by Aly Martinez
“Yeah,” I replied, unbelievably confused. However, if he wanted to act like he hadn’t just plotted mine and Quarry’s deaths a few minutes earlier, I guessed I could do the same.
I could do normal. I was amazing at normal. It was my forte, really.
“Hey, would it be okay if I started calling you Wheels?”
He turned to look at me and quirked an eyebrow.
“What?” I asked as he closed his eyes and shook his head. “What?” I repeated, but he never answered.
Instead, he set the tray on his lap and headed toward the trash can.
Chapter Nine
Flint
ASH POINTED OUT THE PASSENGER side window. “Take a left up here.”
“Ummm . . . That’s a right,” I corrected, turning down a side street in what appeared to be the slums of downtown Indianapolis.
After dropping Quarry off at On The Ropes and luckily dodging Till and Slate, Ash had asked if I could drop her off at her friend’s instead of taking her back home. With hopes of also avoiding my mom and Ray, I agreed. However, as I drove deeper into the city, I thought there was a strong possibility Ash was leading me into a gang setup.
“Where the hell are we going?”
“Just a little farther. Take your next right.” She pointed across me.
“And that’s a left,” I mumbled, turning down an alley.
“Right here! Stop!” she exclaimed.
“Right where?” I looked around. There wasn’t anything even remotely inhabitable. It was a vacant alley that served no purpose except to connect two busy streets.
With the exception of two bums leaning against the building, there wasn’t a soul in sight.
“Right there.” She slung her seat belt off and jumped from the car. “Hey!”
“How’s it going, babe?” a gray-haired man replied.
“Get in the car, Ash,” I called as the obviously homeless woman in dirty and tattered clothing stood up and walked toward her.
“You little tramp!” the woman said.
“Oh, shut up!” Ash yelled back.
I had no idea what the fuck was going on, but I didn’t like it.
“Ash, get back in the goddamn car.”
“What?” She turned to look at me, but the woman continued getting closer, and this time, her murderous gaze was aimed at me.
“Who the hell do you think you are talking to like that?” the woman snapped, and the man behind her pushed to his feet.
“Fuck,” I hissed. “Look, we don’t want any trouble,” I told the woman, but my eyes were focused on the man. He might have been older, but as he strode toward the car, I realized he was also huge. “Ash, get the fuck in the car.”
“Why? What’s wrong?” she answered, leaning back into the van with her upper body.
She was insane, I knew that much, but she was also apparently fearless. I, however, had no way to protect her, and judging by the faces closing in on us, I was going to need to do just that.
Reaching out, I grabbed her wrist and yanked her back into the van.
“What the hell?” she yelled.
The man sprinted forward, capturing her around the waist and pulling her out of my grasp. My eyes went wide, and panic settled in my chest. I scrambled across the passenger seat after her, but my legs got stuck behind me and I fell out of the door, crashing to the pavement face first.
“Flint!” Ash yelled, but the man never released her.
I pushed myself upright so I could at least use my arms as defense, but with the exception of Ash’s flailing to get free, no one moved.
“Max, put me down. He’s my friend.”
“Not touching you like that, he’s not.”
“Jesus Christ. Put me down. He’s paralyzed. I need to make sure he’s okay.”
I wasn’t sure what was worse: the fact that I was helplessly sitting on the ground while watching a stranger manhandle her or the fact that I was so weak and pathetic that she was worried about me while it happened.
“Damn it, put me down!” she shrieked.
The man finally relented.
After rushing forward, she dropped to her knees in front of me. “Oh my God. Are you okay?”
“We need to get out of here,” I declared, watching the man and woman step even closer behind her.
“Flint, these are my friends, Max and Donna.” She turned around to address them. “Back up. He’s not going to hurt me.”
Neither seemed convinced, but they did take a single step away.
“I don’t care who they are. We’re leaving.” I started scooting toward the passenger’s door, but the idea of actually pulling myself up and into the van from the ground was daunting.
“Just hang on,” Ash called, seeming to read my mind—or, more likely, my fear-filled expression.
After opening the sliding back door, she dragged my wheelchair out and pushed it in front of me. A rush of relief filtered through me. I’d never been so happy to see that damn thing in my life.
“You need help?” she asked.
“No, I don’t need any fucking help,” I snapped for absolutely no reason other than that my pride had suffered a serious hit.
“Oh hell no,” Donna voiced behind us, causing Ash to roll her eyes.
“Can you two give us a minute? I promise I’m fine. You can watch me from over there.” She pointed to where they had been previously situated against the wall.
“Ash,” the man started.
“Please, Max,” she whined.
His face softened. “All right.” He tugged on the woman’s arm and began leading her back to the wall.
Ash turned her attention to me. “Just let me help you.”
“I’ve got it,” I said roughly as I hoisted myself up to the floorboard of van and then transferred myself back into my chair. It wasn’t easy, but I had an audience, so I did my best not to look like a bumbling idiot.
“Get in the car,” I ordered, rolling myself around to the driver’s side.
“What? I’m not leaving.”
