I tried my luck calling my dad again, but his phone was still switched off.
Now it was official: I was angry. My clothes were wet, I was starting to freeze, and it was possible that my cookies were wet too. Minutes passed, my cab was nowhere in sight, and I sat outside the store like an idiot. People were running out of the market to their cars and driving away while I was stuck at the doors.
My phone rang, and I hoped it was my dad finally deciding to act like a parent, but an unfamiliar number flashed on my display. I picked up without much thought, too angry to care.
“Yes!”
“How are you?” I recognized his timbre far too quickly, even though the noise caused by the storm, his voice was too present in my head to mistake him.
Rage exploded.
“Do you think you’re funny?” I roared at him.
My reaction seemed to surprise him. “Because I asked you how you were?”
Before I could throw another tantrum, I realized he had my phone number.
“How did you get my number?”
“It wasn’t that hard to get it.”
I tightened the hold on my phone, finding it harder and harder to suppress the urge to curse him out. He probably took it while I was unconscious.
“Your sick jokes are starting to piss me off, Harris.”
“Katherine, what are you talking about? I called to see how you were doing after the shot I gave you. It’s possible to feel sick because you haven’t taken anything in a while.”
I rolled my eyes. He really was a good actor because his voice sounded serious.
“Oh, yeah, sure! And that’s why you have to stalk me around the store like a freak?”
“What?” His tone promptly became a little sharper. “Who’s stalking you?”
“Well, no one! Because my stalker – you – just left and pulled the same stunt you pulled yesterday with your car, so stop denying it.”
“Katherine, I didn’t…”
“My cab will be here soon, and I don’t feel like talking to you,” I interrupted him.
“Where are you?” he asked as I was about to hang up.
“That’s none of your business! Not that you didn’t already know!”
I hung up and continued to rant about nothing. I knew he was arrogant and an asshole, but I didn’t think he would stoop to such stupid pranks. Didn’t he have anything better to do than mess with me like that? What did he actually want from me? I very much doubted that he treated all the new girls at school like that. Candice was new too and he didn’t even seem to notice her. It was me, the permanent trouble magnet.
I called for a cab again and was politely asked to wait another five minutes. Great! The storm got even stronger, and I could barely see a few meters. When the wind picked up, I decided it was best to go back inside until the stupid cab came.
Minutes passed and no one came. I was ready to set off on foot, through the rain, just to get rid of my anger. I saved Harris’ number in my phone so I would know not to pick up next time, but my carelessness cost me dearly. A cab pulled up outside and a man ran towards it and got in. I sprinted to the doors and shouted after him, but the car drove off.
“Fucking fuck.”
I stomped my foot. Someone must have cursed me because I was definitely caught up in a series of unfortunate events.
I was about to call for another cab and ask them to stick the fuck to the customers when I heard that vibration even over the thunder, and that black hellhole seemed to come straight out of the thunderstorm and stopped in front of me.
I had to blink a few times to make sure I was seeing correctly and that it wasn’t an optical illusion. I wouldn’t have figured out what it was if it had not been for those special green lights. The urge to kick his car grew.
No more Rover now, huh?