Page 41 of A Whirlwind of Color (The Light to My Darkness 2)

“No.”

“Why?”

“Your work is important.” I literally had no idea what he did for a living. Hopefully it was important. “Plus, Melissa’s going to be mad I stole your pants. Let me go explain everything to her. And I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out.”

He laughed. “You’re probably right about her being about mad about the pants. Okay, fine. I need a minute to change anyway.” His bottom half was under the covers, but I knew for a fact that he was pants-less.

“Great. Just…stay here until I say you can come out.”

There was that strange look again. “Okay.”

I lifted the hood on the hoodie. “See you.” I realized it was weird to say goodbye like that when I was supposed to see him again in a few minutes. But it was goodbye. And he had helped me tremendously in my escape. This was the perfect disguise. The security team would think I was still in the guest room and that Josh was the one trolloping around the house.

“Is Josh com…” Melissa’s voice trailed off when she saw me. “What the hell are you wearing?”

“No, Josh isn’t coming. He’s working, remember? Don’t bother him.”

“It was your idea. Seriously, Penny, why are you wearing his clothes?”

“I suddenly got really cold.”

“So you thought it was appr

opriate to borrow my boyfriend’s pants? What is wrong with you?”

A big part of my plan’s chance at success was mass confusion. It seemed to be working. I just had no idea why she was so upset about this. Did I make a habit of borrowing her boyfriend’s pants? I doubted it. “Chill.”

She glared at me like I was the devil. “You want me to chill? How about you take his pants off?”

“No. He gave them to me. And I’m cold. Actually, I’m so cold that I’m just going to go take a bath to try to warm up. I’ll leave his pants outside the bathroom door for you, psycho.”

“I’m not a psycho for not wanting you in my boyfriend’s pants.”

I laughed. “It’s not a big deal.”

“It is to me. You always do this.” Her anger was gone. It looked like she was about to cry.

What had I done to her? I suddenly actually felt cold. I tucked my hands into the front pocket of the hoodie. The more I learned about the person I had become, the more I hated her. I didn’t know how I had become this monster. All I knew was that Penny Hunter was clearly not a good person. It was just more reason to leave. “I’m sorry. I’ll take them off. Just give me a few minutes, okay?” I left the room without waiting for a response.

When I got to my room, I pulled the duffel bag over my shoulder. I was about to go hide when I realized this was exactly what a monster would do. Leaving without saying anything was harsh. I didn’t want James to worry, I wanted him to let me go. I grabbed a piece of paper off the nightstand and left a quick note.

James,

I’m sorry. I can’t do this anymore. This is better for both of us. Please forget about me.

-Penny

I dropped it in front of the bathroom door and then ran out of the room. My whole body froze when I heard James’ voice from downstairs. Him being home ruined everything. Shit, shit, shit!

“I assumed you knew,” he said.

“Why would you assume that? I was completely blindsided today, James,” Melissa said. “You asked me to help her try to remember you, but how can I possibly do that when I don’t know anything about you.”

“She never told you?”

“No.” They were both quiet for a moment. “So it’s true? You’re an addict?”

“I…I’m good right now.”

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