Strip

Chapter 42

Chapter 42

The feeling was short lived. It became clear quickly, that while pole dancing was great for leg strength, my arms could've used some work. I shifted James in my arms, feeling like needles were piercing my biceps.

"Can you hurry up?" Emma hissed at me. She and Abby were about 5 steps ahead of me. I clenched my jaw, and continued. James wasn't fully awake, but he wasn't asleep either. His head rolled around on my shoulder, his slurred words muffled.

It took a few more minutes of waiting before we reached the spot where we were supposed to meet our ride. It was a small park, nothing more than a metal slide, a metal swing set, and completed with a carpet of sparse grass. I sat down on the edge of the slide, and cradled James in my arms. Emma sat on one of the swings. Abby stayed standing, pacing back and forth, muttering something under her breath.

We waited 5 minutes.

Then 10.

20 had passed when Abby lost it.

"Where is she, Emma?" She yelled.

Emma jumped up from the swing. "Shut up!" She said. But she wasn't being any quieter.

I held James against my shoulder, praying he wouldn't wake up.

"She's coming!" Emma insisted.

Abby crossed her arms. "Really?"

Emma narrowed her eyes.

"Maybe you should call her?" I suggested, my voice just above a whisper.

Emma's glare was now aimed at me, but she pulled her phone out of her back pocket anyway.

"Where are you?" I heard her hiss into the phone. "No... No, it's tonight! Oh my god, we wen't over this a million times!"

I felt my stomach melt into my toes. As Emma continued to talk into her phone, it became clear that we weren't getting picked up.

"Fine!" Emma yelled, and threw her phone down into the grass. She let out some sort of mangled scream, and collapsed onto the ground, gripping her hair between her fingers.

"I knew it," Abby muttered.

"Should we go back?" I asked, starting to stand.

"No," Emma said. "There is no way we are going back there."

"What other choices do we have?" Abby asked, looking down at Emma.

"We have to get to my cousin," Emma said. "She'll help us, ok?"

"I think it's been made pretty clear that she isn't the most reliable."

"She will help us!" Emma repeated. "We just have to find a way to get there."

"Is there a bus?" I suggested.

"That'll take too much money," Abby said. "We don't have much."

I hugged James closer as an idea started to take shape in my mind. "I uh... I might actually know someone who could take us."

Emma's eyes shot up to me, full of desperation. I swallowed, and took a small step back. "They might not be able to come and get us though."

"It's better than nothing," Abby said, crossing her arms.

I carefully placed James down on the slide, I started rummaging through my bag. After a minute, I pulled out my phone, and started scrolling through my contacts.

"Well?" Abby asked.

I took a deep breath and pressed the call button. "They might not pick up," I warned, as I put my phone to my ear.