Page 114 of Drifting

I tell her all about the Barbie Squad and my dealings with them. It’s going to suck when they come back to school.

“They sound like every other girl we’ve had trouble with,” Cin says with a sniff. “Now, tell me about this guy your mother married. If he’s anything like his son, it’s no wonder your mom wants to stay drug free.”

I chuckle and tell her how Peter carried me around the first day I arrived at his house. I also tell her all about his wife, how he’s realized the mistake he made pulling away from his kids, and how horrible Hannah’s become. “He’s the perfect guy for my mom. I’ve never seen her happier.”

“I’m glad she found someone,” Cin says. “And that she’s staying clean.”

“Did Uncle Brett ever say anything about their parents?” I ask, curious if she knows more than I do.

When she shakes her head, I repeat what Mom told me about their parents being strict church goers.

“Well, that explains why Dad never wanted to talk about them. Anytime Mom brought them up, it would turn into an argument.”

As Cin’s stomach growls, I stand. “I guess we better get some food into you.”

We head back to her room, order food, then watch a movie with the guys until it’s time to leave.

When we arrive back at the hotel, Nick says goodnight and heads off to his room.

Mav opens the door to our room, runs inside, and flops onto the bed.

I laugh as I walk in with Dom behind me, distracted as he looks at his phone, then swears.

Surprised by his serious expression, I ask, “What’s wrong?”

“We turned our phones off when we went into the hospital and never turned them back on until right now. You better call Cam and Luke.”

“Cam.” I grab the sides of my head with my hands. “Shit, I completely forgot about his race on Saturday.”

Damn, he’s going to be pissed at me for that. We just left, not telling them anything. Did they text me? Wait, where the hell is my phone? I pat my back-pocket. Shit, don’t tell me I lost it?

“It’s dead, remember? You left it in the SUV. You can use mine.” He holds out his phone. “Don’t worry about Cam. He’ll get over it. Luke is going to be a problem.”

I take his phone and cradle his cheek. “Thanks for watching out for me, Griz.”

He kisses my nose. “Anytime, Firefly.”

“I’m gonna step outside and call the guys.” I head out to the balcony and sit in one of the chairs, dialing Luke.

“It’s about time!” he snaps as soon as he picks up. “Tell me you have Shelby with you.”

“It’s me, Luke. I’m sorry I took off without saying anything. I’m at Cin’s.”

“I went over to pick you up for Cam’s race, and your mom looked shocked to see me. Then, she told me you left.”

“I’ll explain everything. Let me put you on hold to call Cam, so I only have to explain this once.”

“Fine,” Luke says, bitterness in his voice.

I call Cam.

“Is she all right?” Cam demands by way of answering.

“It’s me. Yes, everyone is fine. I’m so sorry, Cam. I’m at my cousin Cin’s house. I have Luke on the other line. I’ll conference you together in a minute. I’m so sorry. With everything that happened, I completely forgot about your race. I was looking forward to it, too. I’ll be at the next one.”

“I was so worried that something happened to you.”

“I’m going to bring Luke on and explain everything.” Pushing the buttons to merge the calls, I say, “Luke, you there?”

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