Coffee {Jaya AU}

Chapter 17

***This will be the longest and funniest chapter in this book. It's 4,800 words XDDD

Also, I don't own Celine Dion, Coca-Cola, "Mean Girls", or Little Women. As I've said before, if I had rights to anything famous like that, I probably wouldn't sell sandwiches to pay my college bills.

Also, I have a vague idea of how 911 calls sound, but I am CLUELESS when it comes to calls to a missing persons hotline LOL So this won't be entirely accurate.

And if you ever need to use a payphone to call a cab, just remember to dial 0. That'll direct you to the automated operator.***

***(Jay's POV)***

Nya's urgent eyes haunt my mind as I stand stock-still in the parking lot, receipt slipping from my grasp and blowing away with the wind.

Did she just...drive off and leave me?

But why? She told me she was going to trust my plan! She was beginning to trust me! And...we were going to kiss, right? Or was that all in my head?

It would've been hard to imagine the whole thing, right? I mean, she's kissed before, and I've kissed before, so we know what an almost-kiss looks like. She could've pulled away – I gave her plenty of opportunity.

Oh my gosh. I hate my stupid brain that overthinks everything. I was only kidding myself to think that she could like me, after all that I put her through. I pretended we had kids. The only reason she trusted me is that I could help her get her criminal charges acquitted. When I was about to kiss her in the car, she freaked out and bolted. That's the most logical explanation, right?

But that look she gave me – the urgency in her eyes was real. It wasn't distaste for me or anything, it was...fear? Of me? Of something else?

I sigh, knowing full well I have no ride out of here. I also know that Nya needs me if she's going to go after the police chief. Well, maybe she doesn't need me, but I'm not about to let her confront him alone. Whether Nya wants to admit it or not, he's dangerous and could very well pull a gun on her at any second. A guy who threatens to slap her with charges of murder won't be scared to murder her, himself.

I hope she didn't chicken out and decide not to confront him. But then, Nya doesn't seem like the type to just 'chicken out' – the only reason she didn't come to the authorities with the truth earlier is that she didn't have sufficient evidence against the police chief.

I guess I need to find a payphone and call a cab. I'll have to somehow get to Ignacia, then find the police chief's house with a phonebook or something.

My hands clench into fists. Dang it! Nya will have already arrived at the police chief's house by then! And...if she's alone...

But she only has enough gas to take her another five miles. If she runs out, I'll catch up to her in no time.

I guess there's nothing I can do besides search the parking lot for quarters and use the payphone just outside the convenience store. It's not like I can use anybody's cell phone – the only other person around is the guy at the counter inside, and he doesn't have a cell phone. He told me his entire life story when I just wanted to pay for some gasoline and informed me that he could no longer afford a cell phone after his divorced wife took half his assets. These 'assets' consisted of a bra worn by famous singer Celine Dion and a signed copy of Little Women.

He's the reason why it took me an extra five hours – I'm only slightly exaggerating – to come back out of the convenience store. Maybe Nya wouldn't have left without me, if it weren't for him.