Only when Sonya sat down opposite me with a cup did she focus her eyes on me and be able to see. And there was something to look at - a bandage around the neck, a bandaged arm. Squinting her large, wide-set eyes, she leaned back in her chair and pointed at my "decorations":- What's that? Where did you get it? - I just sighed, it's hard to hide something from Sonya. All these years I tried to keep quiet about life at home, but everything that happened in my life in Laramie, she pulled out with pincers. Now Sonia set out to find out about Lovell, too.- You won't believe it, I had an accident on the way home, - I began as plausibly as possible, - The car is beyond repair, I had to turn it in for spare parts.- Damn, - Sonya sympathized, - But some strange damage for a car accident, - she did not let up. I just have to shrug my shoulders, - And how are things at home?I never told her that I live in a community. She talked briefly about Lovell, about the school, about her aunt. But even

And now we were already dispersing on business, because the start of the trip was scheduled for nine in the morning of the next day, "well, the edge of ten" - as Michael later added, apparently who liked to sleep longer. Reed Cooper, who had long ago begun to ignore me, headed for the exit along with everyone. All my meaningful glances, yelling at him - "what are you doing?", "We need to talk in private" - he impudently did not notice. On the street, Reed waved to the guys and went towards his car, I quickly whispered to Sonya that I would catch up with her, and followed him.- Wait, - Reid was about to get into the car. He reluctantly closed the door and turned to me, - Do you want to explain?What kind of explanation do you want? And where did that cute guy go? With me, he dropped all the masks and behaved impatiently. And far from friendly.- Why are you coming with us? - how annoying.- Because we are on the way, - he just scoffed at me, - It must be really very interesting, since

We agreed not so, - I know, it sounds childish. I feel sorry for myself, - We left Lovell together, but then everything - each in his own way.- It was you who agreed, - Reid deigned to answer, - She thought up something for herself, and others should follow your plan, - he interrupted for a few seconds while he was rebuilding in another row, - Do you want to be honest? Excellent. I'd love to be somewhere else, but the fact is, I don't have a choice. You got on the bus and waved your hand at me, and an hour later I could no longer hold back. He abandoned the car and chased the bus like a beagle. Do you think it's fun? Never.I sat, not breathing, nailed to his words. I felt his anger, impotence and resentment. I was ashamed that I still walked around with the air of an offended queen. I knew that I wasn't the only victim here...- So, I decided that it's easier for me to go with you than in the other direction. So at least I can sleep at night, instead of constantly catching up with y

We left Ogallal at five minutes to five. It was not long to go to Sonya's hometown - a little more than three hours. This part of the journey went much better. Albeit short, but we exchanged phrases with Reid. Basically, about what I remember from what I saw: a historical cemetery on a secluded hill in the city center; a cowboy street that seemed a little cardboard to both of us, and a museum hidden from everyone. I wasn't at all surprised to learn that Reed had also read Luther the Standing Bear books, even telling me unknown facts about his Hollywood career.Oddly enough, forgetting about our sad past and very confusing present, we could communicate normally. True, he was still laconic, speaking in short and rare phrases, which made it seem as if he was conducting a forced conversation. But now I began to attribute it to a trait of his character, rather than an expression of a personal attitude. But most importantly, the silence between us was no longer suffocating. Between short n

“Well, that’s enough,” I said. My voice sounded rather harsh, and I froze in anticipation of the consequences. Here is my neck, and here is a huge mouth - one movement and they will prove to me that it is very rude to raise your voice. But the beast also froze. Either he considered my impudence, or he decided to heed my request. Thank God, second. One movement, and now I can breathe freely. It's amazing how nimble he is for such power. And now he sits and looks at me with the eyes of a cat from Shrek. Well, what to do with it - this is a forbidden trick!"Wait here," I pointed out. And she herself went to the bathroom to wash off the manifestations of puppy tenderness. The first thing that caught my eye was neatly stacked things on the floor. There was nowhere to put them, so Reed left them right on his boots.I washed up and returned to the room. My Hachiko felt at home. Already lay down on the bed, put his face on his paws and followed me with his eyes. There is nothing to do, the