Fighting Conviction by Greer Rivers
Chapter Six
Harsh, rhythmic slapping of shoes against asphalt grew louder and louder, making Ellie’s heart race. She tried to anticipate what direction they were coming from, but they sounded like they were already on top of her.
“Behind! Left!”
Ellie scooted to the right and let the sprinter pass her, trying not to be annoyed her pulse shot up twenty beats every time someone approached. It was a lined recreational track, for God’s sake, with plenty of room in every lane. But for some reason these runners insisted on getting right behind her before they passed.
Jerks.
She would’ve been running her usual route around campus, but Jason was even more paranoid than she was and insisted she ran inside the Ashland State University gym. But half her love for running was being in the fresh air. Plus, she hadn’t even seen the Corolla since Naomi came into Sasha Saves five days ago, so the outdoor track was her secret compromise. Jason would probably still rip her a new one if he found out.
Running was part of her therapy “homework” so the track was better than nothing at all. Completing her therapeutic to-do list every day was the only way her therapist agreed to appointments over the phone “as needed” rather than in-person every other week. It’d been a hard-won fight, but it was worth it not having to waste all that time talking.
“This track is nice, but when can we run our route again? It’s crowded in the mornin’.”
Unfortunately, Ellie’s roommate hadn’t gotten the “no talking” memo. Ellie’s campus runs had been soothing the first couple of weeks. But when Virginia found out her exercise routine, she insisted they run together at the butt crack of dawn this semester. Feeling guilty for declining every other invitation Virginia extended, Ellie figured she had to run anyway, might as well make Virginia happy, too. Couldn’t hurt, right?
Wrong.
Every morning, Virginia blasted “Oh Happy Day” by The Edwin Hawkins Singers in the dorm, and sang loud as heck until Ellie was forced to go running with her to shut her up. Rain or shine, sleet or snow, every day, Ellie suffered in silence with someone who insisted on not listening to music so they could talk and ‘get to know each other’for 3.1 miles. What used to be meditative was now one scream away from feeling like torture.
Ellie’s side seized and she nearly tripped from the pain. Slowing down, she breathed deeply through the stitch, ending the breath on a frustrated groan. She was dragging from staying up to study for her midterms. What sucked the most was her exhaustion might not even have been worth it. She had no memory of what she’d studied for and she’d woken up with a crick in her neck from her cheek being plastered to a pool of drool in her textbook.
“…Then I think I’ll go into the history surroundin’ Ashland State U. Oh, hey, you okay?” Virginia slowed and circled back to Ellie, her eyes narrowed in concern.
Ellie nodded before putting her hands on her head and dodging runners to step off the track to stretch out the cramp. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. What were you sayin’? About your university tours?”
She didn’t particularly want to hear more about Virginia’s ASU job, but she also didn’t want another nursing student examination. The girl was smart, but Ellie couldn’t take another worst-case scenario diagnosis. If Virginia told her one more time that an injury was a sign of impending death, Ellie was going to have to follow through just to put herself out of her misery.
“Well, if you’re sure…” She watched Ellie for a second longer. After seeing whatever she needed to ensure Ellie wasn’t gonna die there on the spot, she nodded. “Right, where was I? Oh, maybe I should tell them about how delusional our professors are. Like Novikov last time you jetted from class?” Virginia’s back straightened and she pretended to look down invisible glasses. “Miss Stoooone, your peers are interested in learning.” She laughed at her own terrible impression and Ellie couldn’t help but grin. “Like any of us ever want to be there, amiright?”
“I don’t think you’ll persuade too many students to apply with that story.” Ellie huffed. “But your southern-Russian accent combo kinda sounds like you’ve had too many vodka crans, sooo that’s fun.”
Virginia rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Those kids aren’t listenin’ anyway. It’s all about gettin’ the parents.” She snapped. “Maybe I’ll get the parents with the story, and the kids soundin’ at nine a.m. on a Tuesday.”
Ellie outright laughed and immediately felt a stab of guilt in her chest. Virginia reminded her so much of Sasha. It felt like betrayal to enjoy her company.
