Collide: A Riverbend Novel (9 page)

"I was thinking about going
for a drive. You should come."

"Can't we go after you talk
with your family?"

He laughed and got in his
truck. "Coming or not, princess?"

I looked back at the house
and chewed on my lip. "I want to, but I can't. Sorry." I stepped
back and smiled. "Be safe."

"You can't?" He raised a
brow and laughed. He shook his head and closed the door. He drove
off with his music blaring.

I walked inside, my feet
freezing. I headed into the living room and sat down. "He went for
a drive. Sorry," I said as I tried to warm my feet up. "What? I
forgot shoes," I said to Garrett as he looked at me
funny.

Garrett pulled my legs onto
his lap and covered them with a blanket. He rubbed my feet while we
watched TV. Slowly my eyes closed, and I fell asleep. At least
until the nightmares hit.

HAVOCK

I walked into the house
quietly so I wouldn't wake anyone. But there sat mom in dad's chair
reading a book. I should have known she'd be up waiting on
me.

"Sorry I lost track of
time." I kicked off my shoes and pulled off my hoodie.

"Can we talk? Like we used
to?" She asked so quietly I almost didn't hear her. When I got
closer I saw her face was wet from tears.

I sat across from her on
the couch. "About?"

"Tell me whatever you
want."

"My favorite food is still
Thai food." I shrugged. I didn't know what she wanted me to
say.

She laughed. "How are your
grades?"

"All A's."

She smiled. "That's my
smart boy."

I just stared at her. This
was weird.

"Can I go to bed now? I'm
tired and I have a big test tomorrow."

"She's been having
nightmares all night." More tears fell from her eyes. "I want her
to be happy here, Havock. Tell me, what am I doing
wrong?"

'Ummm..."

She wiped her eyes. "Sorry.
I know you can't answer that."

"You aren't doing anything
wrong. She's got a lot on her plate."

She nodded. "I know that. I
was watching the news and they were talking about how they still
didn't have any leads on Mayor Johnson. I just have a feeling he's
not alive. I don't know how she'll handle it if he
isn't."

"I think she needs closure.
If he's dead she'll cope eventually. At least it wouldn't be the
constant worry and wondering where he is."

"Are you okay with her
staying here? Garrett and her seem to be getting along great. You
haven't said a word about her to me."

What mom didn't know is I'd
thank her for the rest of my life for letting her stay. I'd never
admit that out loud, though. "She's nice."

"She is. Absolutely
precious."

Reese screamed from
upstairs then there was a loud crash.

Mom went to get up, but I
stopped her. "I'll go."

"If you need me come get
me."

I nodded then hurried up
the stairs. I went into her room and saw her getting up and looking
around confused. Hair was stuck to her face that was wet with
tears. A bruise was forming on the side of her face where she must
have hit the end table. Garrett came in behind me before I could do
anything to comfort her.

He moved past me and
wrapped her in his arms. He looked at her cheek. "Havock go get
ice."

I went downstairs and mom
met me in the kitchen while I put ice in a Ziploc bag.

"Is she alright?" she asked
as she yawned.

"She bumped her cheek and
she's shook up, but she's okay."

"I think we're gonna leave
in the morning to go to Denver. I think we all need a get away.
Especially her."

"We have big tests
tomorrow, Mom."

"You can make them
up."

"I'll go tell them." I
hurried upstairs and handed her the ice pack.

"Thanks," she said her
voice shook as she moved away from Garrett and sat on the window
seat. She looked out not saying anything.

"Mom said we're leaving for
Denver in the morning. She said we could make up our
tests."

Garrett sat next to her and
rubbed her back. "Okay. Go get some sleep, bro. I'll stay up with
her."

"Did she say she wanted you
to?" I snapped.

"Please get out. Both of
you," she said softly and quietly. She kept her eyes locked out the
window. Her voice was hollow.

Garrett shoved past me on
his way out, bumping my shoulder with his. I smiled. I looked at
Reese before walking out.

When I made it out in the
hall Garrett shoved me against the wall. "What the
hell!"

"Don't be stupid, Garrett."
I shoved him away from me.

"You're not good for her.
She doesn't need someone like you."

I raised a brow and
laughed. "And you are what she needs?"

"Maybe when she's ready I
will be. But right now she needs friends!"

I didn't reply. I walked
into my room and slammed the door.

A little while later I
heard a quiet thud. It sounded like a window opening.

