Midnight Rules are Breaking

Leave it All to Me

The only sound in the fluorescent-lit conference room was the scratching of Rey's pen and her internal screaming of what the fuck am I signing? That was if you took out the incessant whistling of her realtor's nose as she breathed on and on in a way Rey could only describe as looming.

She could have sworn she passed the 'words in context' portion of the SAT with flying colors, and yet here she was, completely and utterly stumped by yet another paragraph of pointless words. Luke had called her before she left the apartment that morning, joking about how after today she would be taking a step up in the world, his voice playful in that familiar way of his that made her roll her eyes out of habit. He had said she wouldn't know half of what she was signing, and now Rey knew he wasn't, in fact, joking.

There was no hope in keeping count of how many times her eyes glazed over while reading the endless papers—she half wondered if there was a point in reading all of the words—but kept up the tireless efforts in fear that she'd miss something that was important, or get scammed into something she could have avoided.

The pen scratched the final 'n' of Anderson and Rey placed the sheet on top of her newly formed stack before sitting back in her chair and stretching for what felt like the first time in weeks. There was a snap-crackle-pop that reverberated down her spine.

Since when did I turn into a bowl of freshly milked Rice Krispies?

"That's it! If you'll follow me I can give you the keys and then you can be on your way." It was all Rey could do to keep from exhaling a big sigh of relief at the fact she might actually be done. Ms. Nosewhistle—who you'd think Rey would remember after so many phone calls—led her down a hall before turning into an office labeled 'Peterson'.

Ms. Peterson, that's right.

A few of the papers were pushed hastily into a folder and set aside. Karen Peterson opened a drawer and pulled out Rey's own personal pot of gold. The silver key was cold when it pressed into her hand, a welcome feeling that blissfully contrasted with the sweat that formed on her palms over the last... however many hours.

Once Rey finally looked up, she noticed the question in Karen's eyes, the subtle pause when waiting to accept a thank you. Rey was too focused at the weight of the key, what it meant, that she only muttered rushed gratitude before heading out the door, promising she'd keep in touch. She'd send her a thank you card later.

It wasn't until she got in her car that she checked the time, realizing that she only had five minutes until she needed to meet Ben. She rushed out of the parking lot, motorcycle purring beneath her, and headed to her new home.

Giddy excitement coursed through her veins, a special feeling of freedom. It was like when she drove by herself for the first time, or when Rey finally left Plutt with a holler and scream as she tore off down his street and away from his dreaded house.

Ben was standing on the—her—cracked driveway by the time she pulled in, casually leaning against an older red jeep wrangler. She guessed it to be early 2000s. It was the same car he had owned when she met him.

He flipped through something on his phone and only looked up at her when she was practically parked on top of him. Rey decidedly theorized he was too immersed in candy crush to notice her presence and internally chuckled at the illegitimacy of that proposed idea. No, it was more likely that Ben was speed reading a book of modern philosophy, or even better, a BuzzFeed article titled fifty witty remarks to respond with depending on your situation.

Rey was surprised to see him regard her with more than a glance as she hopped off her bike. His shoulders were set as he stuck his phone in the pocket of his leather jacket. Rey removed her helmet and bent over to throw her hair into a bun, sure he would comment on her late arrival and how she forced him to wait out in the cold. Instead, once she stood back up he just looked at her and said, "I didn't know you had a bike."