Page 23 of Savage

“I’m gonna do my best.”

I hung up the phone, and after a long, hot shower, I hit the sack. Unlike the night before, I had no problem falling asleep, and I slept well. I woke up the next morning feeling pretty damn good, but that good feeling was shot to hell with a text from Maverick.

Maverick:

We got trouble.

Need you at the club now.

CHAPTER8

Londyn

Iwas on the brink of having a nervous breakdown.

I was supposed to meet Skylar at the bar in half an hour, and I had absolutely nothing to wear. I’d gone through my suitcase at least a hundred times, but nothing worked. Desperate, I rushed to my mother’s room and dove into her closet, searching for anything that might work. I was becoming desperate when Mom appeared with a large plastic tote in her hand.

“Maybe you can find something in here.”

“What is that?” I stepped over to her and opened the lid, and to my pleasant surprise, it was filled with some of my favorite clothes from high school. “I can’t believe you kept all of this!”

“I thought about taking it down to the goodwill, but I just couldn’t make myself part with it.” She smiled as she said, “There are a lot of good memories in that box.”

“Yes, there are.” I grabbed one of my favorite sweaters and held it up to my chest as I asked, “Do you think any of this will fit?”

Mom gave me a once-over before answering, “I don’t see why not. You haven’t changed that much since high school.”

“But I’ve had a child since then.”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out.”

“This is true.”

I grabbed a few things from the tote, then made a beeline for the bathroom to try them on. I slipped on a pair of skinny jeans with a black knit top and was hit was a sudden pang of nostalgia. It was strange being back in my old clothes. It felt like a lifetime ago that I had worn them—back when life was simpler, and my biggest worries were getting good grades and making plans for the weekend.

“Lonny, you better hurry up. Malcomb will be here in 5 minutes.”

“I’m coming!”

My room looked like a tornado had come through. Every dresser drawer was pulled out, clothes were strewn everywhere, and I still couldn't find what I was looking for. Out of pure desperation, I shouted, “Hey, Mom! Do you know where my black shirt it?”

“Which black shirt?”

“The one Malcomb gave me for my birthday... the one with the little blue flowers on it.”

We were going to the club house for Cotton’s birthday. I knew it was important to Malcomb and wanted to look extra nice. I’d curled my hair, put on some makeup, and even painted my nails. If I could just find the shirt, I would be set.

I dashed back into my closet and was checking to see if it had fallen on the floor when I heard my mom come into the room. She walked right over to the closet and pulled it right off the rack. "You mean this one?”

“Yes!”

I whipped it out of her hand and slipped it on just as the doorbell rang. “I'll go get that so you can finish getting ready.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

That girl had it made.

She was young and carefree and had the world at her fingertips.

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