Together We Fall

Chapter 44

Chapter Forty Four

After Trace dropped me off last night I had trouble sleeping. Thoughts of the previous hours kept flooding my mind.

I wasn't able to clear the memory of Trace running to me, racing against the car, or the shouting I heard in the background. He was so worried about me and I stood there like an idiot, nearly getting us both killed.

He risked everything for me last night and all I could do was stand frozen and wait for him to save me. Trace almost got hit by a car and all I had to do was jump out of the way to protect us both but I wasn't able to do that.

I've never felt so helpless before in my life. My mind was screaming at me, shouting for me to move and get out of the vehicles path but my feet weren't capable. They were stuck to the concrete, and all I could do was stare as the car got closer.

If not for Trace then I'd probably be dead right now, or at least in the hospital suffering from a broken... everything.

He saved my life.

I'm brought out of my thoughts by a knock on my door.

I get up from the couch to see who's come to visit me.

When I open the door I'm met with a concerned Trace.

"Hey," he tells me with a small smile, "I just came by to check up on you. How's your hip?"

"Still hurts," I reply with a joking smile so he can loosen up a little bit.

"I've been thinking about a few things from last night and not everything adds up. Have you eaten lunch yet?"

I'm glad I'm not the only one obsessing over last nights events.

"Nope," I tell him and grab my jacket as we head out to his truck.

The rusty door creaks shut and I fasten my seatbelt, "Where are we going?"

He shrugs, "I owe you a trip to McDonald's."

Surprisingly enough I forgot about how he promised to take me there after standing up to Beatrice for me; I'm glad he remembered. Free food is a bonus when it comes with him.

The drive there is quiet as he stays in deep thought. I want to break the silence by saying something goofy or asking a stupid question, but I decide against it and just let him continue his thoughts.

We pull into the parking lot and get out. The restaurant doesn't have very many people in it since it's on my side of town where nobody seems to go.

We walk up to the counter and he orders for the both of us. I'm surprised with how well he knows my order.

"You even remembered the extra pickles." I tell him with a proud grin and he gives me a lazy smile before rolling his eyes.

We grab our cups and head to the drink machine. We take turns getting water and I pick a table next to the window.

This way we can have the warm sunshine keeping us from getting too cold while we eat.

Trace sits down across from me with our tray of food and I immediately grab at my cheeseburger.

"What doesn't add up from last night?" I ask him, getting straight to the point so I'll be able to talk and it might make me eat a little slower.

For some reason I just eat really fast. It can be a giant meal that took me two hours to prepare, but it'll take me three minutes to devour it. That's a quality about myself that I don't like. Not because I find it gross or unappealing but because my food is gone before I have the proper chance to enjoy it.