Virginia didn’t seem to notice. “I’m thinkin’ of usin’ one of my class assignments as a history lesson. My University 101 seminar is doin’ a project on Ashland County and my topic is Hatcher Gardens. You’re from here, right? Ya know it? Maybe I’ll put you in my bibliography.”
Virginia laughed at her joke, but Ellie’s heart clenched worse than the slight stitch in her side. “The neighborhood? Uh… yeah. I think it’s mostly abandoned houses and addicts now, but my, uh, friend used to live there when we were kids.” She swallowed and tried to control the shake in her voice.
It felt wrong to bring up her best friend to Sasha’s personality clone. But Ellie was turning over a new leaf and trying to pretend she wasn’t dead inside. Talking about Sasha was a good step. Right? Gritting her teeth, she pushed past the ache.
“For real? You think she could give me a tour?”
“She, um… doesn’t live in Ashland anymore. Her family left a few months back.” Ellie would’ve done the same thing if she hadn’t missed her chance. The plan had always been to become roommates and live it up in college. After she’d been rescued and Sasha hadn’t, Ellie refused to open any college letters. Losing that future was too much to face.
“Damn, it’s a shame your friend doesn’t live there still. The neighborhood’s been ‘round forever. All that history… the old architecture with the root cellars and vaulted ceilings, the centuries-old trees, how it was a neighborhood before ASU was even established. Parents eat that shit up on tours. And hell, if there are ghosts, the prospects’ll eat that up, too.” A perfectly arched blonde brow raised at Ellie. “Are there ghosts?”
“This bitch is a little cray. I like her.”
Ellie tucked her chin to hide her smile at Sasha’s declaration. Of course you do.
She lifted her chin to answer Virginia. “If there are, we never saw ‘em.” She didn’t know about ghosts. The only thing the neighborhood held for Ellie now was bittersweet memories.
Her stitch was gone, so she began jogging again. Virginia joined in, keeping pace but never slowing her verbal stream of consciousness. If Ellie had to admit it, Virginia wasn’t so bad. It was actually kind of nice to have something else to focus on.
If it hadn’t been for therapy, Ellie would’ve never met Virginia, or even gone to college. With every session, Ellie realized she wanted to provide survivors with the same healing she’d received, and to do that, she needed a license to practice. If a license was what was best for survivors, then a license was what she was gonna get.
Unfortunately, life doesn’t pause for grief. When Ellie was finally ready to accept an offer, she’d already missed other college decision deadlines and Ashland State University was the only school that would take her.
Ellie’s brain stopped going a million miles a second when she realized there was a lull in the conversation.
Shoot.
Ellie glanced over at Virginia to find her perfect smile was waning as she obviously waited for a response.
“Fascinating,” Ellie muttered.
Virginia brightened with the meager encouragement. “Right? Blizzards this far down south are crazy and a couple of times every year way back then. Insane. That’s what I was talkin’ about with the cellars underneath the houses. Did your friend have one of those?”
Ellie swallowed past the metallic tang of regret and icy air on her tongue. “Oh, um, yeah.” She had to start saying her name aloud. It’d be good, right? Like ripping off a Band-Aid. Maybe.
No. Losing Sasha was nothing short of an amputation.
“My friend… Sasha… her family had one of those. We used to hide there and in our treehouse in the park when we played manhunt with the neighborhood kids.”
The cramp Ellie thought had gone away came back as a steady throb. Okay, she was officially overdoing it. She slowed her pace and staggered off the track again to put her hands over her head and breathe through the pain.
“Manhunt?” Virginia slowed to stop with her, and her voice hit a funny pitch as she stretched her arms over her head.
“It’s where one person goes to hide and everyone else tries to find her. When they find her, they hide with her until there’s one person left. Like reverse hide-and-seek.”
“Oh my God! How fun! I woulda loved playin’ that as a kid!” Virginia clapped her hands rapidly.
Ellie blinked at Virginia’s enthusiasm, trying not to see Sasha in her place. When she opened her eyes again she only saw her roommate.
