Page 77 of When Wrecked Meets Ruined
My mother was so selfish.
“You can’t just drag her out of bed and take off on one of your—”
“I’ll do whatever the hell I want.” My mother took another drag of her cigarette and waved it around the room, polluting Wren’s lungs. “We’re going. Deal with it.”
“Wade’s in no condition to drive. And who’s going to look after Wren—”
“Mind your own fucking business,” Wade said.
He lifted Wren into his arms and stalked out of the room while I trailed them, gritting my teeth.
“Come on, baby,” my mom said, latching on to Wade’s arm. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“She doesn’t even have any of her things,” I told my mom, panic seeping into my words. “You can’t just take off—”
“You’re always so negative. I don’t have time to stand around and argue with you. We’re leaving.”
I chased her across the yard and took one more stab at talking sense into her.Someonehad to act like an adult. “Mom, just wait until morning. You can get a fresh start.”
“You see?” she huffed. “That’s your problem. You’re not spontaneous enough. You need to live a little.” She tossed her cigarette on the ground and climbed into Wade’s truck. I checked the back seat to make sure Wren was securely fastened in her car seat.
As soon as her door slammed shut, Wade hit the gas and peeled out of the driveway. I crushed the still-burning cigarette under the sole of my sneaker and stood in my front yard, waiting. As if I expected them to reappear.
Of course, they didn’t. So I went inside and locked the door.
In my bedroom, I took a few deep breaths and tried to shove away the fear and dread that gnawed at my gut. What if they had an accident? What if something happened to Wren?
But I couldn’t think like that. I’d just drive myself crazy with worry.
I grabbed my phone and sent a text.
Hey. Are you around?
The reply was instant, and so was my relief. I needed to get out of this house. What if those guys in the Caddy came back? I didn’t want to be alone if they did. And I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I knew that Wren was alive and in one piece.
I sent my mother a message, asking her to text as soon as they’d arrived, then threw some clothes in my backpack and jumped in my car.
Fifteen minutes later, Quinn opened the door with a smile and threw her arms around me like it had been years instead of four days since we’d last seen each other. Yet another reminder of how much I’d miss her when she left for UCLA.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said, dragging me into the kitchen, where we grabbed snacks from her fully stocked pantry. “I have so much to tell you. And I want to hear what’s going on with you and Ridge.”
* * *
The next morning, I woke up to hazy sunshine and a message from my mother. Apparently, they arrived safely, but she’d sent the message at three in the morning, so all I could do was hope and pray she’d look after Wren.
Quinn and I spent the day hanging out in her pool and practicing blow jobs on a cucumber while we floated on our inflatable donuts.
She waved the cucumber in the air as she floated past. “Do you think this is dick-sized?”
I grabbed it and studied the cucumber before taking a big bite. “It depends on the guy.” It was Ridge-sized, but I didn’t mention it. “But don’t get your hopes up. He won’t taste like a cucumber. We should have rolled it in salt. How weird is it that we’re expected to suck on something guys pee with?”
“Ew. And how weird is it that you’re eating something I was sucking on?”
I wrapped my lips around the cucumber and slid it into my mouth as far as it would go before sliding it out. “I’m deep-throating a cucumber. This has to be an all-time low.” I tossed the cucumber across the pool. “Look. It’s a floater.”
We both cracked up as the cucumber bobbed past us.
“Have you given Ridge a blow job yet?” Quinn asked.
