Chapter 96: Miranda-Past

I'd picked a location as far away from Texas as I could get, and one that I thought would be the opposite from anything I'd ever known. Ultimately, I had narrowed it down to Los Angeles or New York City. In the end, I picked the one that took the longest to reach. It gave me more time to figure out a plan and more days on a bus, which saved money on hotels.

By the time I got into my seat, the day had exhausted me, and I couldn't keep my eyes open. I slept through the night and woke to a guy leaned on my shoulder, drooling. My effort to get him off gently proved fruitless, and I finally shook his arm. He woke slowly and, eventually, wiped the saliva from his mouth.

I offered him a polite smile, even though we hadn't exchanged any words. It was too much to ask to have an empty seat next to me. There was still hope that he wouldn't travel all the way to New York, though.

He extended his hand-the one he'd used to clean his lips-for me to shake. "I'm Garrett."

To avoid touching