Chapter 2

Caroline

*****

I stayed in bed until eight. The house kept me company for hours, soothing my insomnia with its settling creaks. At the sound of beeping in the kitchen, I roused myself from beneath the warm sheets.

Once I'd moved the chair back to its place, I padded out to the kitchen. The delightful smell of hot coffee tickled at my nose. I relaxed a bit when I realized it was only Freya in the kitchen. She smiled at me and set her phone down.

"Coffee, kiddo?"

I nodded with a small smile. While she poured the black liquid into a mug and fetched milk from the fridge, I debated whether to tell her about Valentina. I didn't want to offend her but I decided she should at least be aware.

"Thanks," I said as she handed me the mug. "I, um, think I have something to tell you."

Freya raised her brows and blew on her steaming mug. "What's up?"

"Well . . . I . . . Valentina . . ." I swallowed. This was harder than I thought. Why couldn't I just tell her?

Now my cousin was frowning. "Hey, what's wrong?"

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. Then the sound of shuffling feet came from behind me. Jumping, I turned to face Valentina and spilled coffee all down the front of my shirt. I hissed at the unexpected scald and set the mug down.

"Oh!" Freya hurried over to the sink and grabbed a clump of paper towels. "Here, kid."

While I tapped at my t-shirt with the towels, Valentina wrapped an arm around Freya's waist and snuggled into her side. "You alright? I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay," I said. "I'm just jumpy, I guess."

She nodded and then turned her head up to Freya. "Babe, I have a killer migraine. I think it might be allergies."

"I think I used the rest of the ibuprofen yesterday for my knee," Freya said with a sigh. "I can run up to the pharmacy in a minute."

"I can do it," I volunteered. I thought it would do some good to get outside for a bit.

They both considered me before Freya shrugged. "I'll trust you with my card. Promise not to rob me?"

I blinked, stunned.

"Look at her," Valentina snickered. "I don't think you have to worry about this one stealing."

"I would never—"

"I know, kid." Freya winked. "Let me get my wallet."

Within a few minutes, I was leaving the house in jeans and a sweatshirt with a mountain range on the front. Freya's credit card felt like a hundred pounds in my pocket. The thought of losing it made me feel nauseous. I'd never want anyone to think I was a thief or careless with their belongings.

The pharmacy was right outside Freya's neighborhood so I headed down the sidewalk. My hair floated around me, silky honey blonde strands that reached my waist. I ran my fingers nervously through it while I dodged puddles that would undoubtedly ruin my keds.

When I reached the gas station, there were several cars parked at the gas pumps and a few more out front. It was a week day morning, so I was surprised to see the place so busy. I met an elderly lady dressed in a nightgown with curlers in her hair at the door. Smiling, I held it open for her.

Once I was inside, I headed over to the travel products aisle where tiny tubes of toothpaste and wet wipes were. I plucked the bottle of generic ibuprofen from its place and then walked over to the fridge to grab Freya And I two sodas. She liked Dr. Pepper and I preferred Coke Zero. Well, Uncle James preferred Coke Zero and I had just learned to tolerate it. Freya said it was my reward for volunteering. She must not have realized that my reward was just to get out of the house for a few minutes, but I wasn't one to complain.

I carried the items up to the register and waited behind a short man in a baseball cap. He was having trouble counting the coins and I could tell from his voice that English wasn't his first language. The teenager behind the register drummed his fingers impatiently on the counter, an annoyed look on his face.

Clearing my throat, I stepped up beside the man and smiled when he took a panicked glance at me. "Can I help?" I asked and pointed at the coins spread out on the counter.

He nodded with a grateful smile. I confirmed the total with the cashier and then separated the coins for the proper amount.

"Thank you," the man sighed.

He took his things and left quickly. As I placed the bottles on the counter and reached into my pocket to pull out Freya's card, a voice from behind made me stop.

"And these also."

