Page 29 of Withered

As I watch Tyler carry her upstairs to a room, I’m alone. I can either call Mom or simply book a cab. I make my way amid the dancing bodies, trying to call Mom first, but I can’t reach her.

I squeak loudly when someone grabs my ass and starts rubbing against me. Scared and alarmed, I turn around to slap whoever it is when a voice cuts me off, saying, “Hands off of her.” I look to my right and see Jake.

The drunk guy looks a little scared but shakes his head, says, “Mind your own business,” and tries to grab me again.

I step away from him, trying to put some distance between us, and that’s when Jake grabs his hand, twists it, and growls, “It’s best if you keep your hand to yourself. You don’t want to find out otherwise, do you?” His tone is one of the deadliest.

Jake drops his hand, and the drunk guy scrambles away. Before I could thank him, he takes my hand and drags me out of the place, leaving only when we were out of the house to type on his phone. He looks furious as he mumbles something so fast it’s hard to grasp.

“Thank you,” I say.

He turns to me, and his furious look softens when he sees me. He takes a step toward me, and my first instinct should be to move away, but my feet don’t want me to move.

“Hey, don’t cry,” he whispers in a soft tone.

I touch my cheek and realize that I’ve shed a few tears. I wipe them with the back of my hand and smile lightly at him. “It’s okay. I am okay,” I tell him, trying to call Mom again but failing.Where is she?

He surprises me when he opens his mouth and says, “It’s all my fault. I know you don’t like parties, yet I forced you to come.” He genuinely looks sad about it, and I manage a slight shrug.

“It’s okay. Can we please not talk about it?” I plead.

As much as I despise parties, I still end up here, either trying to please Kristy so that she doesn’t get mad or to prove something to someone like Jake. I want to forget this ever happened.

He nods his head in response, and I am thankful that he is not pressing it further.

“Excuse me. I need to call a cab now.” I turn away from him.

“You know, I can give you a ride. You live right next door.” He surprises me with his offering.

But there’s no way I want to add something else to today’s list. “Gee, thanks. A cab ride is better than yours.”

“Seriously? After I just saved your ass? Come on, Rose, you don’t mean that.”

Ugh, there goes my heart beating again when he says my name. When calling a cab doesn’t work either, I give in.

“Okay, fine. Can you take me home now?” I look straight at him. “Now!”

“What? This soon?” He looks shocked.

“Look, you don’t have to leave the party, not for me at least. Stay as long as you want; I’m fine taking a cab,” I tell him and try for an Uber again.

Just when my phone starts to ring, he snatches it away from me. “Hey!”

He holds the phone out of my reach. “I was joking. You know my mum would kill me if she found out I left you alone somewhere.”

He chuckles at my attempt to reach for my phone, so I stomp my foot. “Then we’re leaving right now. I can’t stand here.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He salutes me with two fingers and hands me back my phone. Guess what? He isn’t as bad as I think he is.

Five minutes later, we’re on our way back home. The ride is silent, with some kind of music playing. I wonder what kind of car it is. It surely is an old model, maroon-colored car, but he has kept it as if he just brought it. After debating internally whether to ask him or not, I finally gave in to my curiosity.

“What kind of car is this?” I voice my question.

He chuckles and says, “I knew you’d ask that. It is a classic Ford Cortina, an original piece from the 1960s. It got passed down through the family.”

It surely is well taken care of, as it drives so smoothly. Unaware of myself, I run my hand over the dashboard. Jake clears his throat, which snaps me out, and I retract my hand. “Sorry.”

I gaze out the window as I watch trees go by and stars light up the night sky. Some clouds are obscuring the moon, and the city is stunning.

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