Page 18 of Devil's Bargain

The roads are quiet at this time of the day. I roll my window down and let the air clear my head. I don’t know where I’m going. All I know is that I need to be alone with my thoughts.

My phone rings, throwing that idea out of the window.

I connect the call, balancing the phone between my ear and shoulder.

“What happened?” Nina asks.

I rub my fingers over my lips. “I put my foot in it.”

“What did you do?”

I check my mirrors and switch lanes. “I asked him if he misses her.”

“Oh, shit.”

“Yeah.” I hit the steering wheel, accidentally catching the horn.

“Are you okay?”

I ignore her question and pull over by the roadside. “Why are you not in class, Nina?”

She sighs.

I count five cars driving by before she speaks. “You ran out of class.”

A tear falls. I quickly wipe it off. “I told you. I have shit going on right now.”

“I know, but I’m worried about you.”

Another tear falls. “You don’t have to be.”

“You forgot your bag.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did. I have it right here.”

I pause, glancing at the bag in the passenger footwell. “Fuck! I have Rick’s bag. I must have taken his by mistake.”

Nina laughs. It’s a tinkling sound that reminds me of a bubbling stream of water. “Yeah, you did.”

“Oh, shit!”

“I couldn’t have planned it better myself.”

I laugh disbelievingly and rub my hands over my face. “I didn’t plan this, Nina. I’m not a stalker.”

“Debatable.”

I look down at Rick’s bag again. No wonder I picked it up. It’s similar to my generic one, but Rick’s has a fancy white logo on it. “I’ll drive over to yours later this evening to collect my bag. Is that alright?”

She hums as she chews something crunchy. Chips, most likely. “What are you going to do with Rick’s bag in the meantime?”

“Are you wiggling your eyebrows?”

She laughs. “Maybe.”

I lean back against the headrest. “I’m not going to do anything with Rick’s bag.”

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