Page 80 of Better Hide

“Cool.” Cole flashes me a smile. “I’ll do it more then. In the meantime. We have a body to get rid of.”

36

JAYDEN

Coleand I fight over what to do with Ralph’s body. It’s pretty much a given that the cops will pin it on us, considering I broke the first rule: don’t fucking leave witnesses. So there is no sense in messing with it. We just need to get to New Mexico as fast as possible. Eventually, though, I cave in to Cole, and we waste valuable time tossing the body in the woods outside the house. I wanted to leave Ralph on the couch, but Cole didn’t want to traumatize Marian. Not that Marian deserves any of his consideration. I’d kill her too, if she wasn’t the one who birthed Cole. I owe him that much.

After getting Cole and Jo into Ralph’s car, I go back inside for one more thing. Marian stands, shaking, holding Sam in the middle of the living room.

It takes everything I have not to tell her what a piece of shit she is. The only reason I don’t is the kid standing beside her. Instead, I glare into her watery eyes and growl, “If you do one good thing for your firstborn son, wait two days to call the cops. Two fucking days. If I find out you called sooner, I’ll call the state and tell them just what kind of mother you were to Cole.” I tossRalph’s phone on the couch. “And by the way, he was cheating on you with other men. Do with that what you will.”

I turn to leave and hear a soft “Fuck you.”

I turn, and Sam is trembling. His face is red, and his hands are bunched in fists. Marian holds him back from running at me.

The corner of my mouth kicks up. Oh, this kid will make it.

I turn and slam the door on the way out.

We drive for hours. I insist on driving the first leg. Jo wants to drive too, but like fuck am I going to let her do that. After I tell her no, she sulks in the backseat, refusing to look at me.

Cole takes over when the sun starts to set, and relief washes over me when I let him. I didn’t say anything, but all the road lines were starting to blur together, and I could hardly keep my eyes open. As I climb into the backseat, Jo ignores me while digging around in my backpack. She pulls out the goldfish I packed with a small, excited smile.

I smirk to myself. I know she loves those.

Jo pops a handful in her mouth, then continues rooting. I turn to look out the window.

Fuck. I’m exhausted, but I can’t sleep. Closing my eyes will make everything in my head louder, and it’s already so fucking loud. I miss my phone. I wish I had something to zone out to.

A familiar, two-tone chime and electronic shooting sound come from beside me. It sounds like my childhood and summer days with Cole.

I whip my head around and see Jo starting up a GameBoy in her lap.

Not just a gameboy. A red one.

Oh fuck.

“Where did you get that?” I lean over to Jo, eyes locked on the game.

Jo pulls away from me, muttering. “What do you mean? It was in your bag.”

I look closer at it as the familiar load-up image fills the screen. Oh my god. It’s working.

I glance up at Cole, and he gives me a small shrug. “It was on the TV stand. Sam said he never played it. Was too old.”

An odd, tight feeling fills my chest. I spent many hours on this with Cole, rotting away our summers and staying up late into the night. I thought it was gone forever.

Jo opens Tetris. I watch as she watches the blocks fall, doing nothing, losing the round.

Jo restarts, messing with the controls, looking like she doesn’t know what she’s doing.

She loses another round quickly.

Oh shit. Has she never played Tetris before?

Jo quickly loses another round, and I reach out. “Here, let me show you.”

Jo snatches the game away from me. “Go away.”

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