The words stung me. I had no one. I was used to being surrounded by friends and family. And Carter. Now, when I needed them the most, I was alone. Granted, I just ran from everyone I knew as they gathered in my backyard and inside my home to celebrate. I couldn't celebrate and shouldn't have been expected to. I felt betrayed that no one seemed to agree. Even in my house, full of people, I felt alone.
"Nope," I spat out when I realized he was watching me closely, waiting for my answer.
His eyes roamed my face, like they were looking for the real answer. When I looked away and took another long drink, he gave up and drank his beer as well. The minty drink felt like heaven going down my throat. My stomach was warm and my cheeks were heating up. I quickly finished the drink so I could wait for my new one.
Patrons filtered in and out of the bar and were getting louder as time passed. Feeling a little bold, probably from the alcohol, I finally turned on my stool to glance around. The bar was more crowded than when I had entered. People mingled with drinks in their hands and laughed loudly at each other. The men at the pool table in the back were arguing. The two men stood toe to toe, glaring at each other. Just when I thought a fight would break out, they started laughing and patting each other on the back.
I shook my head and spun back around to find Ryder watching me curiously. He had one elbow leaning on the bar, while his other arm was casually resting on his faded dark jeans. His black t-shirt clung to his chest and hugged his biceps tightly. Colorful tattoos ran up his toned arms. I never thought Carter to be skinny, but he was not quite built like this. When I finally made my way back up to his face, Ryder wore a knowing smile.
Embarrassed, I distracted myself with my drink again. My head felt light and my thoughts weren't so loud anymore. I tapped my fingers on the bar to a song I didn't know and stopped to check out a chip in my nail. I hadn't gotten them done since I had been home. I should probably schedule an appointment.
"Darts?" Ryder asked as he stood, and then waited for me to follow.
He was taller than I expected. I stared up at him, wondering if that was the best idea. I was a young, pretty girl in an old, dirty bar. I was alone with some stranger asking to take my hand and lead me to a dark corner. His dark eyes were glued to mine while he waited patiently for my answer. I couldn't determine if he looked safe or dangerous, or a mixture of both.
Because I always do what's expected of me, I stood and grabbed the fresh drink Hank replaced. I let Ryder lead me to the dart board in the back of the bar. I should be going home, but the thought of home made me want to cry, while also feeling sick to my stomach. Here, I felt nothing but curiosity and calmness. I had nothing to do but throw a pointy object at a target on the wall. This would be the easiest thing I did all summer.
I was quickly proven wrong how easy it really was. I watched as Ryder picked up my darts from the floor… again. He laughed while pulling some of his darts out of the target. I couldn't begin to tell you how the scoring worked, but judging that he even made it on the board meant he was beating me.
I couldn't help but notice how completely opposite Ryder was from Carter. While Carter was blonde haired and fair-skinned, Ryder had black hair and a nice tan. Ryder was more built in the chest and arms than Carter was. Carter was athletic, but not busting out of his clothes. Ryder's eyes held mystery and more that I couldn't yet decipher. Carter's eyes were clear blue, like the sky, a window to his love and trust.
I tried to ignore the unease his intense looks were causing me. I just needed to be someone else tonight. He didn't remind me of Carter and send me into despair and heart break. For right now, that was exactly what I needed. Maybe, just for now, I could forget.
"Come on, you got to a least make one," Ryder teased as he came back to me and stood at the taped line on the floor.
I couldn't help the hysterical laugh that bubbled out of my mouth. Nobody else would have found it funny that I was failing at something. I succeed and I won and nothing less than that was acceptable. Ryder came up behind me, placed his hands on my hips, and started to move me forward. My skin under his hands burned. I tensed at his touch, but relaxed when I realized he was just letting me cheat. I’d never cheated before, and I laughed at myself again.
"Here. Try now," he chuckled and handed me more darts.
