We rode in silence for the first mile. I would like to think we both wanted to avoid the elephant in the car. That thin piece of paper in his lap that had the ability to weigh me down. I could tell from the eagerness in his voice that he was far from wanting to avoid the subject. “I bring a thirty thousand dollar bike to a shop for a two hundred dollar tune up and now I’m out seven thousand dollars.” I almost chock on the last bit of coffee I just swallowed. “Seven… thousand… dollars?” I asked while trying to keep my breakfast down. How was I supposed to pay back seven thousand dollars and save to move out of Ricks house? Suddenly I felt the sir around me disappear. Every goal I set seemed to be getting further and further away by the second. “That’s right. Your father just gave me an estimate of seven grand.” “That’s no problem,” I said pushing the words out. “I have a job or two lines up. And soon, I should be able to pay you back.” I spoke aloud, trying to convince myself more

“Get in.” Dmitry demanded.“What are you doing here?” I asked grasping my chest, still shocked by his cars sudden stop.He put his car in park. “I was trying to catch you when you first got out of school, but I was held up in a meeting. You and I have unfinished business. Now get in.”I knew what he meant but I still found myself asking the question. “Like what?”“Just get in the car.” He said while hitting the button to unlock the door.I hesitated for a second before getting in. “Are you taking me home?” I asked as soon as I was inside the car. ‘Rick will be expecting me to arrive soon.”I tried to hold my fear but for a moment I relived the day I came home later than usual. It wasn’t a pretty conversation between me and my father.“No worries. I will have you home soon enough.”Dmitry continued down the same road I walked every day going home. Soon we found ourselves turning on Lake Road. The same road our lives collided even though our vehicles did not.I kept my eyes on the road

Danica POV I figured if I had to show my face at least three times a week, Monday would be a great start. I could come Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Dmitry let me know if he needed me on the weekend, he would let me know. I didn’t tell Rick about our little arrangement. However he assumed the repair cost was being repaid was being paid for, he kept to himself. I half expected to see Dmitry’s fancy car along the road as I walked home from school. That one day of being chauffeured around had me wanting more. Though thinking about him all day, I wasn’t sure if it was the ride or him that I wanted to see. I made sure to walk really fast to my house. I needed to change from my blue jeans and graphic tee into something I didn’t mind getting dirty. Walking fast cut about twenty minutes from my walk home. Luckily it was a cooler day so sweat wasn’t really a problem. It was the middle of March and most days the high weather was in the mid-sixties. Those were the days I wore shorts and en

Danica POVSneaking back into the was easier than I thought. There was a large lattice with overgrown vines beneath my window.I think my grandmother put it there to give me a chance to have an adventure one day. Though that day hadn't come until now.The last time I was weighed in gym class, I weighed one hundred and twenty pounds. I wondered what the weight limit was for a lattice that hadn’t been reinforced in years. It's been here since I was a little girl and my grandmother used to take good care of it.I remember my grandfather checking the veins on it, but I wasn’t sure if he checked anything else.I looked through a few windows looking for signs of Rick. The house was silent and dark.Cautiously I placed my hands on the lattice, pulling at it for a false measure of security. When I thought it was safe, I began to climb until I was at my window. Placing my fingers between the open space I’d left on the way out, I lifted it enough to pull myself in. Grateful the window sat above

Dmitry POVMy best friend, Cory, called this morning to say he needed some much needed guy time. He’d been spending too much time with a girl his mother introduced him to a few weeks ago. I told him I couldn’t dedicate anytime to drinking like we normally do, but he could tag along while I run a few errands.I listened while he rambled on about how persistent this new girl was. Though he believed his mother had more to do with the girls determination. She wanted him to marry a “good” girl as she would put it. Someone from a “good” family. But what she really meant was a rich girl from a rich family.“It’s not like she isn’t good looking, because she looks amazing. And she is a fun girl to hang around.” He went on. “But we just don’t connect. It’s like every time we talk, we are on two didn’t trains.”My friend let out a sigh as we pulled into the shopping center. He was beat and I could tell.“Cory, just tell your mother, you want to find your own wife.” I laughed but he didn’t see th