Page 43 of Rock and a Hard Place

Mile after mile she walked, oblivious to the occasional car speeding by. When Mom and Sarah died, she’d been in shock. This was different. Their deaths were tragic, horrible accidents. Today, the people ripping her life apart knew what they were doing. It emotionally exhausted her. She was tired of being nice, tired of doing what people told her, tired of being let down. Aunt Marge’s words stung. Therewas no one left for Libby, and she refused to think of her aunt as a guardian. The woman was a monster. How could her dad leave her with this lunatic?

A car passed her, slowed, then pulled over and stopped.

Libby plodded forward, eventually reaching it.

“Libby, is that you?” Miss Orman leaned across the front seat and peeked out the open passenger window.

Libby stopped next to the window.

“Why are you walking? Get in.” Miss Orman reached across to open the door.

“It’s been a bad morning.” Libby climbed into the car and set her pack on the floor. Her left hand still gripped her phone.

Ms. Orman took in Libby’s disheveled appearance. “Are you okay?”

Libby nodded, but her blank expression remained. She knew her tearstained face was all blotchy. She stared down at the dirt on her secondhand coat and threadbare jeans.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?”

Libby shook her head and stared straight ahead, feeling as fragile as a porcelain dish. Miss Orman checked for traffic and pulled back onto the road.

After a minute, Libby spoke. “My aunt is making crystal meth.”

Ms. Orman’s head snapped to look at her. “What did you say?”

“She’s doing it in the barn. I saw it this morning. I always wonderedwhy she spent so much time out there.” Libby didn’t know why she told her. It just came out. It didn’t really matter anymore. Nothing did.

“Oh dear God. I knew your aunt was odd, but I never suspected her of being involved with drugs.”

“Peter broke up with me,” Libby said in a monotone voice she barely recognized and held her phone up as confirmation.

“I’m so sorry.” Miss Orman reached across and patted Libby’s arm. “I wish I could protect you from the painful realities of life.”

“It’s okay, I’m used to people leaving.” Everyone left. Her mom and sister died. Her dad abandoned her in Rockville. And now Peter. She never deserved him anyway.

“This is going to be okay. I promise. Someday you’ll look back and this will be a small blip in your life. You’ll be happy and successful, and no one will hold you back from great things.”

Libby didn’t respond.

“Listen, I’m going to help you through this. I’m leaving town for Thanksgiving weekend with my fiancé, but as soon as I get back, we’re going to make all this ugliness go away. I promise. Okay?” Miss Orman waited for Libby to react, as though she needed reassurance herself.

“Okay,” Libby said, her voice dull as they pulled into the school parking lot.

“Why don’t you come to my office, and we can talk fora while or have a little something to eat? When’s the last time you ate?”

“I’d rather just go to class.” She was already out the door, her backpack hanging heavy on her weary shoulders. “All right, but I’m here for you, whatever you need,” Miss Orman called as Libby disappeared into the mass of students.

Later that day, Peter stood in the hotel suite exhausted from a long day packed with interviews. In his palm lay the pieces of his broken phone. “Garrett, what the hell is this?”

“What are you doing messing with my stuff?” Garrett’s face turned red and pinched.

“I couldn’t find my phone, so I was looking for yours so I could call Libby, but I found mine instead. What gives?”

“Oh yeah, that. Well, ya see, your phone had a little accident. I didn’t want to tell you, ’cause I know how you overreact whenever your little hottie is involved.”

Peter tensed. Garrett was too cocky, even for him. Something was up. Whenever Garrett got like this it was because he’d screwed with other people’s business. Guarded, Peter asked, “What happened?”

“Nothing, really.” Garrett’s beady eyes stared him down.

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