddenly plumes from the hood. “Crap.” I climb out, and in haste to check beneath the hood, smoke rushes out, so hot that it burns my arm.

I drop the hood and it clatters down.

“Hey, Willow!” The concerned voice drives nerves throughout my body. Oh my God, Garrison is sprinting over to me, his hoodie wadded up in one hand and his car keys jangling in the other.

“Hey,” I say, pressing my reddened arm to my chest, the sting lessening. I’m shifting so awkwardly that I probably look like I have to pee.

He wafts the smoke above the hood. “What happened?”

“I don’t know… it’s an old car.” I cough as another gust of smoke rushes out towards me.

Garrison motions with his head to the curb. I follow him, vehicles speeding by on the city street.

“Do you know anything about cars?” I ask hopefully.

He shakes his head. “Just computers.” He glances over at the corner street. “I can give you a ride to wherever you need to go. You can call a tow truck or get your cousin to come look at your car in the meantime.”

Cousin? It takes me a moment to register what he means. Loren Hale, my cousin. Which means that Garrison read the debut article about me and my tampons.

I immobilize. Don’t think about it.

“Willow?”

“Uh, yeah…yeah.” I shake my head like I’m trying to rid all the cobwebs. “Thanks. A ride would be great.” I’ll call the tow truck later. So I end up feeding the meter with a few more quarters and then grab my backpack.

“This way.” He nods towards the corner street. We walk a block until he stops by a black Mustang, black leather interior, and black custom rims. It has to be expensive. If it’s not, it does a great job pretending to be.

“This is your car?”

He opens the passenger door for me.

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