Chapter 19.
945 Words
Harper stared at the screen, a lump forming in her throat. The world was calling her back, but she felt like she was looking at it through a thick pane of glass.
"Your mom?" Kane asked, sliding a thick ceramic mug of black coffee toward her.
"Yeah," Harper sighed, sliding the phone across the table so he could see the trail of messages. "And Max. She covered for me. My mom thinks I’ve been tucked into a twin bed at Maxine's house all night, not doing drug deals and outrunning the precinct."
Kane took a sip of his coffee, his eyes scanning the messages. "She loves you, Brooks. That’s a lot of pancakes for a Saturday morning."
"I know she does," Harper said, her voice small. She looked at Kane, who looked remarkably composed for someone who had spent the night on a parking lot ground. "It makes it harder, you know? Every time I lie, it feels like I’m stealing time from her. But if I told her the truth, she’d lock me in that hospital wing so fast I wouldn't see the sun again."
The waitress dropped two plates of eggs and hash browns between them. The smell was overwhelming, but surprisingly, Harper’s stomach didn't protest.
"So, what do we tell the world?" Kane asked, pointing his fork at her phone.
Harper picked up the device and began to type.
To Mother: Just woke up! Max’s bed is like a cloud. I’ll be home after breakfast. Love you.
To Maxine: I’m alive. I owe you a hundred dollars and my life. It was... the stars were something else, Max. I’ll tell you later.
She put the phone face down on the table and looked at Kane. "We tell them enough to keep them happy. We keep the rest for the asphalt."
Kane nodded, a silent agreement passing between them. "We’ve still got three weeks and change, Harper. What’s next on that glittery notebook of Maxine's?"
Harper took a sip of her coffee, the warmth of the diner and the steady presence of the boy across from her making the "dying" part feel a little further away.
*~*~*~*~*
The GTO’s engine was a low, predatory growl that felt entirely too loud for the sun-drenched cul-de-sac of Harper’s neighborhood. As Kane pulled into the driveway, the black paint of the car seemed to absorb the cheerful morning light, a dark stain on the pristine concrete.
Harper felt a sudden, sharp spike of anxiety that had nothing to do with her heart rate. "Okay," she whispered, grabbing her bag. "Just... stay in the car. Don't look at the windows. I’ll run in, say thanks for the ride, and you can disappear back to whatever garage you crawled out of."
Kane killed the engine, the silence following it feeling like a heavy curtain. He leaned back, a lazy, amused spark in his green eyes. "What, Brooks? Scared I’ll forget my manners?"
"I’m scared you don’t have any," she retorted, her hand on the door handle.
But the front door was already swinging open. Harper’s mother, Diane, stepped onto the porch, clutching a spatula like a scepter. She was wearing a floral apron and a hopeful smile that made Harper’s chest ache with guilt.
"Harper! You’re just in time! The first batch is-" Diane stopped mid-sentence, her gaze drifting past her daughter to the black muscle car and the boy sitting behind the wheel. Her eyebrows climbed toward her hairline.
"Mom!" Harper called out, stepping out of the car and trying to block the view. "Maxine had to run an errand with her parents, so Kane offered to drop me off. He was at her place this morning... asking about the list. He’s been helping us with some of the driving."
It was a clumsy lie, stitched together with the threads of the truth, but Diane was already walking down the driveway.
"Well, any friend of yours and Maxine’s is welcome here," Diane said, her voice bright but her eyes sharp, performing the maternal scan that looked for dilated pupils and hidden tattoos. "Kane, right?" Diane said, her smile widening as she reached the edge of the driver’s side door. "I remember you from the other night. The young man with the very... impressive car."
Harper felt the air leave her lungs. She had forgotten that her mother had caught a glimpse of the black beast in the driveway just a few days ago.
Kane didn't miss a beat. He opened the door and stepped out, smoothing down his leather jacket with a grace that felt entirely too polished for a boy who had spent the last hour in a gritty diner. To Harper’s absolute horror, he offered a polite, practiced nod. "Good to see you again, Mrs. Brooks. I hope I’m not intruding on your morning."
"Not at all! We have plenty of blueberries, and I owe you a thank you for getting her home safely," Diane said, her maternal radar pinging as she took in his disheveled hair and the slight shadows under his eyes. "Though you both look like you’ve been through a bit of a storm."
"It was a long night of planning," Kane said smoothly, his voice dropping into a respectful register. "The list is getting ambitious."
"Well, anyone helping Harper with her dreams deserves a plate. Come in, both of you."
Harper shot Kane a look that promised a slow and painful death, but he simply winked at her as he followed Diane into the house.
- Writer
