Page 116 of Severance

“Yes. I love it!” I cry out, navigating my car through the gloomy gray mist. It’s almost nightfall and it’s strange to be driving home from college at this time. Last semester, all my classes were in the morning. This semester, they’re all over the place.

“Remember, we’re going to the mall on Saturday.”

“Yes. I remember.”

“You’re buying that skirt I saw at Macy’s.”

“Yes ma’am.” I don’t argue with her, because it’s usually useless.

Jess jumps back to discussing the apartment. “Did you see the kitchen? It’s so fucking cute!”

“I know. I can’t wait.”

“I’m sure.” She snorts out a laugh. “You can only use your blog as an excuse to come home late so many times a week, right?”

Pleasant shivers roll down my spine. Is it even normal to think about sex all the time? Being with Dakota has consumed me completely. He’s like a drug.

“I’m pretty sure my mom is onto me,” I say, straining my eyes on the road. The snow has been falling non-stop since last night.

“So what?”

“It’s just weird. She’s going to ask questions and then she’ll tell my dad.”

“You’re eighteen. You’re allowed to have sex.” Jess groans. “He can sleep over every night for all I care. As long as he doesn’t snore.”

“He doesn’t,” I bite back, a smile breaking on my lips. Although we’ve never spent a night together, we fell asleep at his place once. It was amazing. I’d never slept in a man’s arms before in my life.

“Good. Because Luke sometimes talks in his sleep. It’s fucking creepy.”

“No way.” I giggle.

Jess laughs.

“What does he say—”

There’s a loud pop and the car begins to skid across the road through a tunnel of swirling snow. I can hear the tires rebelling against the ice. My phone slips from my hand and drops on the floor along with my heart.

“Alana!” Jess screams from somewhere under my seat, but all my attention is on the road ahead of me. My fingers choke around the steering wheel as I fight for control of the jerking vehicle. The snowflakes blowing against the windshield blind me, and for a second, I feel like I’m floating through an abyss of time and space.

The Prius begins to limp and sputter and finally halts on the side of the road. My breath is stuck in my throat and my body’s shaking. I sit with my hands locked on the wheel for a good minute until a noise coming from the vicinity of my feet snaps me out of my shock. I bend over and grab the phone, my blood roaring in my ears.

“Are you okay?!” Jess screams.

“I think I’ve got a flat tire. Let’s talk later.”

I step outside and round the Prius. The passenger side front tire is blown to pieces.

After a few unsuccessful attempts to get hold of my father, I call Dakota. I don’t know why he’s my next choice. Maybe because my mother knows just as much about cars as I do—how to drive them and how to fill up the gas.

“I have a flat,” I say. “I can’t get hold of my dad.”

I don’t really want to ask him to come and help me. Deep down, I know my father will probably see my missed calls as soon as he gets a free second at work. But this is something else. It’s sharing a piece of information about what’s happening in my life when Dakota’s not around. Just like he shares things with me when he’s playing a show somewhere I can’t be. It’s what “together” is like.

“Do you have a spare?” Dakota questions. The clanking of the silverware and a wall of voices I hear in the background tell me he’s not home.

I tramp over the crunchy piles of dirty snow to get to the trunk and check inside. “Yes.”

“All right. I’ll be there in a second.”

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