The Blackout Girl ✔️

chapter twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-Four

"You don't have to go back."

Lex looked up at Cal and gave him a sad smile. It was the sort of smile that held an apology, even if one wasn't going to be said aloud.

The weekend had come and gone. There were beers passed around, cups of coffee poured, and endless dances around all things Quinton. Lexi didn't want to talk about it, not if she could help it. After the night she first arrived, there was an unspoken agreement not to bring it up. Both of them wanted to keep things peaceful, and so they avoided the obvious elephant in the room.

"My mom is worried," Lexi said. "I told her where I was, but she's getting antsy. I can't stay away forever. It's my home."

"You shouldn't force yourself to face it. Not if you aren't ready."

She took a breath. "I won't ever be ready, but I have to try to be."

Cal nodded. "Okay, I can accept that. Do you need a ride?"

"Could you give me one?" she asked. "It would save me twenty bucks."

"No problem. Q would kick my ass if I let you take a cab home," he replied.

"Definitely. And then he'd lecture me. He doesn't like Uber." She caught herself after she said it, realizing she'd referred to Quinton in the present tense. He wasn't alive anymore. She would have to adjust herself to that.

"He didn't like Uber," she corrected herself.

Cal didn't miss a beat. "He was probably onto something. Maybe Uber is dangerous and we just haven't figured it out yet."

"Sounds like a conspiracy," she said.

"It is. I could write about it on Wikipedia or something."

She tried to keep up the good mood all through the morning. In the car, they listened to one of Quinton's favorite stations. Neither of them acknowledged the familiar music, even though it was hard to miss.

Lexi rested her head against the window, watching the landscape rush by in a blur. She knew he was speeding, and she wanted to ask him to slow down. If she could, she would draw out the moments before she entered her neighborhood. It was inevitable, but she wanted to delay it. Lexi wasn't as brave as she pretended to be.

Her stomach was churning, and she had half a mind to tell Cal to turn around and forget about it.

He pulled into her driveway after half an hour and shifted the car into park.

She faced him, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

"I think this is your stop," he said quietly.

"It is," she whispered.

"Want me to walk you to the door?"

She shook her head. "I can do this."

"Alright," he said. "Well, call me if you need anything. You have my number, right?"

"Yeah," she replied, waving her phone for emphasis. "I've had it forever."

"Good to know."

She reached over and gave him a final hug. "Thanks, Cal."

"Anytime," he said, squeezing her waist before he let go.

She unlocked the door with surprisingly steady hands. Cal backed out of the driveway, but he finally drove away when she was safely inside. Pointedly, she avoided facing the living room. Instead, she made a beeline for the kitchen.