Page 54 of Don't Look Back

“Whatever makes you happy.” I chuckle.

Once again, I feel like someone’s watching me. I glance up and down the aisle, but I don’t see anyone. I’ve been to this grocery store hundreds of times since I moved to this town. I know every person who lives in Maple Springs and I know I'm safe, but something feels off.

I don’t want to freak out Sophia and I know she’s enjoying herself, so I try to keep her oblivious to my freak out. Nothing good can come from us both freaking out.

“Ok! I think I'm done,” Sophia announces and grabs the cart from my hands. She pushes it towards the cashier and smiles happily at the teenage boy.

She’s flirting away, showing him her brightest smile and deep dimples. She’s so carefree and happy. I'm not sure the last time I’ve felt like that.

Colt’s slowly giving me the freedom I’ve lacked for years, but I know I won't truly feel free until I know Jimmy’s gone.

When the cashier tells us the total, Sophia quickly swipes her credit card. I open my mouth to argue, but she waves me off. I'm sure Uncle Wes told her to pay for everything. He’s always trying to take care of his family and friends.

I’m sure it’s killing him that I live so far away and haven’t seen him in years. We were always close. He was ateenager when I was born and he used to let my siblings, cousins, and I sleep in his room when we had sleepovers at grandma and grandpa’s house. He was always my favorite and I miss him dearly.

It takes us a few minutes to load up the SUV with our bags and I spend the entire time scanning the parking lot. I don’t know why, but I still feel like someone’s watching us. Like something is off. I can't explain it, it’s just a feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“I’ll just put the cart away, then we can go.” Sophia takes a step away from the car, but I stop her.

If there’s someone watching us, they’re after me, not her. I’ll do anything to keep her safe.

“Nah, I got it. You just start the car and lock the doors.”

Sophia stares at me for a moment before she nods her head and climbs inside the car. I wait until I hear the locks engage, then I take slow steps towards the store to return the cart. It’s not icy, but the snow is definitely slippery in spots.

I keep my attention on my surroundings and make sure to meet the gaze of each person I see. I want to figure out if there’s any strangers around. Anything to explain why I feel this way.

I have changed a lot since I moved from Philadelphia. I dyed my hair dark brown, even though I'm a natural blonde. I miss my blonde hair, but I was willing to do anything to make sure Jimmy wouldn’t recognize me if we passed each other on the street.

I don’t wear the same kind of clothes. I don’t do my makeup the same way. I’ve gone out of my way to do everything differently.

As soon as the cart is returned, I hurry back to the SUV. Sophia’s watching me intently and I'm sure she realizes why I'm freaking out, but I don’t want to voice any of my fears.

The moment I'm in the car, I click the locks and grip my steering wheel until my knuckles turn white. What is wrong with me? I haven’t seen a single thing out of the ordinary.

I take the drive to my house slowly and keep my eyes on the road. There aren’t any cars out and that’s a good thing. We pull up in front of my house a few minutes later and hop out. As soon as we’re inside the house, I head straight to my room and pack the few bags I brought with me.

“What are you doing?” Sophia chuckles as I throw more into a bag.

“I'm tired of having half of my things here and half of them at Colt’s house. I'm happy with him. I want to live with him.”

“I like Colt. He’s a good guy.” She nods her head and grabs an arm full of clothes to dump into another bag.

“And what about Pecker?” I arch a brow, daring her to lie to me. I can read Sophia like a book and she knows it.

“Pecker’s a great guy. I’ve had a lot of fun when we’ve hung out,” she says softly.

There’s something bothering her, but I'm not going to push it. When she wants to talk to me, she’ll open up about it.

A loud noise outside has me rushing to the window and trying to peer through the snow to see if there’s anything out there.

“What do you think it was?” Sophia presses her nose against the glass.

“I'm not sure. Sometimes snow falls off the tree branches in huge clumps and it’s loud depending on what it lands on,” I whisper as I continue scanning the backyard.

We spend almost an hour collecting things I’d like to take back to Colt’s house. Sophia and I laugh at some of the old things we find and we take more than one trip down memory lane.

“Is this Charlie’s sweatshirt?” Sophia shrieks as she pulls a pink sweatshirt out of the back of my closet. There’s an anchor in the center of it and paint splattered all around it.

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