“Yes, you are,” I called out, dropping my chin to my chest as soon as I was blocked by the van. My hands shook as I pinched the bridge of my nose. I tried to get my pulse under control as the adrenaline left my body. God, I was such a fucking mess, and of course, Ash picked that exact moment to round the bumper.
“Hey, are you okay?” she asked, walking over and stopping in front of me.
“Can you stop fucking asking me that?”
She arched an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side with sudden attitude. “Can you start answering the question?”
I let out a resigned sigh. I desperately needed the entire fucking day to be over. I couldn’t take much more, and I needed to reset my mind and body in the solitude of my apartment.
“Look, please just let me take you home. I can’t leave you here. I’m sure you think those two are your friends, but there is no possible way I can leave you in a dark alley with two homeless people. It’s dangerous.”
She smiled widely. “I’ll be fine.”
“Maybe. But I can’t in good conscience leave you here.”
She opened her mouth to reply, but I put my hand up to silence her.
“Please don’t argue with me, Ash. This has been one hell of a day, and I can’t take it anymore. I’ll be really honest here: If I don’t get home soon, I’m going to lose my fucking mind.”
Her smile widened.
Fantastic.
“Can we go tell Max and Donna goodbye?”
I blew out a breath. Thank God! At least she was rational.
“Yeah, go ahead.”
“No. Come with me. I’m pretty sure they don’t trust you any more than you do them. They’re my best friends. I don’t want them to worry.” Her smile stretched even wider.
What the actual fuck is she smiling about?
“How the hell did you end up being friends with two middle-aged bums?” I asked incredulously. “You need to be more careful before you end up dead in a ditch somewher
e.”
“You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Judging people and casting stereotypes.” She reached her foot out and pointedly tapped one of my wheels.
“I’m not judging them,” I defended, but even I knew that it was in vain.
“Yeah, you are. They’re good people, Wheels.”
My mouth dropped open at her actual use of the nickname.
“Difficult circumstances. But still good people.”
“Wow,” I responded, unimpressed. Or maybe I was crazy impressed at her flagrant insensitivity. Or maybe I was just annoyed at myself for not being able to join her as she burst out laughing at my reaction.
Instead, I lectured. “That may be true, but how well do you really know them? Ash, you can’t go through life trusting everyone.”
“Well, maybe you can’t. But I can. I know there are bad people in the world. To some, I’m probably one of them.” She reached into her pocket and pulled my wallet out, tossing it onto my lap. “We all deserve friends though.” She shrugged.
“Stop stealing my fucking wallet.”
But instead of returning my attitude, her face gentled and her eyes lit. “Thanks for trying to rescue me back there.”
“Yeah,” I scoffed. “Lot of help I would have been.”
“You never know. Maybe just the trying helped the most.” She looked down at her foot, which was drawing circles in the dirt.
I was annoyed.
Embarrassed.
Frustrated.
Exhausted.
But that was erased when she lifted her head up with a shy smile I didn’t recognize at all. I’d known Ash Mabie for exactly two hours, but I was stunned into silence by the vulnerability on her creamy-white face. It shouldn’t have been there. Mainly because it ruined every other smile she would ever be able to produce. That smile belonged there permanently.
However, just as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared.
But I’d seen it.
God, did I see it.
Her typical wide grin replaced it, and even though she was still gorgeous, nothing could top that single second where she’d showed me something truly indescribable.
She’d showed me the real Ash Mabie.
And she is beautiful.
“Sooooo . . . ?” she questioned, nodding back toward Max and Donna.
“Okay,” I huffed. “Let’s go meet your friends.”
* * *
One week later . . .
Unknown: What’s your address?
Me: Who is this?
Unknown: It’s an emergency.
Me: So I’ll repeat. Who. Is. This?
Unknown: It’s Ash. Quarry and I were out at the movies and suddenly he can’t hear anything.
Sitting straight up in bed, I tossed my book to the nightstand and shifted into my chair, which was parked beside the bed. The genetic condition Till and Quarry shared was supposed to be degenerative, but this was exactly what had happened with Till. One day, he could hear, and an hour later, it was gone.
My heart began to race at the instant replay that was unfolding in front of me.
Me: Take him to the hospital. Now!
Ash: He says no hospital. He just wants to come to your house.
Me: I don’t care what he says. Take him to a hospital.
Ash: Just let me bring him to you. He’s trying to sign stuff but I don’t know sign language.
Ash: Please Flint. I’m scared.
Me: All right, all right. Bring him here. 121 Broad Dr. Apt 113. Show it to Q. He’ll know how to get here. I’ll see you in a few.
Ash: K
I dropped my phone on the bed and then pulled a pair of shorts on over my boxers.
For several minutes, I stared blankly at my phone. I needed to call Till, but just the thought knotted my stomach. I hadn’t spoken to him in months, and Quarry going deaf was the news I had to deliver? Fuck.
I couldn’t waste any more time though. Clicking his name, I prayed for a miracle that he wouldn’t pick up and I could leave a message.
Such was my luck, he answered on the first ring.
“Flint?”
“Quarry can’t hear anything,” I rushed out, not bothering with pleasantries.
“What?” he breathed in shock.
