Page 10 of Wild Like Us
Did I just ruin it all?
I made things weird.
Fuck.
Fuck.
And I run.
I hear my name from more than one person, but I don’t stop. Legs pumping beneath me, my feet and strength carry me through the graveled parking lot. Knots in my chest try to loosen. I pick up speed.
Bolting past the$5 for Parkingsign, beyond the carnival entrance, I sprint onto a dark empty road out in Pennsylvania. My hair spills out of its bun. Flying messily, wildly around me as I push and push to go faster.
Farther.
Muscles searing.
Angry, frustrated tears slip out of my eyes and catch the wind. Angry with myself. Frustrated with myself.
And then, footsteps pound the concrete.
Someone is running towards me.
I don’t look back because they’re fast. Easily, they reach my side. I can feel them keeping exact pace, exact step in line with me.
And I turn my head to see my dad.
My dad is running beside me.
He never tells me to slow down. He never tells me to stop. He sprints on the deserted Pennsylvania road in the middle of the night. No words, no fucking questions asked.
We run together.
We push harder.
Air fills my lungs. With all my training, with every morning run with my dad, I don’tthinkabout inhaling and exhaling. I justdo.
I feel like I’m flying.
One hundred and fifty miles per hour.
The knots unwind. Bursting. Whatever rattled inside me is being set free. For a moment, anyway.
And when I finally skid to a slow jog, then to a walk, breath comes easy and my muscles ache from not stretching. I glance painfully at my dad.
His darkened, concerned expression says,are you fucking okay?He’s already bringing me into a hug. I hug tighter.
“I’m a fucking idiot,” I mutter.
“Hey,” he snaps, pulling me back to meet my eyes. “Don’t fucking talk about yourself like that. Your mom would say—”
“Be kind to yourself,” I nod. “I know. I fucking know.” I exhale, and I notice the bright beam of headlights. A car crawls towards us but maintains distance.
Bodyguards.
Maybe it’s just my dad’s bodyguard, but with how tonight is going, it’s probably AkaraandBanks.
I focus back on my dad. “I made things so weird.”
