Page 63 of A Dash of You

No. No. No!

“Sora.” That voice. I know that voice. A hand lightly squeezes my thigh as I jolt.

I frantically scan around.

Logan’s truck. I’m in Logan’s truck.

I let out a breath, then glance at the back seat where Crew and Lana are sleeping. Lana with her head on the window and Crew with his facing down, muscled, tattooed arms crossed to his chest.

I breathe, then breathe again. I’m okay. Jason didn’t find me. I made it out.

“You good?”

My eyes snap to Logan, who holds a tight strain on his face.

“Sorry I… I must have had a bad dream.” I wipe a strand of hair from my clammy forehead.

“Do they happen a lot? And stop apologizing.”

“Right. Sorry.”Fuck.I shake the lingering feeling of Jason away. “They come and go I guess.”

“Do you need me to pull over?”

I contemplate the idea of needing a second to take in a breath of fresh air, but they’ve put up with enough and I just want to get there. “No. No, I’m okay.” Without realizing, I rub both hands down my legs in nervousness, Logan watching in frequent side glances.

It’s okay. Everything is fine. I’m fine.

“Is there anything you want to tell—”

“Look.” I point to the sign that reads my old town. “We made it.”

Logan nods, flicks on his blinker and merges off the highway, leaving my past in the nightmare.

Twenty-Two

Awave of emotions slam into me. Excitement mixed with sadness. To be where I grew up, where I had experienced all my happy memories, is bittersweet. I miss my dad. I even missed my mom. Well, the version of who she was with my dad. But most of all, I miss freedom. Waking up every day without rules, how to dress, how to act, how to please.

Lana places her soft hand on my arm. “Ready?”

Nodding, I smile.

Everyone follows me toward the back of the trailer park. Ours being the one with yellow shutters.

“What color do you want to paint these, baby doll?” my dad asks, rubbing his deep brown beard.

“Yellow, daddy.”

“Yellow?” He laughs. “You sure?”

I nod with confidence. “Yes. Yellow is a happy color.”

“Then yellow it is.”

I still remember how it felt when my dad leaned down and kissed the top of my head.

We walk in silence with only the sound of our shoes hitting the pathway. Logan beside me, Crew and Lana following close behind.

It’s more run down than before. As expected, it has been a long time and I’m sure the upkeep for everyone is unaffordable.

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