- 2.
When I didn’t move, Emily’s voice hardened.
“I said come over here.”
I didn’t answer, my spine stiff as a board. It
was like I was trying to hold onto the last
scrap of my dignity.
Even though that shred of dignity had been
ripped away the moment I begged those loan
sharks for mercy.
Without my reply, the car was dead silent.
Maybe Emily couldn’t take the quiet. Or
maybe she was just getting impatient. She
reached out for me.
My back tensed as her hand got closer. I was
pinned by the window, no way to get out of
her reach.
The second she touched my arm, I caught a
whiff of her perfume.
It was her usual scent, the one Jake had given
her.
The one that caused me to snap at Jake and
lose my temper, which is how my parents cut
off my credit cards and I ended up back in
the sticks with only the cash in my pocket.
Grandpa’s kidneys were failing, and he
couldn’t get treatment because I didn’t have
the money.
I got him to the hospital, but I couldn’t afford
the surgery. I called my parents, but they
didn’t pick up.
Then those rich jerks I used to run with
く
showed up in T City. They came to me with
smiles plastered on their faces.
“I heard Mr. Stark is a little strapped for cash
these days.”
“Listen, we ain’t all bad, so here’s an offer. If
you crawl between our legs, we’ll give you
some dough, how’s that sound?”
I didn’t hesitate. I went to my knees, bent
over, and crawled between their legs, inch by
agonizing inch.
Grandpa had raised me since I was a baby. I
couldn’t miss a single chance to save him.
The room was quiet enough to hear the
scraping of my clothes on the floor.
く
laughed and tossed three red bills on the
ground before sauntering off.
They took pictures of me at my lowest, then
“Ethan, take a look at yourself. What makes
you think you even stand a chance with
Emily?”
“That little bit of ‘true love‘ you had for Emily
is worth that much.”
That’s how I ended up in the hands of those
high–interest loan sharks.
And Grandpa ended up dying from lack of
care.
After the funeral, when the loan was due, I
called Emily to beg for a loan. But she
impatiently told me to come back and
L
The memories made me choke. Every cell in
my body revolted, I felt like I was being
constricted by a serpent. A cold wave of
nausea washed over me.
Dizzy, sick, and ready to puke.
I yanked away from Emily, doubled over,
grabbed the seat in front of me, and started
dry–heaving into my hand.
I hadn’t eaten in days, so nothing came out.
The car filled with a sour smell. Emily pinched
her nose and said my name in disgust.
“Ethan!”
I couldn’t hear anything. I kept dry–heaving
until my stomach finally calmed down.
<
Emily didn’t say anything, just stared at me
with a cold expression. I knew her well
enough to know she was about to blow a
fuse.
I didn’t try to play dumb like I used to.
Because I knew I couldn’t afford to push it.
My body was shaky with exhaustion. I hung
my head, gripping the back of the seat with
too much force.
“Sorry…I’ll pay to have the car washed when
we get back to the house.”
“I can get out and walk. I’m so sorry I got
your car dirty.”
Emily paused giving me a suspicious look
<
Emily paused, giving me a suspicious look.
After a long silence, she reached out to touch
my forehead.
I tensed as her hand got closer. I knew I shouldn’t pull away. I’d always wanted her to return my feelings.
But she was always so critical, so quick to tear me down. Any time I bothered her, she’d
say something so cutting that I’d be too
humiliated to speak.
I sat frozen in the seat, telling myself not to
flinch, not to anger her.
But the moment her cold fingers touched me,
that sick feeling came back, and I couldn’t
help but jerk my head away from her touch.
L
Emily’s hand froze in the air. When she looked
at me, I saw anger and impatience in her
eyes.
The dizziness hit me again.
I shook my head, and Emily’s face
disappeared, replaced by the image of
Grandpa in his hospital bed.
Because of them, I lost the only person who
was ever good to me.
I blinked and a tear rolled down my cheek.
