The Unpredictable Way of Falling

  He digs a lighter out of his pocket, lights up, and takes a hit from the joint. “You’re just jealous because you’re stuck being driver and can’t get high with me.”

  “Well, yeah, duh.” She grimaces as she pops a fry into her mouth. “You know I’ve never been very good at being DD.”

  “I can drive for a while if you want me to,” I offer as I stir my shake with my straw.

  She shakes her head. “Sorry Ens, I love you to death but no one drives my baby but me.” She worriedly glances at her Porsche parked in the parking lot. “I’m already on edge having it parked in this town. It stands out way too much. What if someone shows up and tries to steal it or something?”

  I peer around at the empty park and the fields that surround us. “For that to happen, there’d have to be people around.” I rest back on my elbows and stare at the cows in the field. “This place is one step away from being a ghost town.”

  Gaige takes another inhale from the joint, holds it in, then smoke snakes from his lips. “What if it’s like one of those towns in horror movies where any tourist that enters gets trapped there? And the townspeople are like vampires or monsters or just straight up whack jobs? What if we’re being watched right now, but we just can’t see anyone?”

  El and I trade an amused look.

  El dunks a fry into a cup of ranch. “And let the stoner talk begin.”

  Gaige gives a one shoulder shrug as he hands me the joint. “Here. Hold this for me while I eat my burger.”

  “Yes, boss,” I joke as I take the joint from him.

  He tsks me as he unwraps his burger. “You’re sounding more and more like El every day.”

  I shrug. “You say that like it’s an insult.”

  “Well, that all depends on who you ask.” Gaige flashes El a conniving grin and gets rewarded with a fry to the face.

  “You’re such an asshole sometimes.” She pretends to be irritated, but I can tell she really isn’t by the lack of effort she puts into her insults.

  She’s been acting strange since we took off. I wish I knew what was bothering her. We haven’t really spoken much about what happened, only given Gaige a quick recap when we picked him up, which was a sporadic move made when Gaige called and we told him we were going on a road trip.

  “I want to come,” he practically begged. I could hear yelling in the background. “I need to get the hell away from here for a few days anyway.”

  I’d glanced over at El, who could hear the conversation since I put the call on speakerphone. She shook her head, but when someone screamed in the background at Gaige’s place, she caved.

  “Fine, you can come,” she said with an exaggerated sigh. “But you have to promise not to be annoying or a manwhore.”

  “I’ll try my best, but no promises,” Gaige replied, sounding uneasy.

  Elodie sighed again, but let the subject drop, probably because of all the screaming. Clearly someone was upset, but Gaige never embellished when we picked him up and we knew better than to press since he rarely speaks about his home life.

  After we took off from his house, we hit the road, only making stops to go to the bathroom, get something to eat, and buy some clothes and toiletries, using El’s emergency stash of cash in her glovebox. We’ve spent the last few days driving toward no real destination, sleeping in the car and once in a hotel, just the need venture keeping us going. But no matter how much space I put between Fareland and myself, I can’t ditch the pain of betrayal, not just from Carter, but from my mom as well.

  I still can’t believe she’s been keeping my father from seeing me. Perhaps she has her reasons, but she should’ve told me before all this happened.

  I haven’t talked to her since I called her that night, only sending her a few messages from El’s phone to tell her I’m okay and that I’ll come back home when I’ve cooled off. I would’ve texted her from my phone, but after what happened with the SUV and the strange girl, I ditched it. And by ditched, I mean I threw it out the window. I don’t know for sure if there was a tracking app on it, but I’m not about to take that risk, especially when I have no clue who’s tracking me.

  For the first day of our drive, I spent a lot of time worrying if we were being followed. Every vehicle that got too close to us made me edgy, but so far none of them have been anything more than tailgaters so far. But I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being followed. By who, I haven’t got a clue. Maybe my dad? I’m not sure. I might be able to get some answers from my mom, but I’m not ready to talk to her yet, the pain of the fresh betrayal wound still too raw.

