Stripping For The Alpha King

Chapter 14

Once I was over a mile away from the strip club I let my foot ease off the gas ever so slightly. I couldn't drive so recklessly that I would get myself a ticket because that would only add to my stress. But I did have to get out of here and I had to do that with a level head.

I pulled up to the campus parking lot not much later. My hands were still shaking and I felt like I had a hard time catching my breath but my mind was already whirling away with a plan. I knew how to get out of here. I just had to make sure that Ajax didn't somehow manage to catch me between now and the time I left which seemed easy enough in theory. Unfortunately, he now had my best friend who seemed more than willing to work with him.

I strode into my dorm with purpose and intent while trying my best to not look too anxious. And the first thing I saw when I pushed open that door was that pathetic map that lived above my couch. I had seen so little of the world and a measly amount within my country. I had only been allowed to travel with my mother and Holly so I was severely limited. Now seemed like a great time to change that.

I darted into my bedroom, only pausing to glance out the window and make sure I didn't see Ajax or anyone who had been with him milling the grounds. When I saw that the coast was clear I grabbed the almost new duffle bag from my closet and piled clothing into it. I packed layers, hoodies, jackets, and pants. Nothing was matching or coordinated. I didn't care, I just made sure that I had enough socks and underwear to last me a week or two. Everything else could be bought as far as I was concerned.

I loaded my arms with all of the books and binders I could carry, slung my bag over my shoulder, then darted back to my car.

And once I was seated back inside my car with the doors locked and the engine running I called Holly. I didn't know what had come over her or why she had sided with Ajax but I couldn't abandon her completely. I dialed her number, hoping that she could be reasoned with now.

She picked up on the first ring.

"Keiko," she breathed, sounding relieved.

"Where are you? I'm coming to get you."

"I'm at the ice cream shop downtown. Why don't you come join us?" she asked. Now her voice sounded absurdly calm, like she was walking on rose petals. It only made me feel like I was falling apart more.

"Join you? Who are you with?" I demanded, but I felt like I already knew the answer.

"I'm with Ajax," she replied carefully. I could almost feel my blood running cold as she continued, "I know that you aren't his biggest fan right now, but you should come and spend some time with us. All of us. If you come and get some food with us and hang out for a while we can crash at your dorm and crash on the couch while watching horror movies."

"I'm calling the cops," I whispered, "They'll be there soon, okay?"

"Jesus, Keiko. I'm not a hostage here," Holly shot back. And she legitimately sounded angry with me. It was almost like I was being the unreasonable one. "I just think that you and Ajax need to talk before he leaves. There's so much that you don't understand and we can't have this conversation over the phone. Just com-"

"I'm leaving," I interjected. "I don't know what's happening with you or what you think you're going to achieve by siding with Ajax and his goons but I want nothing to do with it. I'm taking a few days away from campus."

"Keiko, please just come and talk."

"If my mom asks tell her I'm fine, but I will have my phone off for the majority of the time. We can talk about all this weird shit that you're going through when I get back. Right now, I just need some time to myself."

Holly called after me like I knew she would. I didn't understand why she had chosen to support Ajax and his potentially unlawful acts, but it was clear she couldn't be convinced otherwise. So I hung up and put the car into drive. Maybe she didn't want to be saved anymore but I needed to save myself.

And I drove for hours. For a while I didn't feel like the miles between me and Ajax weren't doing anything. My eyes kept flickering to my rearview mirror, waiting for someone to be following me, maybe the police. But it was absurd, I had done nothing wrong. The cops couldn't be called every time a young adult decided to go on a road trip. So, no matter how unlike me it was, it wasn't illegal.

And when I realized that I turned on the radio and started to sing along. I began noticing road signs and watched the scenery change around me. I had never driven this far away from Denver and it felt amazing to watch the world around me morph into something I had never seen before.

I pulled off the main highway to get gas after what felt like minutes, but must have been over an hour. Though I had tried to cover the sound of my phone ringing with loud music it hadn't worked as well as I would've liked. I briefly saw that I had over twenty missed calls but I didn't bother to look who they were from. Seeing how many times my mother had called me would only make me feel guilty. So I shut off my phone before tossing it on my passenger seat again.

And I didn't want to feel guilty right now. I didn't want to be worried about what was happening back in Denver right now. I just needed to give myself some time to straighten out my thoughts and piece together what had happened.

As I filled my gas tank I stared at the sign before me.

Just over two hundred kilometers to Albuquerque.

I didn't know what was in Albuquerque that would have any appeal to me at all, but it was suddenly the only place I wanted to be in.

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