“Yeah, Ash just called. I don’t know exactly what’s going on yet, but she’s bringing him over here. I’ll take him to the hospital.”
“Till? What’s going on?” Eliza asked in the background.
“Hey, I have to go. I’ll let you know when we leave.”
“Flint, wait!” he yelled as I severed the connection.
But I couldn’t. I just . . . couldn’t.
After snagging a T-shirt from the drawer, I made my way to unlock the front door.
While I was still battling with a useless pair of Nikes, my front door swung open and Quarry sauntered inside.
“Holy shit! You moved into Eliza’s old apartment?” He laughed. “You have serious problems, dude.” He turned to look over his shoulder. “Ash, get in here!”
“Not until you tell him not to be mad at me,” she squeaked from outside.
“Oh, right. Sorry. I borrowed Ash’s phone and wrote the texts. It wasn’t her. We were bored and I was curious about where you were hiding out.” He winked.
My mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding me? You got bored so you decided to tell me that you were deaf?” I snapped, rolling myself forward.
“No. I asked for your address first. You didn’t bite. So then I told you I was deaf.”
“You son of a bitch. I was fucking worried!” I swung a fist as hard as I could, but Quarry easily dodged it.
“Well, then think of it as a miracle. I can still hear!” He threw his hands up in the air in celebration.
“You selfish little shit. Till’s probably losing his mind right now, and you think this is funny?”
His laugh went silent and his eyes grew wide. “You told Till?” he gasped. “Why the hell would you do that?” He pushed a hand through his thick, black hair.
“I thought you were deaf!” I screamed so loudly that it echoed off all the walls.
“Shit,” he groaned to himself.
“Yeah. Shit,” I repeated, passing my phone in his direction. “Call him and explain. But don’t you dare tell him where I live.”
He dropped his eyes to the floor but took the phone from my hand. “I’m going outside to purgatory for this one,” he mumbled as he walked out the door, dialing the phone.
Stupid kid.
“Soooo . . . is it safe to come in?” Ash said, peeking around the doorjamb.
“For you? Yes. For him? I’m not sure,” I replied, grabbing the back of my neck.
“I swear I didn’t know. He didn’t tell me until we got here. For what it’s worth, he wanted to keep up the act and mess with you, but I refused to play along.”
“Thanks for that.”
“No prob.” She smiled.
And even with as pissed as I was, one pulled at the corner of my lips too.
Chapter Ten
Ash
“SOOOO THIS IS A NICE place,” I said, looking around Flint’s apartment.
The building might have been shit on the outside, but it was obvious Flint had worked hard to transform it into something nice on the inside. It was simple, but everything was spotless. There were no decorations unless the bookshelves that lined nearly every inch of the walls counted. There was a cheap sofa and a chair squished together with a coffee table in the center of the room. As I watched Flint push himself past them, I gathered that their tight positioning was to allow more room for his wheelchair to pass.
“You want something to drink?”
“Whatcha got?” I asked, following him into a tiny galley kitchen just barely wide enough to fit the width of his wheelchair.
Pulling the fridge open, he said, “Milk, water, and . . . pineapple-banana juice.”
“Shut up,” I whispered.
“What?” He looked over his shoulder.
“I’ve never had pineapple-banana juice!” I squealed.
“Um . . . okay, then. Pineapple-banana it is.” He backed up, unable to actually turn around. Then he removed a glass from the bottom cabinet and set it on the counter.
“This might be the greatest day of my life, Wheels,” I announced, watching him fill the glass with sure-to-be-delicious fruity liquid. “First, Quarry took me to a 3D movie. Holy crap, it was ah-mazing. And now, you have pineapple-banana juice.”
“I’m thrilled my juice selection has contributed to ‘the greatest day of your life,’” he said dryly.
“And you should be. This is two newsies today.”
“Newsies?” He slid the glass in my direction then motioned for me to move so he could back all the way out of the kitchen.
“Yep. I try to do something new every day. And today, I’m getting to do two! I can’t wait to cross pineapple-banana juice off my list.”
“You might be the weirdest person I have ever met. You have an actual list with pineapple-banana juice on it?” he asked with a slight smirk.
It was a rare glimpse at the man hiding under the patchy beard and angry, blue eyes, but amused looked good on Flint Page.
Really good.
“No, it’s not technically on the list. But when I get home, I’m going to write it right below ride a roller coaster, and then guess what?” I lifted my eyebrows, tipping the glass to my lips. I held Flint’s eyes as I took a gulp of the cool, fruity drink before setting it on the counter. “I’m gonna cross it off.” I tossed him a smile, and much to my surprise, he returned it.
Now that was better than really good.
It was gorgeous.
And because I possessed absolutely no filter, I felt the need to inform him of that.
“You know, if you shaved that fuzz and smiled more often, you would be really hot.”
Then it happened.
Something more elusive than the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot appeared in front of me.
Flint Page’s lips parted and a real, honest-to-God laugh erupted from his throat. His shoulders shook and his blue eyes lit up so bright that I almost needed to look away.
I couldn’t though.
I was mesmerized.
“Thanks, I think?” he said, rubbing his chin.