  As the ache in my chest begins to build, I put the joint to my lips and inhale deeply. I normally don’t get high in the middle of the day and don’t do it very often, but I need a break from my mind and my heart.

  “Traitor.” El glares at me as I exhale a cloud of smoke.

  Gaige swallows a bite of his burger then laughs. “Ha, ha. Now I’m not the only one who’s going to be annoying.”

  I take another hit and then rest my elbows back on the picnic table. “Sorry El, but I need a break from my own head.” When a flicker of guilt flashes in her eyes, I aim a finger at her. “Don’t. What happened isn’t your fault.”

  She stares out at the pasture while nibbling on a fry. “It sort of is, though.” She continues to absentmindedly nibble on a fry. “I mean, I’m the one who talked you into trying to make Carter fall in love with you. If I hadn’t, this might not be happening.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far.” I hand Gaige the joint as he sets his half-eaten burger down on his lap. “From what I got from reading that text, my father and your brother made some sort of plan that required Carter to bring me to my dad. I’m betting that’s why Carter asked me out and took me on that date. He never did tell me where we were going, but I’m wondering if he was just going to take me to my dad.”

  The pain in my heart expands as I remember how amazing that night had been up until I read the text Carter received from my dad. All the stuff Carter had said to me… all the kissing and touching we’d done that night… None of it was true. He never wanted to kiss me. He never thought I was pretty. And I’m guessing he was probably lying when he told me he’d never made fun of me, that he was only teasing and flirting with me. But the one thing that’s confusing is that photo he supposedly took of me. That photo was from a while ago, so either this plan between my father and him has been going on for a while, or he wasn’t lying about that. Or maybe he didn’t take the picture at all and just got it from someone else. Who really knows at this point.

  The one thing I do know, though, is that none of this is El’s fault.

  I swallow down the shaky breath wanting to escape my lips as I shamefully admit the truth. “I wish I could say this wasn’t true, but deep down, I know if Carter had asked me out, I would’ve said yes, even without your plan, El.”

  “Yeah, I know.” El scoots back, lies down, and stares up at the sky. “But I still feel like it’s partly my fault. Carter’s my brother, and it’s my fault you even have to be around him.”

  “So what? You’re not responsible for what he does.” I gulp down the rest of my shake then lie down on the table beside her. “And I don’t want you to blame yourself. You’ve been the best BFFFB ever and nothing will ever change that.”

  “Oh yeah.” She turns her head, a smile quirking at her lips. But a drop of sadness resides in her eyes. “What if you get a hot, rich boyfriend one day and I convince him to run away with me? But then he returns to have sex with you one time and you end up pregnant with his child? But he still runs back to me?”

  I giggle. “If we end up living in a soap opera, I’d still love you. And besides, in the end, he’d probably just end up impregnating you too. Then you’d have to come back to live with me and we’d raise our children—who would be half-siblings—together. But since they’d share birthdays, we’d lie to them and tell them they were really twins.”

  “Yeah, but wouldn’t they get upset when they found
out the truth?” she plays along with a smile on her face.

  I shrug. “By the time that happened, we’d be living on our private island, that we never told anyone the location to, sippin’ on margaritas and laughing at the mess we left behind and leaving their father to deal with it.”

  She laughs. “Hell yeah, we would.”

  I laugh with her while Gaige stares down at us like we’ve grown two heads.

  “You guys are so weird.” He rests back on his elbows and inhales another hit. “And kind of morbid.”

  “You like hanging out with us, so what does that make you?” Elodie teases with a wicked glint in her eyes.

  Gaige shrugs. “I never claimed to be normal.”

  “Neither did we,” El quips with a sassy smirk.

  “True,” Gaige agrees, slipping on a pair of sunglasses. “I guess that’s why we get along so well.”

  They look at each other and then bust up laughing, like Gaige’s words are the most ludicrous thing ever. Me, I sit there in silence and wonder when the two of them are going to finally hook up. Because one day it’s going to happen. Just you wait and see.

