Page 67 of All the Ugly Things
“I could have driven you,” she’d said.
“I know,” I’d responded.
I changed the subject to homework and her siblings, who I learned were six and three, named Mike and Vena. She went on to say that she and Josiah’s dad bailed on their mom when they were only two. Her mom was now remarried, but her stepdad was a semi-truck driver and spent most of the time on the road, which is why she had to help her mom with her brother and sister so much. I continued peppering her with questions, not giving her much of an opportunity to ask about me.
The less she knew about me, the better. And no one needed to know being in cars since the accident had induced more than one panic attack. Being alone with Hudson was bad enough, but I certainly didn’t need to lose it around the only person at school who talked to me.
Slowly, cracks were forming. Painful little splinters splitting open the cell I put around my heart for protection. They pricked at my chest every day.
Or maybe I really was getting an ulcer.
“Okay.” I grabbed my pen and worksheets I printed off in the student center’s printing office. “Help me figure this out before my head explodes.”
“Maybe we need a small break? Have any snacks?”
“Sure.” I shoved off the couch and went to my kitchen and pulled out cracker boxes and bags of chips I bought at Aldi on my way to Judith’s during the week. They were used to me stuffing a few overflowing reusable grocery bags in the office and the freezer. “What would you like?”
“I’ll take the chips.” She grabbed a bag of salt and vinegar chips, some of my favorites and I filled up a couple glasses of water. The cupboards came stocked full with everything and anything possible needed for a kitchen and I kept forgetting where everything was.
“Lived here long?” Angie asked, wearing a wry grin. “Or is your memory really that bad?”
“Moved in last weekend. It’s only temporary, though.”
“It’s a pretty sweet pad.”
“I know.”
“Rumor has it Hudson lives in this building. That his family owns it.”
“Do they?” I asked and shoved a chip into my mouth.
Even before, I didn’t like gossip or rumors. There were too many I tried to sweep away when it came to Josh. I usually figured asking questions and letting people talk themselves in circles worked better and required nothing from me.
If it was rumor Hudson lived here and not common knowledge, I wasn’t going to be the one who confirmed it.
“And I’ve never seen him on our campus before ever, so you have to give me something.”
Trust didn’t come easy to me, yet I found myself handing out crumbs of it. And Angie had been nothing but nice to me. It wouldn’t hurt anything to tell her some of how I knew them.
“I met his dad at the diner where I work. He comes in sometimes for pie and we started talking about school. That’s all.”
I chomped on another chip while Angie’s smile never faltered. “David Valentine goes to where you work for pie?”
Geez. She talked about them like they were celebrities. It wasn’t that I didn’t know they had money. Maybe because that’d once been a part of my life. It didn’t seem as awe-inspiring.
“Yup.”
“Where do you work?”
“Why?” I tossed a chip at her. It stuck to her shirt. “You going to come in for pie, too?”
“Maybe.” She plucked the chip off her shirt and tossed it into her mouth. “Where do you work?”
“Judith’s. It’s up by I-80 and—”
“I know where it is!” Her eyes turned to saucers and she busted out a laugh. “By the strip clubs. That place is the best!”
“You know it?”
