Cold Hearted

Chapter Eleven

The wind curled around my body as Everett and I stepped out of my car. The snow from yesterday still decorated the ground, a fresh layer being added last night.

I looked up at the Starbucks in front of us, and then looked to Everett. He looked grim.

Maybe Gabby is right about him being the Grim Reaper.

"Welcome to Starbucks!" a peppy barista shouted across the cafe to us as we entered. Everett and I stepped up to the counter. He didn't order anything.

Once I got my coffee, we found a table towards the back, and began to settle in.

"So, what do you want to know first?" he asked.

His eyes tore a hole right through me. There was no doubt in my mind that he could see my soul. I was speechless for a moment due to his intense glare.

"Um, well, whatever you're comfortable with sharing," I said. I took a sip of my coffee and calmed myself down.

At this, Everett shut down. He stopped looking at me and instead looked at the table. He grew silent, and almost motionless. I couldn't even tell if he was blinking.

I took another sip of my coffee and then waited.

Nothing happened.

Another sip.

Nothing.

"Everett?" I asked, finding my own voice startling. The world around us was gone.

"I got my scar in a car accident," he said slowly. "They thought it was a spinal cord injury and that I'd be paralyzed. I woke up four days later perfectly fine other than the fact I have a couple metal rods in my back."

"Oh," was all I managed.

It was silent again.

I took another sip, and Everett met my gaze.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this. I can't tell you the rest," he whispered. I nodded, and we got up to leave.

The first thing I saw when we walked outside was a tow truck hooking up to my car.

"Hey! Wait!" I shouted, running towards the man.

He looked at me and simply pointed to the red curb.

"But I was only in there a couple minutes! You really think I'd be causing a problem for a couple minutes? There was no fire!" I began shouting.

The man simply told me I had to wait for my mom to call so I could get my car back.

"But it's my car!" I shouted.

"Emma," Everett said, putting a hand on my shoulder, "let's just go."

The policeman who was with the tow truck guy handed me a ticket, and then both of them drove off.

"Well this is fucking great," I said, stuffing the ticket into my coat pocket.

Just then, my cell phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked the person on the other line. I didn't bother to even check my caller ID.

"Hey Emma, it's Mom. Listen, I'm in Australia. Do you think you could go feed Lilly?" she asked.

"Yep, bye," I said and hung up.

It was then, that I lost all control. I threw my phone into the icy road before me and it clattered against the asphalt. Everett gasped but did nothing. I shouted at the space in front of me, not really directing it at anything in particular. I wanted to flatten cities.

"Emma?" his voice came from behind me. He was so quiet that I almost didn't hear him.

"What?" I snapped.

"I'm gonna get your phone, and then let's go home, okay?" Everett asked. Right now, he was the furthest thing from the Grim Reaper.

"Sure," I said, and began my trek forward without him.

--

"I'm so stupid," I said, staring at my cat happily eating her food. She hadn't eaten in days, all thanks to my neglectful mother.

"You're not stupid, Emma. I won't tell you again," Everett said, sitting at my counter with me.

"My mom called me and I just hung up on her. Now she won't answer my calls. I can't get my car back," I said quietly. I couldn't look anywhere besides the cat food bowl.

"That doesn't make you stupid. You can use my car," he said.

"Your mom needs that for work, Everett," I sighed, finally dragging my gaze away from Lilly to put my head on the counter. The cold granite pressed into my forehead.

"No, I meant my car. It's in my garage," he said slowly. I sat up.

"You have a car? How come you walk everywhere?" I asked.

"Well there was that last time I showed up at your work drunk. But I took my mom's car," he said sheepishly. His hand went to the back of his head, and he looked around my house.

"Well let's go see it!" I exclaimed, jumping up and moving to my front door.

Everett wordlessly followed me, his presence suddenly colder.

--

"There she is," he said, half-heartedly waving his hand at the hunk of metal before me.

"Everett, that's not a car. That's... I don't know what that is," I said, holding in a laugh. The white truck was close to falling apart. I thought I could spot a zip tie holding something together underneath it.

"Hey, it's either this or walking to work in the snow," Everett laughed. His voice was now cheerier than before.

"Fine, I'll use it. Does it even run?" I asked, peering inside the cab. It was just one seat across with no center console.

"Of course it runs. I wouldn't offer it to you if it didn't," he said, grabbing a set of keys off the wall next to his garage door. He placed them in my hand and I almost cringed at how dusty they felt.

"Is this the car you got into an accident with?" I asked.

"No, stop asking questions and get in. You're driving me to the store. I need to pick up more milk and coffee grounds for my mom," he ordered. I rolled my eyes at him and made my way to the driver's side door.

I climbed into the truck, literally. Once I was situated, I looked over to the passenger side door where Everett was still standing. The door was open, and he was staring at the seat in front of him.

I almost said something, before deciding against it. I stuck the key in the ignition and started the car. Everett jumped when the truck roared to life, and looked up at me.

I raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"So I'm a little jumpy in this thing. I haven't been in it since before the... thing," he said, suddenly seeming defensive.

"Don't worry, I won't crash," I smiled at him. He didn't seem to get the joke.

Author's Note:

Wow so this story is more popular than I thought it would be. School started up again so naturally I'm very busy. I do try to write as often as possible but I edit before I get the chapters out. I'm so sorry for the wait. I'm also sorry for how short this chapter is.

I know it may seem like the story is going no where, but trust me, Emma and Everett have a lot more to go through.

I am also working on another book that is titled When the Tide Rolls In and so I'm splitting my time between the two. I am only publishing one at a time, so Cold Hearted will be completed before I publish anything else.

Thank you so much and please comment and vote to let me know how you feel!