Elliott Miller is your average 23 year-old, only with a lost father and a resentful mother. When he goes back to his hometown to make amends, he inadvertently gets dragged into the activities of an illicit criminal group.
Enter Marcel Nixon, 25, wh...
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"Oww! What was that for?"
I glared at Viv who just threw another pillow at me.
"You should be grateful that I'm here to pick up after you. It's been over a week now, I wanna do something fun."
-----
Let me provide some context.
The night after I heard Marcel's conversation, everything inside me fractured. I knew I couldn't stay. I needed time and space to process everything. For a moment, I imagined confronting him, but quickly came to the conclusion that it would be pointless. He'd already made his choice.
So instead, I grabbed a bag with all of my belongings and stuffed some clothes in, making sure the coast was clear before sneaking out. I slipped outside through the hidden passageway I'd stumbled upon weeks earlier- a narrow utility corridor that bypassed the security system entirely. I doubt it was ever meant for me to discover, but luck had worked in my favor for once.
Then it dawned on me.
I couldn't go back to my apartment because Marcel knew where I lived and would most definitely come and find me. Even if he'd forgotten, all the records were readily available with Mr. Grey.
I felt trapped. Going to a hotel was not really a long-term option, but neither was a relative's house (considering my lack of them). At that moment, I wished I could just press an 'undo' button to make my life go back to how it was before.
Just when I close to the point of breaking out into tears, my phone rang. I looked at the caller's ID and almost jumped for joy when I saw Vivien's name pop up. There was my silver lining amongst this dark cloud of a situation.
"Hey! Did you get my text? I've booked you on for this weekend with..."
"Can you pick me up?"
I heard her gasp of surprise at my evidently hoarse voice.
"El! What's going on? Are you okay?"
"I'll explain later. I just need you now."
"Okay, I'm coming. Just text me your location and I'll be there."
Vivien arrived in record time, her car screeching to a halt in front of the dingy alley where I had taken refuge. She leaped out of the driver's seat, her eyes wide with concern.
I stumbled towards the car ,practically falling into the passenger seat. The instant the door closed, Vivien hit the gas, and we sped away from the alley. I could hear the worry in her voice as she glanced over at me.
"You look like you've seen a ghost. What happened?"
I explained what happened in faint mumbles, but I figured she got the gist of it. She was quiet the whole time, and I could see her fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly, so much so that her knuckles were white. I knew that she only did that either when she was really excited or livid. Judging by the frown on her face, it was definitely the latter.
