This Can't Be Love 2

Chapter 10: Believable

Rebecca puts the phone down on the coffee table, then turns to look at Samantha.

"Something happened to Tim's ride."

"Nothing your dad's company can't fix, I'm sure."

"No... Something bad. I was just on the phone with him and it sounded horrible. I think I even heard a scream."

"What do you mean? Was he in an accident?"

"No. He wasn't in the car yet, he was... You know what, it doesn't matter. How the hell am I gonna get to the Joneses?"

"Taxi."

"Ewww! Mom! There's no way I'm letting my ass touch the seat of a cab! Gross!"

Samantha rolls her eyes and shakes her head. She then walks away fron Rebecca, waving her hand dismissively as she does. She walks to the basement access door and stops before going down.

"Don't be a spoiled rich girl, Becky. You hate spoiled rich girls, remember?"

"Not a spoiled rich girl, it's just that if the in only moving forward instead of rocking side to side, and I'm still sober, and have my clothes on, then it's just not worth it to be in a stranger's backseat."

Samantha shakes her head and shrugs her shoulders. Rebecca watches as Samantha takes the stairs into the basement. Rebecca chuckles and shakes her head. She eats a piece of fruit from her bowl and looks at the house phone while in deep thought. She scoffs and shakes her head again as she gets up from the couch.

Several moments later, a taxi cab pulls up in front of the Jones residence. The rear passenger door opens and out comes Rebecca. Her unbrushed, dry, black hair is blown by the gentle wind as she turns to hand the driver a tip. The driver looks at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, lady! What's this for?"

Rebecca scoffs with sarcastic shifty eyes.

"Uhh... Hello...? It's called a tip? As in 'thanks for not turning out to be batshit crazy and murdering me'? If anything, at least a bonus for the ride not being as bumpy and stinky as I expected..."

"Look, lady. I appreciate it and I will accept your tip but I have to tell you for future reference, you need to be more careful with how much cash you handle in public... First of all, as a cab driver, I don't expect tip. And secondly, the ride was only nineteen dollars. This wad you just handed me has got to be about a hundred, easy."

Rebecca looks around in embarrassment and tries to smile it off.

"I've never been in a cab before. So... I thought that seemed right. I mean, I can't give you just nineteen dollars, I don't know how long I'm gonna be in there."

The driver scoffs and pauses for a second. After a jerk of his neck, he raises his eyebrows and shakes his head.

"Okay, so... You want me to wait for you? Is that what you're saying?"

"Yeah. How the fuck am I gonna get back home if you don't?"

The driver looks at the roll of cash in his hand, then at his clock on the dash board and shrugs his shoulders.

"Alright. I can wait here."

Rebecca wrinkles her brow with a slight puckering of a frown.

"Am I... Missing something here?"

"It takes longer to explain than it's worth. Just go do what you have to do and I'll be here."

"Weirdo..."

Rebecca rolls her eyes and walks to the front door of the Joneses house. She stands at the front door and raises her hand to knock. Before her hand meets wood, the door suddenly opens. A straight-faced Isabelle Jones stands in front of her now, with a stiff stare that pierces Rebecca's eyes.