Right after she’d been rescued, Ellie could’ve sworn she saw Sasha everywhere. It was unnerving. Now Sasha’s voice was the only thing that stuck around. But seeing her friend was a natural association for her mind when Virginia was around. She was so like Sasha it was painful.
The two looked nothing alike, but their mannerisms were identical and it was hard not to compare them. The southern belle had big bottle-blonde hair Sasha would’ve totally sneered at growing up. That hair was a mean girl trademark at their high school. Thankfully, Ellie’s experience with Virginia had been the opposite, although Ellie hadn’t allowed herself to get too close. The idea of opening up to someone else scratched her insides raw.
“I was thinkin’…”
Oh boy.
Virginia always took on the light, airy lilt in her voice whenever she tried to convince Ellie to participate in some semblance of friendship. Ellie hated to keep her roommate at arm’s length, but she couldn’t help it. She wasn’t ready to make new friends. Sometimes she wondered if she’d ever be.
“I’m gonna go shoppin’ this weekend. I’d love for you to come with me.” There was a note of vulnerability in Virginia’s voice as she slowly asked her question.
Ellie winced. “I’m sorry, Virginia. I can’t. I have to… work. And I should probably study.”
Virginia groaned. “You never come out with me! Girl, ya need to live your college life or it’s gonna blow right past ya. Please, please, please come with.” Virginia’s bright blue eyes stared Ellie down, and her hands were up in a prayer stance. “I’ll get on my knees if I have to.”
Ellie rolled her eyes and snorted. “Good Lord, please don’t do that. Why do you want me to come with you so bad anyway? We barely even know each other.”
Virginia’s smile wiped from her face, like one of those Greek theater masks. “Ouch.”
Ellie’s cheeks grew hot and she shifted on her feet. “I mean… I don’t know. It’s… I mean it’s true, ya know?”
Virginia bit her lip before muttering, “Not for lack of tryin’.” Ellie opened her mouth to explain, but Virginia continued. “I know you don’t have any friends, unless they’re all at that secret job you’re failin’ out of school for.” She gave Ellie a pointed look and Ellie toed the ground. “I know you’re from here and you went through somethin’ real bad. I don’t know the deets ‘cause I want you to share with me when you’re ready. But, I’ve… heard rumors. And I know you lost your best friend.”
Tears pricked behind Ellie’s eyes and she breathed through her nose slowly in and out to clear the pain.
Virginia sighed. “Look, Ellie. I’m not tryna do anything but be friends with my roommate. Go shoppin’ with me, or don’t. I don’t wanna force someone to hang out with me.” She straightened her posture and turned to leave the track.
Ellie took a deep breath, raised her face to the chilly wind and closed her eyes. Virginia was right. All Ellie’s roommate had ever done was try to be friends with her, but wasn’t it still too soon? She couldn’t open up like that again. Not yet. Besides, she had so much on her plate, what with the survivors at Sasha Saves, school, therapy, and defense lessons with Jason. She barely had enough time to herself as it was.
Ellie watched Virginia’s back as she walked away, her shoulders slumping with each step away. Sasha’s voice rang in her mind.
“Go after her, dummy. She’s good for you.”
“Virginia, wait up!” Ellie called and jogged to catch her. “I’m sorry. It’s… complicated. I- I’m having trouble lately—”
Ellie’s phone vibrated in her leggings and she mumbled for Virginia to hold on before pulling it from her pocket and opening
Dev: Where are you and why are you not at BlackStone Securities yet?
A flash of panic shocked through her. She had no idea why he’d be demanding her to be at BlackStone, but it couldn’t be good. Normally she’d be there for self-defense training, but Jason canceled their lesson a couple of weeks ago due to Jules’s doctor appointment. A thought sent an icy burn down the sweat on her spine.
Is everything ok with Jules and the baby?
Virginia must’ve sensed the situation and waited in silence with Ellie. After a minute of no response, Ellie shoved her phone in her pocket and called over her shoulder as she ran toward the parking lot and Virginia’s pink Jeep Wrangler.
“Can you take me to BlackStone Securities? Something’s wrong.”