I closed one eye to focus on the dart board. I tried to line up the point with the center of the red dot and threw the dart as hard as I could. The dart made it all the way to the wall this time, only to bounce off the brick wall beside the dart board. I spun around quickly to find Ryder bending over, laughing so hard he was holding his stomach.
"Shut up," I said, slapping his back. "I made it all the way there this time," I bragged, clearly proud of my terrible throw.
We continued like this for a while. Ryder laughed at me while I tried again and again to score at least one point. Hank supplied me with continuous drinks. It was easy. Ryder didn't expect me to make a point and didn't seem to care that I was terrible at something or wasting our time. He didn't ask me any more questions, and I ignored my own questions that were burning a hole in the back of my mind. At that moment, I was numb and completely out of my element.
Pain throbbing in my head caused me to stir. I rolled over to push my palms into my eyes, and my whole body protested the movement. My throat was burning and my stomach churned. I laid still and willed the pain and sickness to subside. My stomach rolled again, so I sat straight up, ready to run to the bathroom. With my hands still over my eyes, I slipped my legs out from under the covers slowly.
The covers felt strange to me and my stomach sank even further. I wasn't in my own bedroom. Memories flashed back to me from the bar last night. The minty drinks and playing darts. Ryder. I didn't remember leaving. I dropped my hands from my face and looked around.
The room was dark, but some light filtered in from a crack in the curtains. The bed was low to the ground and covered in a black, thick comforter. The room opened up to what looked like a living room.
Movement to my right startled me, and I jumped out of the bed like it was on fire. Ryder's arms stretched out and rested behind his head, his bare chest exposed. Nausea hit me in full force as I stepped backward to find my white dress crumpled on the floor. Looking down, I was wearing an oversized t-shirt that I had never seen before. I spotted an open door in the corner of the room and realized it was a bathroom. I made it just in time to empty everything inside of me into the toilet.
My body was covered in sweat as I laid on the bathroom floor. I must have dozed off at some point. How classy. My brain felt like it was being crushed by a truck, and my throat was burning from throwing up. Or maybe it was the alcohol? I couldn't tell. The drinks were minty and fresh going down, but nothing like that coming back up. I spread my hands out on the cold tile floor, letting it cool me down.
I finally gained the courage to open my eyes. There was a towel under my head and two bottles of water and a bottle of pain reliever in front of me on the floor. I reached out, grabbing the water bottle and twisting it open. I tried drinking the water while laying on my side, but it took too much effort. I forced myself to sit up and then leaned back against the tub. I drank the entire bottle of water before opening the next one and grabbing the two pills.
Ryder must have brought these in for me. I found he pulled my hair into a messy ponytail as well. I vaguely remembered hearing his deep, raspy voice while I emptied my guts into his toilet. How embarrassing. I couldn't remember coming here last night or even leaving the bar with him.
Oh my god. Did I sleep with him? I wouldn't have done that, would I? How could I be sure? I was anybody but myself last night.
The bathroom was bare and white. A light blue shower curtain was the only color in the room. I leaned against the tub, letting the water hydrate me, and prayed the headache would ease. If this was what every hangover felt like, I would never try this again. With a shaky hand, I grabbed the edge of the sink and pulled myself off the floor. I barely recognized mys
elf in the mirror.
My hair was in a big, knotted ponytail on top of my head, my mascara was smeared under my eyes, and my face was stark white. I turned on the water to splash some on my face. I tried to comb out my hair with my fingers, eventually settling for a slightly less messy bun. I had no idea what I would be walking into when I left this bathroom. I went home with a stranger after drinking myself stupid. This was a first for me.
I poked my head out from behind the door to find the bed empty. Sighing in relief, I ran over to my dress and quickly changed into it. The sound of voices caused me to freeze. I considered locking myself back in the bathroom to hide, but I was going to have to leave eventually and find my car. I took a deep breath and prepared to do the "walk of shame." I never thought I would do this.
