Page 42 of The Proximity Factor

“There’s this gaming expo in Atlanta next weekend. It’s a big deal in the industry.”

“Yeah, I know. I might’ve kinda sorta snooped on his ex-wife and old company,” I admitted. “I know they’ll have a big presence there.”

“Don’t even get me going on that hoity-toity witch and her jerk of a husband. Anyway, a few companies dropped out last minute and the organizers are offering Parker a booth.”

“That’s great. I always thought he should go.”

“It’s great, except the booth costs a lot of money. And my idiot brother, whom I love more than anything, won’t use what he already has saved up for my tuition money to pay for it. He doesn’t have any other options right now, so he’s going to sell his car,” she cried.

“Oh. I’m sorry. I know how much you wanted to avoid that.”

“I know it’s just a car, but, Lanie, he loves that car. He’s had to give up everything else. It just doesn’t seem right for him to give that up too. Not only that, but he’s also talking like if this doesn’t work, he’s going to give up Ruptured Worlds and get a proper job. He says it’s time he stopped being a loser and faced reality. He’s not a loser. His ex-wife and piece-of-garbage ex-best friend are the losers,” she spewed out. “Please, Lanie, you have to stop him from selling that car.”

“Me?” I spluttered. “How can I stop him?”

“I don’t know. I would drive there and do it myself, but there isn’t any time, and he’s not listening to me over the phone.”

“I’m surprised he even told you.”

“I’m not. I made him promise me he would tell me before he sold it. He always keeps his promises to me.” She wailed. “It’s why he can’t sell that car. He’s given up so much for me. And he’ll be miserable working a corporate job. He deserves his dream, even if he thinks he needs new dreams. Please, Lanie,” she begged. “Please, stop him before he makes a huge mistake.”

I felt the weight of the world fall on me. But how could I tell her no? Besides, I didn’t want Parker to give up his dreams either. “Okay,” I breathed out. “I’ll do my best. But please know, it probably won’t work.”

“I believe in you.”

I swallowed hard. This was going to take more than belief. It was going to take a freaking miracle.

I SEARCHED FOR MY CAR title in my lockbox while mentally going through everything I had to do over the next nine days. I couldn’t believe a spot had opened up at the gaming expo. Not sure if this was life laughing in my face or if I was getting one last shot to make Ruptured Worlds work before making my move to the corporate arena. But I needed to move quickly. I only had until tomorrow morning to pay the exorbitant fee—$1,000 a day for the booth, plus more for all the equipment I would need to rent from them. Not to mention, I needed to get a banner and flyers to hand out. It was going to cost me a fortune to get those done on such short notice.

When I got my hands on the title, I had to take a moment. My hands shook as I stared at the valuable piece of paper. This was it. The last piece of who I once was. Maybe this was a good thing—out with the old and in with the new. Yet I still couldn’t help but feel a kick in the stomach. “It’s just a car,” I said out loud, trying to make myself feel better. Deep down, I knew it was a lie. It was more than a car. I’d wrapped my identity up in it, and I wasn’t sure who I would be once I sold it.

What made it worse was the knowledge that selling it to one of those used car dealerships offering cash on the spot meant I would be lucky to get half of what it was worth. But I had no other choice. I had no family to go to, and I sure as hell wouldn’t ask my friends for a loan, not knowing if there was any way I could pay them back. Besides, it was never good to mix money and friends. I’d learned that lesson the hard way.

In my mind there was no turning back, so I headed for the bedroom door, carefully holding the title like it was a child. My phone buzzed in my pocket just as I reached for the door. I paused and fished it out to find a picture of Taylor Swift on the screen. Lanie had entered her number into my phone and set her contact photo as the pop star. I determined then and there that one day I would be worthy to snap a picture of my gorgeous roommate to replace the one of Taylor Swift. That meant not scraping by anymore or having to do social experiments to make ends meet.

I stared at my phone, hesitating to answer. My best guess was Daphne had messaged Lanie and told her what I was about to do. I would let no one talk me out of it. And if anyone had that power, I knew it would be Lanie. The woman was wickedly good at talking me into anything. When she hung up, I felt relieved, until she immediately called back. My conscience then started getting the best of me with thoughts like, What if Greg has done something to her or she’s stuck on the side of the road on her way back from Goldenville? I felt sick thinking of either possibility. But ... would she really call me if either were the case, especially after hardly speaking the last few days? It seemed implausible, but she persisted in repeatedly calling while I mulled over the question.

I couldn’t risk it. If she were hurt or needed my help in some way, it would kill me to know I’d ignored her, so I decided to throw caution to the wind.

“Hello.”

“Parker,” she said, as if she were trying to catch her breath. “Where are you?”

“At home. Where are you?” The unnatural hitch in her voice made me worry.

“I’m on my way home.”

“Are you okay?”

“Not really.” She sounded upset.

“What happened?”

“You.”

I leaned against the wall. “Me?”

“Yes, you. You’re driving me crazy, and my mama is saying insane things about you. Which is only making me crazier.”

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