Page 22 of Not Another Yesterday
“Don’t even worry about it,” I say. “Randi, just do me a favor and stay where you are. I’m leaving now, but it’ll take me a while to get to you, okay?”
“Okay,” she sighs.
We end our conversation and I walk straight to Shane’s closed bedroom door across the hallway. I take a second to listen, making sure I’m not about to interrupt something. Not surprisingly, no sounds emanate from Shane’s room. I’m sure he’s still fast asleep.
I knock a couple of times before cracking the door slowly.Oh god, please don’t be railing her right now…I’m spared. As I suspected, Shane is still passed out, Tori in his arms, her back to his front as she sleeps soundly. The two of them haven’t said anything, but at this point Tori has basically moved in with Shane and me; her stuff can be found all over our apartment. It doesn’t bother me in the least. I’ve always liked Tori and I know that Shane feels about her exactly how I feel about Cat. And much like Cat saved my life, Tori saved Shane’s.
“Shay,” I whisper, trying to wake him without rousing Tori, but she’s the first to blink her eyes open at me. “Sorry, Tor, can you wake your guy?”
She bumps her butt against him, causing him to open his eyes with a sleepy grunt. “Ran needs to talk to you,” she mutters before shutting her eyes again.
I walk into the kitchen to wait for Shane. He shuffles in a minute later wearing gray sweatpants, his chest bare. He and I sleep exactly the same way—window open, wearing only sweatpants, boxers if it’s too damn hot in the summer—which is something both Tori and Cat commented on once Shane and I started living together.
“What’s up, dude?” He looks exactly like someone who just got pulled out of deep sleep, his shoulder-long, undercut hair messy, eyes squinting against the kitchen lights. The sun is only just rising and it’s still dusky in the apartment.
I open the fridge to retrieve the ingredients for a turkey sandwich to take on the road with me. “Do you remember me telling you about Randi?”
“Randi, your ex?”
I nod. Shane’s my best friend—I’ve obviously told him about Miranda. He knows we were together a few years ago, knows she was my first.
“Yeah, what about her?” he asks.
“She just called me. She’s in some kind of trouble. I’m not completely sure what happened, but she isn’t usually one to ask for help, so the fact that she called me worries me.”
“Okay?” Shane leans against the doorframe, watching as I throw together my turkey sandwich. “Where is she?”
“Tennessee. Some place called Pikeville.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Me, neither. I looked it up. It’s about an hour north of Nashville.” I put some mustard on the slices of whole-grain bread on the counter.
Shane pushes off the doorframe and crosses his arms in front of his sturdy chest with a frown. “Wait, are you planning on heading there? Dude, that’s like a twelve-hour drive.”
“Thirteen,” I say with a nod. “And yeah, I am about to get on the road.”
“Ran, do you think that’s a good idea? I mean, why do you have to head down there?” Concern lines his brow and laces his tone.
“She’s stuck there; her truck was taken and so was all of her money. Randi doesn’t really have anyone else she can call. I have to do this.”
He studies me for a few seconds, his brow creased. “Okay.” Shane finally nods. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I hate to do this to you, man, but are you okay covering for me at Murphy’s tomorrow? I doubt I’ll be back in time for my shift.” I feel shitty asking Shane to take on extra hours. He’s been working like crazy these past few months and I hate asking him to work doubles. “I have to see what I can do to help her.”
“No problem, Ran,” Shane says without hesitation. “You’re a great friend, you know? I don’t know many people who would justdrop everything to help someone they haven’t seen in months and who’s hundreds of miles away.”
I face him. “You’d do it for me.”
He squares his shoulder. “Yeah, I would.”
“Randi isn’t lucky like me,” I say. “I wouldn’t know what to do without you, and Cat, and my brother. Vada, Zack, Summer…” I trail off. “Randi really only has… me.”
“Sheislucky to have you.” A smile curves his lips. “Does Cat know about this?”
“Not yet,” I say hesitantly. “I’m going to call her from the road.”
“What do you think she’ll say?”