I went to her room and saw
the window wide open. I looked down and saw her running towards the
sidewalk.
Well, shit.
We had an escapee. I didn't want to cause a scene so I climbed
out of her window. I took off after her and was glad I hadn't taken
off my shoes yet. But I was in just a t-shirt and jeans. I was
going to freeze my balls off.

When I caught up with her I
could tell she didn't want me to stop her so I just ran with her.
"Where are we going?" I asked, extremely out of breath.

She stopped and put her
hands on her knees. She looked at me. "I need something. Please,
let me go," she begged as tears fell down her face. She wiped them
then took off running again.

"Does it require running or
can we walk?"

She stopped running but
walked swiftly. She didn't say anything just walked.

"We could've taken my
truck. I would've even let you drive."

"I didn't plan on anyone
knowing I was gone. And I don't drive well." She continued to walk
until we arrived at the front of her house. I looked at her like
she had lost her mind. That place creeped me out.

"I'm afraid to ask you why
we are here."

"I need
something."

"Please tell me it's not
inside."

"You don't have to go," she
said as she looked at the house.

There was no way I'd let
her do it alone. "I know I don't but I'm going if you're
going."

She nodded then walked
around the back of the house. She then started to climb up the
terrace.

I needed a whole pack of
cigarettes and to smoke them all at once. My nerves were shot. I
climbed up behind her. Tomorrow, I'd be able to add this to my list
of stupid ass things I’d done in my life. It'd be number a million.
My hands felt numb they were so cold, but I continued to
climb.

Finally, we arrived on a
balcony. She found a hidden key and unlocked the doors. We walked
in to a room. It was bland and very cold feeling.

"Whose room was
this?"

"Mine."

"Cozy," I said
sarcastically.

She ran over to a dresser
and opened a drawer. She pulled out a large book and held it
tightly. She grabbed a bag, put it in there then went to the other
side of the room. She pulled up a loose board and pulled out three
books and four drawing notebooks. She put them in the bag and put
the board back. I watched as she put a few more things in it then
came over to me. "I'm ready."

"Do we get to act like bad
ass spies again or are we gonna use the door like normal
people?"

"I don't have the key to
the front door."

"But we are inside the
house. Can't we just simply walk down there and open it from the
inside?"

"No, all the doors require
keys to open them.”

And that just made the
house even creepier. I nodded. "Alright. Let's go."

She secured the bag and we
went outside. She relocked the door and hid the key, then climbed
down. Once we were down, blue lights started surrounding the house.
Mom came running out of one of the cop cars.

"Go," she said before they
saw me. I stood there. I wasn't going anywhere.

Mom ran over as she yelled
to the cops she found us. She hugged us both tight then cupped
Reese's face in her hands. "What on Earth are you doing
here?!"

"I wanted some of mine and
mom's things."

"And I would've got them
for you! You didn't need to come here! Do you know how unsafe it
is?!"

Mom looked at me and poked
her index finger into my chest. "You didn't give her any drugs did
you?!"

"What?! No..." I said in
annoyance.

"He came to make sure I was
safe. I didn't take anything," Reese said looking
ashamed.

I was more than pissed that
mom would say something like that. I had been clean for over two
years.

"Let's get you two
home."

We followed mom to one of
the police cars.

"It's not you Havock. It's
me," Reese said quietly.

I didn't respond. She
didn't know a thing about me or what I put my parents through. I
got in the back of the car with her and mom.

Reese held tightly to her
bag as if it was buried treasure.

We pulled up to the house.
The cop turned and looked at Reese. "I need to look at what you
took."

Her shoulders sagged and
she hesitantly handed it over.

Mom leaned forward.
"Please, don't take it from her. If it was so important that she'd
risk her safety for it, it must mean a lot to her."

The cop looked through it
then handed it back to Reese. "I'm not supposed to give that
back."

"Thank you," Reese said as
she held it tightly to her.

We got out and I noticed
dad and Garrett's trucks gone. Mom started dialing on her
phone.

"I found them. Call Garrett
and tell him to head back home. Love you.” She hung up then
unlocked the door to the house.

Reese looked like she was
in another world. Her face was blank.

Mom stepped back as we
walked in. "Get some sleep. We are leaving for the airport by
seven."

I followed her up the
stairs and turned and looked at her before I walked into my
room.

"Thank you. I'm sorry," she
said then she went into her room. She didn't shut the
door.

I hesitated. I wanted so
badly to go into her room and ask her why she drew a picture of me.
I wanted to know if she felt what I felt. But Garrett was right.
She needed friends and most definitely not a guy like
me.