Fast Car | Escapes #1

Chapter 15

Brayden nearly spat out his coffee. He began coughing as he roughly sat down the cup in his hand, the liquid sloshing around and threatening to spill out. I sighed. "Let me get this straight," he said when he was done being dramatic. "You have never been to a zoo or seen animals in person other than the ones we have around Rapid Falls?"

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "There's no zoo near there, and my family has never had any money to go anywhere. I could barely afford to take the bus to work."

He shook his head. "You surely could have made a trip to the zoo as a kid."

"We didn't have a car." My brow furrowed as I ran a finger around my cup of coffee. "That's kind of a requirement to go places without bus money. Which I also didn't have." I shook my head. Why did I need to explain myself to a rich kid? He was just going to pity me. 

At least, that's what I thought. When I looked up, there wasn't a trace of it on his face. Instead, all I saw was interest. Not a morbid curiosity - more like genuine care. My cheeks heated up under that look being directed at me. I dropped my gaze back to the steaming cup.

"I never thought there were people that didn't own a car. Growing up, it was kind of a given that everyone did."

"That's the difference between you and me." I scrounged up enough courage to look him in the eyes. "You grew up rich and privileged, while I grew up in the slums without knowing where my next meal was coming from or if I was even going to get it. Forget the luxury of having a car. It's an experience I wouldn't trade, but also one I don't wish on anyone."

He sat back and glanced out the window of the coffee shop he'd taken me to. "Still, it made you who you are, and I think you turned out pretty well." He glanced at me, color on his face, before picking up his cup and sipping from it.

My face heated up too, and I felt the need to hide behind my own mug. Did he just pay me a compliment? I wasn't sure since I hadn't really spent time around many guys. Did they all act like this? Or was it him being awkward?

Either way, it was almost cute. Not that I thought he was cute. I could admit that he was handsome, but he definitely wasn't boyfriend material. Not my boyfriend, anyway.

"I want to take you somewhere," he said abruptly, pulling me from my thoughts. 

"I hope it's free," I said, thinking about how much my single cup of coffee cost. Much more of them, and I wouldn't have any money for essentials. I couldn't afford anything else. Not if I wanted to be able to make it on my own until I found a job.

He gave me a small smile. "Usually you need a ticket, but this one is on me. I just want you to see the animals." 

"Okay, then." I took a sip of my drink. "When are we going?"

He looked at his watch. "They're open today, so I guess whenever you finish your coffee."

---

The place was huge.

I suppose I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was, given how large the city was, but still. It was much larger than any place I'd ever been to. More people than I had ever been near were milling around, grouping up around the animal enclosures, and chatting in a never ending buzz of voices. 

It was a little overwhelming, but it didn't seem to affect Brayden. He just smiled at my reactions. "What would you like to see first? There's a lot of animals. They probably have almost anything you can think of."

Anything? I could see anything? "All of them," I said, knowing I probably had stars in my eyes. 

He chuckled and motioned for me to follow him. "Why don't we start over here with the reptiles and then work our way around?" I nodded and started following him through the crowds. A few times we were nearly separated, so I reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt. He glanced at me over his shoulder. "Don't get lost. I'd never find you if you do." I tightened my grip.