I turned to face the male voice and found myself staring into a pair of coal black eyes. He didn't smile at me but his eyes crinkled with something. Astonished? His arm stretched out beside me to place an energy drink and protein bar on the counter. The motion lifted a whiff of manly smell—cedar and cinnamon—to my nose.

While I tried not to stare at the inky black wisps slipping out from under his ball cap or the stubble along his jaw, the stranger paid for everything. I felt the burning of hot blood under my cheeks at the unexpected attention and kindness of the stranger.

"Thank you," I said, collecting my items from the counter. 

"It's no problem." He walked behind me to the door and pushed it open over my head.

I realized how tall he was, how easily he could reach over me. My stomach flipped. I thanked him again and started towards the sidewalk. A few seconds later, a glossy black Ford pick-up cruised up beside me. The window rolled down and I curled my hand across the bag, ready to fling it if this happened to be some slimy perv.

"Need a ride?"

I glanced up to see those unreadable black eyes on me again. Shaking my head, I blushed darker. "No, thank you."

He studied me for a moment. The car behind him honked. He sighed.

"Be careful walking alone," he said and peeled out of the parking lot.

I thought about his words my entire walk back to the house. Every minute, I would steal a glance over my shoulder to ensure I wasn't being followed. There was something complicated about him. He was clearly nice since he paid for all my things without even asking. He also seemed concerned about my safety. Maybe he was just a kind man. But there was something in his eyes that unsettled me. I couldn't describe even what it was exactly. I just sensed that where a person's emotions shone in their eyes, his were empty. I shivered and hurried into Freya's house.

Valentina was sitting on the counter and fiddling with a Bluetooth speaker when I walked into the kitchen. Freya took a drag from a blunt and passed it to the girl. She noticed me and smiled.

"Thanks, kiddo," she said as I handed over her card and soda.

"I didn't end up using your card." I swallowed and wet my lips. "Another customer paid."

"Really?"

"Did you remember my pills?" Valentina asked over her.

I brought her the bottle of ibuprofen tablets and tried not to cringe away when she deliberately dragged her fingers up my arm. She offered me the blunt in exchange for the medicine.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Freya insisted. "Someone just offered to buy this stuff?"

"Yeah." I shrugged, lifting the roll to my lips.

Her dark brows furrowed. "Are people always this nice to you? 'Cause shit, I'll let you go run all my errands."

I smiled and Valentina laughed.

We stood around the kitchen and smoked while Freya made eggs and sausage. After we ate, Valentina laid on the couch in the living room watching TikTok. Freya and I chatted about her work at the mill. She thought I could apply for a part-time gig there and work after school and maybe some weekends. The thought of filling stock bags with ground up chicken bones didn't sound great, but any money would be helpful at this point.

"So, you know, if anyone fucks with you, let me know."

I nodded. I had shrugged off the bullies years ago. Their words meant nothing to me. The kids in middle school who called me fat had moved on and we're occupying their lives with sex, alcohol, and drugs. I guess we didn't all turn out so different after all.

"What classes do you have?"

I finished off the rest of my soda. It's crazy how we never talked before this and suddenly Freya and I are talking about the day-to-day like friends.

"Physics, British literature, Badminton, and Foreign History."

She grimaced. "I'd rather go to prison for arson than have to take those again."

Chuckling, I got up to throw away the empty bottle. I noticed then that the trash was overflowing so I pulled the bag out and tied off the ends.

"Wow," Valentia said as she sauntered back into the kitchen. "We have a bona fide maid right here."

I glanced at Freya, who rolled her eyes. "That's all your garbage, babe. Since my baby cousin was so kind as to pull it out, you can take it out to the dumpster."

Valentina groaned. I gulped and looked between the two.

"I can—"

"Nope," Freya cut me off. "You're too nice Caroline. Let's go get SpongeBob on and I'll roll us another."

I wondered if I could fry my lungs at this age from smoking so much but then decided I didn't care that much. Tomorrow I had to walk back in that school building and act like nothing happened. My eyes started to water as I remembered my reality. Oh, yeah. I deserved a good smoke.