Page 12 of Collision
“Thank you.” I lean my head against the window and watch the dark asphalt sliding under the car’s wheels, illuminated only by the soft light of the streetlamps. Travis tries to engage me in some small talk, probably in an attempt to cheer me up after today’s argument, but I have zero desire for chitchat. My mind is still lingering on what happened in the gym.
“Do you know her? That girl?” I ask, not turning to face him.
“Who?”
“Leila, the girl sitting next to me during practice.”Did you see any other girls there?I want to ask him.
“She’s Collins’s sister,” he says shortly.
I feel a jolt of fear run through me. “Yes. I know that. But how do you know that? Do you know her personally?”
“No, why should I?”
“I don’t know, she just had a weird reaction when I said you’re my boyfriend,” I say with my gaze still fixed on the window.
“Maybe she doesn’t like me? That wouldn’t be a surprise.”
“How can she dislike you if she doesn’t know you?” I finally turn to look at him, skeptical.
“Why are you giving me this third degree?” Travis tightens his grip on the steering wheel. “I know they are brother and sister because they’re together all the time. Maybe she saw me at a party and got the wrong idea. You know how people love to talk shit.”
His answer only makes me more suspicious, but there’s still one other mystery on my mind. “Why were you and Thomas fighting in the locker room?”
“It was nothing. We didn’t agree on a game strategy, usual stuff,” he replies and shifts gears abruptly. “Enough about that. I don’t want to argue with you again.” I can see from the clench of his jaw that he’s beginning to lose his patience.
“Whatever,” I conclude, unconvinced. I should probably keep pushing, dig down until I get the truth. But, as much as it pains me to admit it, I agree with Travis. I don’t want to fight anymore today. So Iput my own mind at ease: Leila must have seen him at the party, dancing with those two chicks, and thus was shocked to hear that Travis and I are together. Honestly, sometimes it shocks me too. As for him and Thomas… Well, they never have gotten along.
“But we’re cool, right?”
“Yes. We’ve already talked about it, Travis,” I reply.
“It’s just that you seem strange. You’re more distant. I haven’t heard from you all day, and I can tell by the way you’re shaking your foot that you’re still angry.”
“I’m not angry, I’m just stressed. The fight this morning, the start of classes, my mother…” I take his hand and squeeze it, trying to reassure him, though I know I’m not yet willing to forgive and forget.
“All right.” He interlaces his fingers with mine and lifts our joined hands to his mouth for a kiss. For the rest of the way, I watch the road in silence, soaking in the heat given off by the air vent aimed right at me.
“Isn’t your mom back yet?” he asks me as he pulls into the driveway, noting the absence of Mom’s car and the darkened house.
“No, ever since she started dating Victor, I see her less and less. I mean, I’m happy for her and everything, but it’s like she’s never around these days and—” I open my eyes wide. “Crap! I was supposed to walk Charlie!”
“Who?” asks Travis, puzzled.
I rub my temples and sigh heavily. “Charlie, the neighbor’s dog. Mrs. Williams is out of town and asked my mom if she knew anyone who could help. And Mom, naturally, volunteered me. I was also supposed to go to the dry cleaners, pay the bills, and get dinner,” I say in a rush.
“Relax, I’m sure it’s not that big a deal. You can pay your bills online, and you can order takeout for dinner. As for the dry cleaners, I can take you there right now,” he says softly.
“No, don’t worry about it, I can walk. It’s stopped raining, and I would like to stretch my legs.” I can read the disappointment in his face and immediately feel guilty. “But hey,” I hasten to add, “why don’t we have a night in tomorrow. Pizza and a movie?”
“Yeah, sure, no problem.”
He smiles hesitantly at me. We kiss and say goodbye.
After taking Charlie for a walk, I return to the house. I hang up the clothes I picked up from the dry cleaners and take a minute to print some résumés. I’m so tired I don’t even have the energy to get into the shower, so I collapse on the couch in the living room, exhausted. I flick through some TV channels, but I can’t find anything interesting.
Giving in to my curiosity, I search for Leila Collins’s socials. What I find fits with my general impression of the girl: photos of landscapes and mountains with long captions, a few shots of herself in which her face is entirely obscured except for her beautiful green eyes. I also look for her brother, but I can’t find any profile with his name.
I scroll through my own socials and come across a memory from exactly one year ago. Travis and me at one of the big luncheons his family holds. The Bakers were celebrating his father’s promotion, and while the adults were chatting with their guests, we were goofing off and taking silly selfies, like this one.
