A Walk in Your Shoes

CHAPTER 19

My mind won't shut off. Sleep is not in my near future. Every time I close my eyes visions of the fight plague me. It hurts watching it over and over, but my mind likes to torture me with everything bad in my life. My restlessness has led to scrolling endlessly on social media, even though the same posts come up over and over, because no one is on this early in the morning. The fight and my famous fall has already gone viral.

Not sleeping also means that the box of letters to my mom is out on the bed. I've googled the address more times than I can count. She's not far from us, only a two and a half hour drive north. I've spent many sleepless nights before I had a car staring at bus tickets. Now that I have a car it takes everything in me not to jump up and drive over there. With the latest scandal the urge to find her has increased. I want to know her story too.

I'm pulled from my thoughts by a text.

Flint: Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair...

The tension in my body melts into a puddle of nothing. What Dom said to me in the car tonight hit me, and now I have to make the ultimate decision. Should I bring this new friendship to the surface or keep it hidden and risk losing something that could be kind of great?

Me: Why are you awake?

The three dots make my heart race with a desire I didn't realize was festering inside me.

Flint: Can't stop thinking about what happened. Are you okay?

That's the big question of the night. Am I okay? No. Will I be? Of course. Time heals all wounds, doesn't it?

Me: Yeah... no... maybe?

Flint: Why is your light still on?

I fly out of bed and pad over to my window that overlooks the driveway. I pull aside the white sheer curtains and peek down. Sure enough Flint's car is out on the street. The tiny gymnasts in my belly start tumbling around again, it's hard to ignore. I lean back, pinning the curtain, then go back to typing a message.

Me: Are you stalking me?

I can't help that I have a smile on my face.

Flint: I was driving around the Heights to clear my head. Your house is on my way to the bridge.

I type back right away.

Me: I can't sleep.

Flint: Wanna go for a drive?

There are so many reasons I shouldn't go on a drive with Flint Rogers, but there's also a lot of reasons I should. The endless possibilities of what could happen make my heart hammer harder inside my chest. It's like he's some thrilling adventure that I can't stay away from.

I don't bother to change out of my sweatpants, and an old tee. I do throw on a bra just for safe measures, and top it off with an old grey Brooke Wood High hoodie, then slip into my converses. The thought of shoes brings me back to the assignment that changed everything between us. This entire time even when I thought he hated me, I never had to pretend to be someone different. He was okay with the girl I was hiding. I love that about him.

I slip out the front door and set the alarm before jetting outside. Flint is leaning against the passenger side of his car, arms crossed at his chest. His appearance takes my breath away and I have to take a moment to collect myself before moving forward. I stop inches away and reach up to touch his swollen face. He doesn't wince or pull back, but releases a shaky uneven breath.

"I expected to come out here and find you carrying a boombox over your shoulder," I joke.

He smiles, like he gets my old-school movie reference, then leans into my touch. Snapping out of it I pull away. I need to get my heart under control before I do things like that.