Page 86 of Wrecked

“Does Reingold know she was found?”

“He’s the one who brought her in.” The radio on his hip goes off, a woman’s voice speaking in terms and numbers. “I have to go. You have a good day,” he says.

I hold up a hand in a pathetic wave.

The police cruiser drives off. I’m still standing there, stunned, when I hear Adam’s feet running across the blacktop.

I turn around. “You lied to me.”

His mouth is open, but words aren’t coming out. He has no idea what to say. Too bad for him, I have all the words in the world.

“You lying piece of shit. You knew it was Victoria driving my car that night! You found her and sent her to rehab. How long after my arrest did you find her?”

His words are awfully quiet for someone whose guilt is screaming in the daylight. “The next day.”

“The next day?” I shriek. “Why am I here? You tricked me into this”—I motion to the space between us—“this punishment.”

He blanches at my phrase. It’s true. Being with him has been nothing but punishment.

“I did you a favor. There’s no camera evidence and no deployed airbag, and no one actually saw you get in the car.”

My stomach is internally rolling in disgust. “You knew she drove my car while high and crashed it, yet you still made me do community service. You held my dreams in the palm of your hand. For what? Is this payback?”

He doesn’t say a word. It’s how I know I’m right.

“I didn’t kill him!” I shout. “When will you stop blaming me for Brad’s death?”

“Baby—”

“Baby? Oh,” I balk. My mouth is agape, my body seizing with nervous energy, ready to take him down in a gas station. “We are so far beyond what happened in the woods. If you think I was angry then, you have no idea how furious I am now.”

“Please—”

“Suzanne was right. She said one of us was going to get hurt. I was just really hoping it wouldn’t be me.”

chapter TWENTY

My legs are wrapped around the metal steel, my body swaying with the movement as it dips and spins. I gesture to Noreen to turn it up higher. I already beat the record. Now, I want to see how fast I can go.

My butt jolts as the mechanical bull turns up a notch. My shoulders fall forward, and I know I’m done for. I’m instantly on the mat, failing and landing on my hip. It wasn’t the most graceful, and I’m grateful it’s only Monday, which means the bar isn’t packed.

“How was my landing?” I ask Noreen.

She holds up three fingers. “I’m only giving you that many because you set my hours.”

I pull down my T-shirt and undo the hair tie from my hair. My mane gets in my way sometimes, making me want to chop it all off to something shorter, like one of those bobs where it’s longer in the front and shorter in the back.

Pulling my hair into a new ponytail, I walk across the floor just as Suzanne is walking through the front door. I shouldn’t be surprised that Jessica is right behind her. Suzanne is in all black, having just come off work at the salon. Jessica is wearing pleated gray pants and a white sleeveless blouse, something she must have worn to teach summer school. They grab a high-top near the bar, which means they’re going to be eating. Noreen is on her way to the table, but I wave her off. I like serving my friends.

Walking over to the girls, I plaster a smile on my face. “What are my girls drinking tonight?”

Suzanne looks up at me from her menu, her eyes darting over to Jessica, who is not smiling back at me like she usually does.

“I want the most fattening thing on the menu and something strong to drink. I’m nursing a broken heart,” Jessica says.

My stomach turns.

Suzanne holds the menu to her chest and says, “We’ll have two Caesar salads.”