As I came out of the bedroom, I heard a door close. Relief washed over me as I realized I was alone and could sneak out. I tried to balance on one foot while slipping on one of my heels and balancing my heavy purse on my arm.
"Coffee?" a voice startled me and I almost fell over. I looked up to find a girl, about my age, leaning against the counter, watching me with a smile and a cup of coffee in her hands.
I stared at her, unsure what to say. She was petite with long black hair, streaked with colors of blue, purple, and red. Her skin was white like porcelain and flawless. Her ears were lined with jewelry, as well as her wrists and eyebrows. She looked like she could have walked off the stage of a rock concert. She didn't seem as surprised to see me as I was to see her. I wondered who this girl was and why was she here.
"I'm Scarlett," she said, as if she’d read my mind.
"Kallie," I said, straightening up from my failed attempt of putting on my shoes. "Ryder?"
"Left for work. You look like you could use some coffee," she said, turning to grab a cup from the cupboard and pouring coffee into it.
"Oh. He didn't say goodbye," I whispered as I limped over to the breakfast bar in the small kitchen.
"Yeah. That's my brother for you," she mumbled, sliding my cup to me. That answered who she was.
I sipped on the coffee in an awkward silence with Scarlett. I could feel her watching me, sizing me up. She was probably wondering who the strange girl coming out of her brother's room was.
She finally broke the silence. "Where are you from?"
"Far," I snipped.
"Touchy subject? Noted. You want a ride to your car?" she asked as she bounced around the kitchen and rinsed out her mug. She didn't pry, even though she knew I was hiding something.
"I don't know. Is it still at Hank's?" I asked. I didn't want to admit to this stranger that I had no idea where I was, or where Hank's would be.
"I would assume so. I'm off today, so I can take you over if you want. Whenever. Shower if you want. Take your time," she said, smiling warmly at me. Her exterior looked hard and tough, but her eyes and smile looked caring.
"I'm okay. I'm ready when you are," I said, finally slipping on my other heel.
"Alright, then. Let's roll," she announced, grabbing a purse and keys off the counter by the door.
I got up and followed her. The door opened to a set of stairs going down. When we reached the bottom of the steps, another door opened up to an alley. I followed her down the alley to a parking lot, and we got into her little red sports car with a large wing on the trunk. She pulled out, and when we reached the stop sign, I recognized where we were.
We were on the main street in the middle of town that I walked down to get to the coffee shop. To the right and down a ways, I could see the bar. My black Mercedes was the only car in front. In a small town like this, everybody probably knew who I was and where I stayed the night before. We pulled up to my car after another minute or so of driving.
"How far of a drive you have ahead of you?" Scarlett asked while I dug for my keys in my purse.
I looked over at her pretty face. She seemed genuinely curious, and I knew I shouldn't be rude after she was nothing but nice to me.
"Four or five hours," I admitted. The thought of walking through my front door made my stomach churn again. I was never going to able to talk myself out of this.
"You okay to drive?" she asked.
"Yes. Thank you. Really, Scarlett. Thank you for the ride and everything," I said, feeling embarrassed.
I got out of her car and quickly into mine. I put my head on the steering wheel, trying to hold back the tears behind my eyes. I had to drive past that tree again. I had to see the spot where Carter died. All over again. A tree I drove all the way down here to see and ended up waking up feeling worse than I did before I left. I would be going home with more problems than when I’d left.
When I finally looked up, I noticed Scarlett was still waiting to pull out of the parking lot. There was no traffic in this town, so I knew she was waiting to see if I was okay. I thought about what a nice girl she was and I wished we could have met under different circumstances. In a different time and place, I could have really liked her and knew we would’ve gotten along.
After starting the car, I pulled my phone out of my purse and dared to turn it on. Again, the missed calls and messages blew up my screen. Tears now flowed freely down my face when I thought about going back. My parents were probably furious I missed brunch with the Stevens this morning. Who needs brunch when you feel so empty inside? No amount of food would ever be able to fill me up.
