Page 17 of Insurgent

I grip the wheel when I hear a loud pop from the back of the car and then it starts wobbling. Dear heaven above, not a flat tire in this rain. I pull over and put my emergency lights on. Placing my forehead on the steering wheel, I groan in defeat.

I should have been paying better attention when Hale tried to show me how to change a tire. A knock sounds on my window, and I jump, looking out. Samuel stands with a raincoat on, but still getting soaked.

I roll my window down. “What are you doing?” I ask him.

“It looks like you’re in an unfortunate situation.” He lifts a brow. “Need some help?”

“Uh, yeah, seems I do.”

“Got a jack and spare?” he asks.

“Yes. In the trunk.” I grab my umbrella after I pop the trunk and get out.

“You can stay in the car.”

“I’m not staying in the car while you get all wet changing my tire.”

“I’m already wet, Bex,” he replies. I ignore him and I watch as he grabs the jack and tire out. My eyes look to his work boots.

“What are you doing on this side of town?” I ask.

“Work. We’re building a new house close to here. I had to come and get some supplies.”

“Oh,” I say, hunching my shoulders, trying to stay as dry as possible and trying to cover him. I remember now. Samuel started working a construction job a while back. “You guys build houses in a storm?”

He rotates the lug wrench, removing the bolts from the blown-out tire. “Well, the outer shell is up,” he says. “We’re working on the inside.”

“Right,” I reply, likeof course.

I don’t say anything else so he can work without me bothering him. Samuel is good with his hands. He’s a man’s man. Sweet enough, and so cute. He’s always been a looker, but so have his brothers. My heart wilts as I think about Danny, but then I also think about Paul, who I haven’t spoken to in a long while. “How’s Paul?” I ask.

“He’s good. He’s got a girl now, seems to really like her.”

“Really?” I ask with a smile, genuinely happy for the boy I’ve always thought of as a brother.

“Yeah. He’s doing what he’s always wanted. I guess he and Danny are.” He turns back to look at me at the mention of Danny, and I bite my inner cheek, trying not to show how much just the sound of his name affects me. His eyes look to my lips before he focuses back on his task.

He tightens the last bolt and drops the jack, standing up. “You doing all right?”

I shrug. “Could be worse.”

He nods.

I swallow, not sure I want to ask this question, but I do it anyway. “How is he?”

His eyes narrow slightly, like he isn’t happy that I inquired. “He’s fine. Doesn’t come by much anymore. Moved all his things out of Ma’s. We figured he had his own place already anyway.”

I look down at the spare tire. I wonder if he’s removed all the photos he hung. If he’s gotten rid of my things at the lake house, where we spent so much time together. I guess I should have gone by and picked some stuff up, but really none of it was mine. He bought it all, even the film in my cameras.

God, his face that Christmas when he surprised me with the lights and the presents under the tree. He did it all for me.

Thinking about those things… it makes me want to say screw it all. I can live with the bad side if I can get pieces of that Danny. I just want some of him. I know I sound pathetic, but I can’t help it.

“You need to move on, Bex. He has.”

My eyes bounce to him. I could slap him.He has.

“If it were that simple, Samuel, I wouldn’t have even asked about him. I hope no one ever does to you what he’s done to me, because then you’ll feel what I do. This pain is indescribable.”

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