Secret Sister Signs

2016: Here We Go Again

Here I am, Toni silently upbraided herself as she shakily scrolled through her phone. Alone on the edge of the road in the middle of the freaking night, probably about to become either roadkill or the next Amber Alert, and the only person I can blame is my jackass self! Urgh! Life is a bitch with some serious balls, when it bites ya in the ass, it draws blood. She thought with a grim shake of her head.

Her hands were shaking so bad, she accidently clicked Luke's number instead of her sister's. "Shit," she hissed and was just about to hang up when she hesitated. Would he pick up? It had been weeks since she last heard his voice...of course the last time was when she bitch-slapped him. Yikes. She cringed and was just about to swipe off when it answered. "Luke?" She lifted the phone, genuinely stunned that he even bothered to answer her.

"Toni?" He instantly detected the startling desperation in her voice. "What the hell? Are ya al'ight?"

"Uh..." A car whizzed past her; she flinched as the high-beam lights glared into her eyes. She was briefly blinded, she felt panic explode in her chest. "No. I mean, yeah, I-I guess...I-I mean I'll probably die out here in the middle of no fucking where," she started hyperventilating. "But...but I-I-I'll be...be okay. Nice to...to hear your voice one last time."

"What?" Luke sounded shocked. "Toni, where the hell are -"

"I-I-I-I..." She suddenly started sputtering and slurring her words as she gushed, "IreallyfuckedupandIneverlistentoanyoneandI willprobablydieoutherelikeadamnidiotbecauseIneverlistentoanyonebutit'snooneelse's faultexceptmystupidownbecauseI'msuchamotherfuckingidiot!"

"Just...tell me where the hell you are," he calmly exhaled.

"Somewherebetweenexit20andMortonroadIthinkbutit'sdarkso Ican'tseeanythingreallybutthere'sthiswoodsthatlookslikeasericalkiller wouldhideandthenthere'sthismegacreepyfactoryoverhereand-"

"I know right where you're at, I'm on my way."

"Nononoyoudon'thavetoallIdoisfuckupIshoulddielikethis."

"Toni," she faintly heard his GT roar to life through the phone. "Just wait by the side of the fence off the road, I'll be there in five minutes, okay?"

"WaitwhatnolookI'mfineI'mnotyourprombleanymoreI'lljust callmysisterandBobwillbehereinasnapIshouldn'thaveevencalled," she forced herself to take a shaky breath and pulled away from the phone.

"Toni, wait, don't hang -"

She hung up and then hurried off the road, horribly humiliated, freaked the hell out, and was desperate for some form of warmth and protection. She heaved a bitter sigh, her eyes stung painfully from the tears she was fighting back, and her fingers were trembling as she clicked on her phone screen again. She couldn't even see the damn thing with her eyes so full of tears, she blinked and exactly as she feared, tears streamed down her face and a hideous sob escaped her. She bit her wobbling lip and forced herself to suck in a deep breath of cold air. But she really couldn't stop crying.

A few minutes later she startled when she heard the engine of a very familiar GT. She finally felt like she could breathe again, for like, the first time since forever. She even surprised herself when she felt a smile spring to her face, even despite the tears on her cheeks. I'm going to live to see another day!

She swiftly wiped her face and forced herself to take as many deep breathes as she could before the GT veered onto the shoulder and came to a sharp halt. "I'm okay," she called wobblily and hurried over. She hoped it was too dark for him to notice how hideous she probably looked with a flushed complexion and running makeup.

"Toni! Are you okay? What the hell are you doin' out here?" Luke demanded and swiftly caught her wrists, looking her over wildly with concern, she had never seen him look so freaked out before. His green eyes were huge.