Runaways by Nicole Dykes
Jesus Christ. I can’t get the image of that asshole on top of Rae out of my head. Why wasn’t I there earlier? It’s not like I had anything better to do. I should have been early.
Rae’s hand grasps my wrist tentatively, and I realize I’m gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles are white. “It’s okay.”
I turn onto my street but can’t look at her. “It’s not okay.” Her hand falls to her lap, and I park in the drive at my house. I turn to look at her, hating the sight of the bruise on her cheek. It’s the size of a fist. “I’m so sorry, Rae.”
She looks stunned as she looks into my eyes. “Why? You saved me.”
“He hit you. He . . .” Anger strangles me, and I can’t get any more words out.
“No. He didn’t do anything. You were there in time. I’m okay.”
I gently brush my hand over her cheek, but it still makes her wince in pain and pull away. “You’re never going back to that house.”
She doesn’t hesitate to nod in agreement as we climb out and go inside where, of course, Nash is in the living room talking to my mother, who not surprisingly looks out of it. He rushes up from the couch and over to us, his eyes on Rae. “What happened?”
I want to say so many things to him. I want to direct my anger at him, but it won’t help. “He fucking attacked her.”
Nash’s eyes roam over her, and it’s the first time I’m seeing her in the light. Her cheek is already swollen and bruised. Her dress is ripped. Her arms have bruises all over them. I feel like I’m going to be sick.
“Jesus, baby. Your friend fuck the wrong guy?” My fists clench at my sides to keep me from strangling my mother.
“She didn’t fuck anyone.” I turn to Nash. “We have to leave.”
His eyes darken. “And go where?”
I head toward my bedroom, holding Rae’s hand and pulling her with me. I’m not letting her go. “Anywhere but here.”
Nash follows us as I grab a bag out of my closet and start to pack some of my shit. “No. Fuck that. You’re seventeen. You aren’t going anywhere.”
“I’m not staying here, and neither is she.” I stop packing for a minute, seeing Rae is in a daze. I pull my hoodie off and hand it to her. She looks at me for a moment, still barely there, before pulling it on over her head. I gently place my hands on her shoulders and urge her to sit on the edge of my bed, which she does.
I look back over at Nash, who’s clearly pissed. But I’m through listening to him.
“We’re leaving.”
“You have the rest of your junior year and your senior year left. Then you can go to college.”
“She’s not staying here for another year and a half. I should have gotten her out a long time ago.”
She looks pained but doesn’t say anything. Nash looks sympathetic but pissed, as usual. “Law, you can’t do this. You have a future.”
“Not anymore.” I look at my swollen knuckles, wishing I’d have kept going and pummeled the shit out of that fucker. “I can’t stay. They’re going to report Rae missing soon, if they haven’t already. They’re going to pin it on me.”
“Goddammit, Lawson.”
Rae’s voice is quiet as she speaks up for the first time. “I’m sorry, Nash. I’ll tell them he didn’t do anything, but Colin knows everyone here. They’ll bury him.”
I turn back to Nash, not concerned about me, but I know he is. “We’re leaving. I can’t protect her from prison.”
Nash runs his fingers through his hair, pacing around my room like a lunatic. I finish packing before swinging the bag over my shoulder and grabbing Rae’s hand to lead her out.
“Wait.”
I turn to him just as we reach the threshold of my room. “What?”
“I have somewhere I can take you guys tonight to lay low. You at least need time to plan.”
I turn to Rae, who gives a subtle nod, and we agree. After grabbing her bag, he drives us, leaving my truck behind. When we reach the outside of town and start driving on country roads, I start to wonder where the hell we’re going. Soon, we’re at the lake I haven’t been to since we were kids, where Nash and I would go swimming with friends.
“What are we doing out here?”
“I told you I had somewhere you can go.”
“At the lake?”
He pulls into the driveway of a bigass, extremely nice lake house and parks his truck. “Yeah.”
We climb out, and I carry both our bags to the front porch. Nash leaves us for a moment before coming back with a key and unlocking the house. I stare at him wide-eyed, but because this is Nash, there’s no explanation as he lets us into the huge home.
I look around as he turns the lights on. “Are we committing a felony right now?”
He eyes me, one eyebrow lifted. “As if that’s a problem.”
I grin, and he shakes his head. “No. You guys can stay here tonight. It’s okay. I’ll come back tomorrow. Get some sleep.”
Yeah, right.
I walk with him to the door as Rae takes a seat in the large living room, still in a daze. His eyes slide over to her cautiously and then back to me. “You sure you don’t want to take her to the hospital? Her cheek looks pretty gnarly.”
“She won’t go.” I already know she won’t.
He nods, probably knowing that too. “I doubt there’s anything in the fridge, but they usually have a stocked pantry.”
“Who is they?”
He gives a quick shake of his head. “Not happening.”
Nash and his secrets. “Thank you.”
He gives me a clipped nod, patting my shoulder before leaving. I walk over and sit next to Rae. I don’t know what to say to her. I hate what happened to her, and the guilt of letting it happen is eating me alive.
When she places her head on my shoulder, I opt for not saying anything.
We’ll be okay. I’ll make sure of it.
