Flight (The Crescent Chronicles #1)

Chapter Sixteen

The monotony of the interstate helped calm my nerves enough for me to make a plan. I was going home and getting as far away from Levi as possible. There had to be some way to remove the ring. I wanted to believe that Hailey had made it all up, but I knew she hadn't. It all fit. Levi's nerves before he gave me the ring, his comment about needing to talk to me that night-he was probably going to drop the bomb about what he'd done. What I couldn't understand was why he would want to trap me. Sure, there was chemistry between us, but we had only known each other a few months. It didn't make any sense.

I called Mom, dialing my house number with absolutely no idea what I was going to tell her. After three rings I expected the machine to pick up, but instead an unfamiliar male voice said "Hello?"

"Hi." I wondered if I had hit the wrong contact on my phone. "Is Diane there?"

"Allie?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, it's Andrew."

"Andrew Thomas? What are you doing at my house?" I asked, completely taken aback that one of my least favorite acquaintances from high school was answering my home phone.

"Didn't your mom tell you about her and my dad?"

"She said they were dating, but why are you there?" I repeated, getting frustrated.

"We're staying here while we redo the kitchen at our house."

"Oh... I didn't know."

"Yeah, my dad says he'd never be able to sell it without some upgrades."

"Sell it?" I asked fearful of the response I would get.

"Your mom really didn't mention it? My dad's probably moving in with your mom once we leave for school in the fall."

"No. I guess she forgot to mention that," I said angrily. And my mom got mad at me for not telling her about Levi? What else was she keeping from me?

"Geez, that must be weird. But on a good note, we'll get to hang out on breaks and I think our parents are planning a cool vacation for winter break for all of us."

"Seriously?"

"Yup. Cool, right?"

Nothing about it sounded cool.

He continued. "By the way, you have an awesome DVD collection in your room."

"You've been in my room?"

"Yeah... it's not a big deal, right?"

"I've got to go." I hung up without waiting for his response. I felt sick. The thought of going home no longer appealed. Andrew was a total jerk most of the time, and never stopped bothering me. I considered where else I could go.

My mind clouded with dark thoughts, and I needed a distraction. I needed ice cream. Not just any ice cream, I needed a hot fudge sundae. There was nothing like it to help drown your sorrows. Of course, the craving hit me just after passing Chattanooga and miles from Knoxville.

As I drove through the middle of nowhere, scanning every sign advertising food, I was almost able to forget about the stupid ring. I flipped through the channels on the radio, frustrated by every song that came on. Who would have thought it was possible for so many songs to be about taking it slow? After giving up on the radio, I saw a sign for Dairy Queen. Even though it was half a mile from the exit, I couldn't pass it up.

Pulling into a spot in the nearly empty lot, I took a deep breath and tried to focus on the task at hand. Find a bathroom, get some ice cream, and get as far from New Orleans and Levi as possible.