Running Game(176)

It was just as Old Greg had said.

The green house was in even worse shape than the Riverton bar. A window was busted out; the roof was caving in from a fallen branch. With the sun set and the shadows growing, the place looked like it had come straight out of a horror film.

Angel’s HERE?

My shaken confidence exploded into a blaze of conviction.

No, I thought to myself.

This isn’t good enough for her.

No matter what happens…

I killed the engine and kicked down the stand, parking next to an old truck on the edge of the street.

She deserves better than this.

And I’m gonna give it to her.

Every step I took towards the front door, my fresh insecurities burned away. With each heavy stride forward, my doubts, my fears, everything inside that told me that I might not be good enough for her faded away.

It all burned to ash in my throat, and the ash blew away in the wind. Here I am, filthy and contorted king that I am, ready to make a change.

I raised my fist to knock at the door.

That’s when I heard my Angel scream.





32





Angel





The medicine hit me like a sack of bricks, dulling my senses within minutes. Just like before, the pills pushed their digging, constricting fingers into my head, forcing up a wall between the world and me.

I hated it.

My speech slurred and my vision shook. Even my mind had started to drift. I’d planted myself on the couch and was content to count the dirty spots on the carpet, at least for as long as I could.

Mother means best. She just wants me to feel better.

An hour later, as I was absentmindedly running my fingers through my hair, I heard something outside. Quietly and gradually, I peeled myself up from my seat and stumbled over to the window. The old Ford pickup, rusted halfway to hell with a brutishly cracked windshield, was as unmistakable as the day I saw it last.

Oh God, no.

Roger had come for me.

“Mom? MOM?”

Her exasperated voice came from deeper in the house, somewhere towards her bedroom. “What is it, dear? I can’t understand you.”

“Roooooger... Rooger…” I could barely utter the warning. My tongue was tying itself in knots, rebelling against that blackened name.

“Oh, don’t be alarmed,” she called out cheerily. My mother came into the room, a smile slathered across her face. “He’s a good man, Angel. He cleaned up his act! Joined the church and everything. When he heard you’re back in town, he just wanted to pay you a little visit.”

“NO!” I shouted, stumbling away from the window.

Standing above me, Mom’s small smile soured. She suddenly looked at me like I was disgusting to her. “The Devil’s in you, girl. Has been ever since the accident. Always making you say evil, wicked things…”

I watched as she opened the door, my mouth hanging open. I had to calm down. Losing control of myself was only going to make things harder. I needed to get the hell out of here. My feet struggled to gain purchase on the floor, the medicine dulling my senses with a drunken, crippling high.

The door opened, Roger’s smiling face peering in.

The sight of him burned terror into my mind.

“Sally!” Roger grinned. “And you brought our little one…”

“I’m gonna head down to the store and let you two get reacquainted,” Mom smiled, glancing from him to me. I felt something inside me struggle to scream; it was caged up, struggling to penetrate this damning haze. “Roger, be a dear and teach this girl some proper manners.”

No. You CAN’T leave. Don’t do this to me!

I bitterly tried to say something – anything – but the words came out sideways. Mother just smiled and gave Roger a pat on the arm, thanking him for coming before stepping out the door.

I sat there in stunned silence, my vision pulling into a tunnel. Time seemed to stretch forever. Roger found himself a seat on mother’s recliner and waited patiently.

Five minutes passed, then ten. The medicine had taken hold. I was slipping away, just like I always did…

“I see you’re scared,” he said, his voice full of malice. “You never should have run away, my little Angel…”

My mouth was moving, but no sounds were coming out.

“I’ve missed you, babygirl,” Roger grinned. “It’s been too long. I thought I’d never see you again… but here you are. We’re back where we should be… together.”

A memory flashed into my head.

It was the night that Trent took me away from Riverton. I the early hours of the morning, with the sun rising ahead of us, he was driving so quickly. I’d almost blacked out from the anxiety of being brought back to the accident… but I’d focused on the logo on his dashboard.