A strange sound brought me out of my wallowing and self-pity. My head snapped up to see smoke pouring out from the hood of my car. The car shut down and the radio cut off. I hopped out of my car, afraid it was going to explode. I stood in a panic, staring at the hood. Scarlett's car started backing up towards me and my new mess.
CHAPTER FOUR
Kallie
Scarlett waved down an elderly man in the tow truck. I watched as he lifted my treasured car onto the bed of his truck. I was at a loss for words. I couldn't call my parents for help at this point. I was in deep enough trouble and couldn't handle more. I planned on lying and saying I stayed in some hotel, but I was in the middle of nowhere. They would know why I came down here. They told me no good would come from coming here and the trip would be unacceptable.
Scarlett looked at me with pity and gave me a ride to follow the tow truck, although I was sure I could have walked. I wasn't looking forward to stepping into another place in this town being an obvious outsider. We pulled up behind the truck to a garage. The hand painted sign and antique gas pumps outside made it seem ancient, like the rest of the town.
"We will get you taken care of, sweetie," Scarlett assured me, grabbing my trembling hands. "I know this sucks. We'll get it fixed, and you'll be on your merry way, okay?" Her face was so genuine and honest that I couldn't help but give her a faint smile back.
We got out of the car and walked up to the open garage doors. The truck driver got to work, lowering my car. A set of arms were visible from behind a propped hood. I let Scarlett lead the way since she seemed to know exactly where she was going. I walked through the shop trying to avoid the spots of oil and dirt, concerned for my white high heels. These shoes probably cost more than the car they were working on right now.
When the mechanic came out from under the hood, I froze in my steps. Ryder looked at his sister with his brows furrowed in concern and confusion. It is then I saw the resemblances between the two. The night black hair, the chiseled and structured faces with gorgeous eyes. They were both beautiful. The only difference was the skin tone. Ryder had a tan to him, whereas Scarlett was fair and light. His eyes shot to me and locked onto mine when he noticed I was following behind his sister.
I gave a pathetic wave because I had no idea how to react to this situation. His eyes were guarded as he wiped the oil off his hands and arms. The night before, he seemed more open and fun. Today, it’s as though he never met me.
"Car broke down," Scarlett says to him.
He nodded at her and made his way over to my car that two guys were pushing into the garage. He said nothing to me
, or anyone else, as he popped the hood and looked at the engine. After tinkering with a few things, he came over to us.
"Looks like you blew the head," he stated bluntly.
"Excuse me?" I asked, having no idea what that meant and thinking that sounded slightly perverted.
He rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed. "The cylinder head, a vital part of the engine, is broken. It busted, sprayed oil, and probably metal shavings, all throughout the motor. It needs to be replaced."
"Fantastic," I moaned out. This was exactly what I needed today. Hey, Mom and Dad, I've been in a strange town with a strange man. Oh and that car you always wanted me to get rid of? Well, it blew up. Oh by the way, I still haven't enrolled in my graduate courses. "How much?" I asked with my eyes closed.
"A lot. And these are not easy to find on an older foreign car," he said, walking into a little office with a window looking out into the garage.
I paced the garage while I waited for him to return. I never took the car into a shop, so I had no idea what to do next. Was I supposed to leave now or did I sit and wait for the car to be fixed? Scarlett followed him to the office and was talking to him with lots of arm gestures. Both looked out the window to glance at me every now and then.
Finally, he reappeared with a few of sheets of paper. Scarlett followed close behind him, seeming smaller now that she was next to his tall and built body. I let myself remember that I had her there with me. In a place where I was just alone as I was back home, I felt like I had a least one person on my side. I would take what I could get today.
"Here is the damage. This is just an estimate. It's gonna take a few weeks to get the parts. Sign here and we can get you scheduled," he said, pointing to a line on the last page.
My eyes bugged out at the total. "Is my car even worth this much?"
Jolted (Conflicted Encounters #1) Page 3