She was sitting with her arms wrapped tight around her knees, like she planned to be there for a while. Or maybe she was just cold. Hell,Iwas getting cold, and I was wearing an old fleece-lined hoodie over my dirty gas station polo. But Anna, she had just the shirt, no sleeves, no collar either. I glanced toward her feet. She wasn't wearing any socks.
Weird.
Then again, maybe she planned to kick off those shoes as soon as her date – or whoever – picked her up.
I frowned. But I hadn't seen a car – not ahead of me or behind me. And she wasn't acting like someone heading out for a good time.
Something made me ask, "You running from someone?"
"Yeah," she snapped. "You." Her voice rose. "Seriously, what's your problem?"
I had so many problems, she had no idea. But a rich girl like her? She probably thought that a chipped nail was a major catastrophe.
And yet, like a dumb-ass, I still didn't like the thought of leaving her out here alone. Rich people were different. I knew that.
Still, something was definitely off.
But I was no knight in shining armor. And if she wanted me to go, it wasn't like me to stick around. And yet, when I saw her shiver, I didn't like it. So, idiot that I was, I yanked off my hoodie and tossed it in her direction.
I half expected her to swat it away or tell me that she didn't want my cheap-ass hoodie when she had a closet filled with designer stuff at home. But she didn't do either of those things.
Instead, she grabbed the coat like a lifeline and said something I never expected. "Thanks, seriously."
"You're welcome."That's what I was supposed to say, right?
Softer now, she added, "I owe you, okay?"
I gave a tight shrug. The only thing she owed me was the hoodie back, which I'd make damn sure to get tomorrow at school. And if she forgot? I'd be waiting to remind her.
I wasn't generous. Then again, I couldn’t afford to be.
It was my only coat.
As she shrugged into the hoodie, which looked about ten times too big on her, she said, "But will you please leave? I mean…" She cleared her throat. "I don't want to be seen with you."
A low scoff escaped my lips.Message received.
But it's not like I wanted to be seen with Anna Burke, anyway. Yeah, she was hot, even for a junior. But she wasn't my type and never would be.
Rich girls, they weren't my thing. I didn't work my ass off at some gas station to blow my wad on fancy dinners for chicks who were more trouble than they were worth.
And Anna Burke was definitely trouble.
As I stalked back to the truck, I wondered if Anna realized that the hoodie was the only winter coat I had, which meant that if she refused to give it back, I'd be stuck buying a new one.
Yeah, I had a job. But I wasn't saving up for clothes. I was saving up for an escape. The moment I turned eighteen, I'd be out of Sugar Falls so fast, they'd be lucky to see my shadow.
And I'd be taking that hoodie with me.
It was a good plan, right?
Not in the end.
Just twelve hours later, that stupid hoodie was the least of my concerns as I found myself needing an escape of a different kind.
Thanks to who?
Anna Fucking Burke.
