Page 85 of Tapped By My Roommate
“You can drive since your car is bigger.” I scanned the lot. “Wait, where is your car?”
“Um, yeah. About that…” Rhett rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “My car broke down. So it’s not here.”
“What? But how did you get home last night?”
“I walked.”
My eyes widened. “At two a.m.? You could have called me for a ride.”
“You’re normally asleep by then,” he reminded me. “Besides, it’s not the first time I’ve walked home. It’s not that bad.”
“So, is your car at the shop, then?”
“Um, no, it’s on campus where it broke down. I didn’t have the money to have it looked at yet.”
“Rhett,” I exclaimed. “That means you didn’t have your car when you went to work yesterday either? I could have driven you.”
He winced. “I was fine. I’ve been walking since Wednesday. It’s no big deal.”
I gaped at him. “You told me I didn’t have to do this alone. Why do you hold yourself to a different standard?”
“What? I don’t.”
“You do. You help me all the time, so why wouldn’t you let me help you?”
“It’s not the same,” he mumbled.
“Itisthe same.”
Linh spoke up. “Hate to interrupt, kids, but we have a schedule to keep. Can we address Rhett’s hero complex later?”
“I don’t have a complex!”
“Whatever. We’ll take my car,” she said, leading us to an old lime-green station wagon. I couldn’t decide if it was the coolest or ugliest car I’d ever seen. It seemed to straddle the line, but Linh was pretty cool, so I figured it might have some retro chic factor to it.
“Are you guys sure you want to be involved?” I asked again. After Rhett’s confession he’d been without a car for days and was coping alone, I felt awkward with a whole entourage going with me to get one iguana. If all went to plan, there wouldn’t even be a confrontation.
“We’re sure,” Rhett said.
Linh nodded and grinned. “I’ve always wanted to be a getaway driver.”
23
ETHAN
When Linh pulled up, there were two vehicles in the driveway, Dan’s pickup and Tess’s VW Jetta. Tess and I had once had a fun rivalry about which of our little cars was better. It was one of my fonder memories of our relationship. But seeing her car now made my stomach knot with worry.
I pulled out my phone, but I didn’t see any messages warning me away. I hoped I hadn’t been played for a fool.
“What now?” Rhett asked. “Do you want me to come to the door with you?”
“No, just wait here, okay? I’ve got a plan, but it might not work if you go up there with me.”
Rhett didn’t look happy, but he nodded.
Linh blew a big bubble with her grape gum. When it popped, she said, “Good luck. If you need help, just holler. I’ll be ready to kick some ass.”
Rhett snorted. “Yeah, same. We’re here if you need us.”