  He hands me the joint and then lies down on the table. “I need a nap.”

  I put the end of the joint to my lips and inhale deeply. “I need some cookies. And cheese.”

  “I need to get high,” El gripes. “You two are bumming me out.”

  I move the joint in her direction. “Just take a hit, then. We can hang out here for a while. We don’t have to leave anytime soon.”

  “True,” Gaige adds, shutting his eyes. “I’m cool with lying here and taking a nap, just as long as those cows don’t start staring at us.”

  My gaze flicks to the cows. “Yeah, I know. They’ve got some pretty shifty eyes, don’t they?”

  Gaige bobs his head up and down. “I think the really big one that’s standing close to the fence was trying to summon me over there with its mind powers.”

  El chokes on a laugh as she takes the joint from my fingers. “Oh my God, Gaige, what the hell is in this shit?”

  “Lovely things.” Gaige sighs contently.

  I giggle then get comfortable and shut my eyes too. I know El takes a few hits as the skunk-ish scent continues to lace the air. I remain motionless, feeling more relaxed than I have in days. So relaxed that I manage to fall asleep without even noticing. I don’t know how long I sleep for, but I swear it feels like only a moment goes by before El is frantically shaking my shoulder.

  “Ens, wake up.” She gives me another harsh shake. “We have a huge fucking problem.”

  My eyelids feel like lead as I open them and blink up at the sky, now darkened with clouds. “How long was I out?” When I laid down, the sun was shining.

  “I don’t know,” El says in a panic. “I fell asleep too.”

  “Would you two quit yammering?” Gaige mumbles. “It’s nap time.”

  “No, it’s time to wake the hell up.” The worry in El’s tone is even more evident this time.

  I sit up and blink at her. Her bloodshot eyes are wide with fear and she has her phone in her hand.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask, trying not to freak out.

  “I just checked my phone and got this message from… Carter.” She winces as she says his name.

  I eyeball the phone like it’s the devil. “I don’t want to read it.”

  “You need to read it,” she insists, urging me to take the phone. “I’ve had my phone shut off. It’s been a while since he sent it…” She swallows hard, her eyes flooding with tears. “This is so bad, Ens.”

  Nervousness chokes me as I take the phone from her and read the message.

  Carter: El, I know you’re mad at me and I completely understand, but you need to call me ASAP. Ens is in danger, which I know sounds fucking crazy, but please just trust me and call me, okay? And you need to ditch your car. Dad’s got a tracking device on it and he’s letting Winston Maerriellie use it to track Ens down.

  My heart races in my chest. “Who the hell is Winston Maerriellie and why the hell is he tracking me down?”

  El shakes her head. “I have no idea why he’s tracking you down, but I do know who Winston Maerriellie is. My dad represents him and I’m pretty sure he might be part of some mafia in Fareland.” She muses over something. “Although, I don’t think my father knows that I know that. He thinks I’m too stupid to understand what’s going on. But I so do.”

  “What the hell? Fareland has a mafia!” I practically shout, my voice echoing around us.

  Gaige bolts upright, furiously blinking his eyes. “What the hell are you two shouting about?”

  I shove the phone in his face. “This.”

  He reads the message then his face drains of color. “Winston isn’t just part of the mafia. He’s the leader.”

  El and I gape at him.

  “How the hell do you know that?” El snaps.

  Gaige fidgets uncomfortably. “Because my father works for him.”

  Three

  Ensley

  I don’t know how much time passes in silence before El snaps out of her shocked trance. Me, I continue to remain lost as a wild monkey in a city.

  “Holy fuck, you’re like a little mafia baby offspring,” she says, astounded and kind of impressed.

  “First of all, I was only a mafia baby offspring when I was born,” Gaige clarifies, shooting her an annoyed look. “And second, it’s not as cool as it sounds.”

  “Oh, I beg to differ,” she says, impressed. “It sounds cool. Like way cool. And kind of sexy.”

