The reply comes back almost instantly.
Where are you?
I hit reply.
Nevermind where I am right now. Can you meet me?
Ten minutes go by without Jarrod replying. I almost send him another one when he texts back.
Yep but not for long. I'm in deep for keeping you here lastnight. Where do we meet?
I look at the wall and think about where to meet him.
Comma Coffee on W 4th St.
His next reply come faster than his last.
I'll be there in 15.
While I'm pulling on my hoody I wonder if this could be a trap. I grab the key card off the desk and shove it in my back pocket while I stuff my cell in the other one. I'm about to leave when I change my mind and grab my bag. Never know if it could be a trap, and I need to be prepared.
I step out of the hotel, almost expecting an ambush of some kind. I chuckle to myself at how anxious I am. I'm sure I'll feel better once I talk to Jarrod. I walk around the hotel slowly, looking around for a car I recognize. I don't see any, so I walk a tad faster. Instead of waiting for Jarrod in the coffee shop, I wait until I see his car pull into the parking lot. Once he's parked I sprint across the lot and tap on his window. He jumps and looks over at me before unlocking the door. I climb in and shut it.
"I'm assuming you don't want to sit in here?" I shake my head and he puts the car in gear, pulling back out into traffic. "So, where to?"
"I need a drug store." He looks over at me.
"Why?" I roll my eyes.
"I can't really go around with my hair like this can I? I need to dye it." His eyebrows raise as he turns left.
"So, what do you want to talk about?"I peer over at him through narrowed eyes.
"It seems someone turned me over to this program in the first place." I think "Oh shit" and I'm inside his head. I hadn't told him I was doing it, so he doesn't know I'm in here. I watch his replay as he thinks about all the searching, the phone calls, meeting Liz. I exit his head and shake mine. I really hadn't wanted to believe it. "Why?" He sighs.
"You're not happy Gem. You complain all the time about your life and your family. I thought I was doing the right thing in contacting these people. It seems like your only shot at a happy life." If I'd been the weepy type of girl, I would have teared up and thanked him for his understanding. Such as it is, I'm not, and I don't. Instead, I sit stonily in the passenger seat as he drives around, looking for a drug store. He finally finds one and I get out of the car, slamming the door. I realize I'm upsetting the only person I can really trust, or so I'd thought, but at the moment I just don't care. He betrayed me and my secret, so he deserves it.
I get back in the car a few minutes later with my newly acquired hair dye, some junk food, and two bottles of coke. "Back to the hotel."
"Where's that?"
"Beside the coffee place."
"I hope you're not paying for that." I shake my head.
"Liz pulled some magic and I've got a room until my birthday."
"I can't believe they're doing this. You'd think they would ship you back to your parents."
"I know, but I'm not complaining. Oh hey, my dad texted me lastnight. He said if I don't contact him within 12 hours he's freezing my account and cutting off my phone." Jarrod chuckles as he changes lanes.
"Well, seeing as your phone is in working order, I assume he didn't."
"He probably tried to but it's been in my name for over a year. I switched it over when I got my first job."
"Smarty." I smile, a little sadly. Jarrod notices and sighs. Sometimes it's like he can read my mind as well. It's silent for the rest of the drive to the hotel. Once there I lead him up to my room, tossing my bag on the bed and unloading the pop and snacks into the mini fridge. "Not bad." I shrug and sit beside Jarrod on the bed, kicking my shoes off. "So, what do you wanna do?" I think about it then grab the remote.
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