  He cocks a brow. “Is this seriously turning you on?”

  El innocently shrugs. “Kind of.”

  He shakes his head. “You’re so fucking twisted. I’m not even kidding.”

  “I don’t really care.” Her expression falters. “We need to get out of here, right?”

  He stares at her incredulously. “What the fuck are you looking at me for?”

  “Because you’re the mafia baby offspring.” She hops off the table and puts her hands on her hips. “So tell us what to do, Tell us how to outrun the mafia.”

  “And tell us why they’re after me,” I add, wiping my sweaty palms on the sides of my legs. “Because I’m really freaking confused about that. I mean, I’ve never even been around a member of the mafia before, so why would they suddenly be after me?”

  Pity crams Gaige’s eyes. “I’m sorry Ens, but I really don’t know.” His jaw ticks. “I try not to get involved with my dad’s business as much as possible.”

  Okay, so I think I’m starting to get a glimpse into why Gaige rarely talks about his family and why he doesn’t seem to like to be around him.

  “But I might have a few ideas on how to outrun them.” He hoists himself off the table and motions for us to follow him as he hikes across the grass.

  El and I hurry after him, jumping as thunder rumbles across the sky.

  “I think we need to call Carter.” El stares down at her phone in her hand while chewing on her bottom lip. “He might be able to tell us more about what’s going on.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Gaige walks out of the gated area of the park. “You call him while I work on your car.”

  “What do you mean, work on my car?” She punches in the passcode to her phone. “There’s nothing wrong with it.”

  Gaige crouches down beside the back tire of her car. “I know. I’m going to get the fucking tracking device off it. That should buy us some time to figure out our next step.” He extends his hand underneath the car and feels around.

  Elodie’s eyes are huge as she stares at Gaige in awe, as if seeing him for the first time. “So sexy,” she mouths to me before dialing in Carter’s number and wandering to the front of the car to talk.

  I’d laugh, but the situation is too terrifying. How can this be possible? Why would a mafia leader be after me? Is the strange girl who showed up on the side of the road linked to this? Does she work for this Winston guy? The last thought makes me shudde
r.

  Then another thought smacks me out of nowhere. One that makes my stomach churn. Does my dad have anything to do with this? It can’t be a coincidence that all of this is happening at the same time he tries to pop into my life. My mom also said he wasn’t a good man and I once heard her tell my aunt his money is corrupt. Wait, could he be part of the mafia too?

  “Maybe I should call my mom,” I say. “She might know more about this.”

  “Let us get on the road and then you can call her.” Gaige straightens, clutching a small, square, black box with a red blinking light. “You’ll need to be careful when you talk to her, though. Her phone could be bugged.”

  My jaw nearly smacks the ground. “People actually do that?”

  “The mafia does. I’m not really sure if they qualify as people, though. I think once you start killing…” He hastily clears his throat. “But anyway, yeah, we need to be extra careful no one finds out where we are.”

  Everyone keeps saying we, like the mafia is after all three of us. According to Carter, though, this Winston dude just wants me.

  “Maybe I should go off on my own,” I suggest, although I really don’t want to. “You and El don’t need to get involved in this. Whatever this is.”

  Gaige blasts me with a stern look. “Don’t start with your self-sacrificing shit.”

  “Hey, I don’t do that,” I protest, jolting as thunder booms.

  Gaige’s brow arches. “You don’t?”

  I hesitate. “Do I?”

  He reluctantly nods. “You take the fall for a lot of things El does. And I know you don’t talk to your mom about a lot of stuff because you don’t want to upset her. You’ve even taken the blame for me a couple of times, like that one time when we got caught ditching school. And then this whole making Carter fall in love with you plan… You didn’t want to do it, but you did it anyway because you thought you were helping El. And look where it got you.”

  I crinkle my nose, more at myself. “This isn’t El’s fault.”

  “I know. That’s not the point I’m trying to make.”