Right Back to You

1. Fairytale Gone Bad

Kay hated her family more than ever. So much so that she ended up counting the money she'd managed to save every single night.

Her shift at Earl's had barely ended and she was already counting her tips for the night. Damn, it wasn't that much. He still needed a lot to buy her ticket to Dallas and secure her transportation to the town she'd left behind. If she could only call Kyle and ask him to pick her up.

Though, if she could call Kyle, she wouldn't be having this issue in the first place. She'd just tell him where she was and she was sure he'd show up immediately to whisk her out of there.

Then, they'd drive off into the sunset together and she'd never have to see her abusive parents or that idiot Donnie again. As it was, she was stuck with them until she gathered enough money.

Come on, you can do it.

It had been five months. Maybe he'd gotten over her.

"Play for keeps, remember?"

He'd said that and she believed him with all her heart. Maybe something had happened on his end, too. The thought of anything happening to him squeezed her heart even more than missing him. But Max had mentioned that he was in danger and she'd witnessed that danger first hand when they'd had their brakes cut off and plunged into a ravine.

"Hi, Kay!"

Her chidlhood friend, Angie, bounced into view, too energetic for the late hour and the prospect of the night shift. Which only meant one thing.

"Had a fun afternoon with Tom?"

She blushed furiously which was all the answer Kay needed. "We're just helping each other with homework."

Sure, just homework. Kay felt like rolling his eyes, wondering if this was how Kelly felt every time she'd claimed she and Kyle were just friends. Bullshit.

"Buuuut..." Angie rocked back and forth from the tips of her toes to her heels. "Tom and I came up with a fabulous idea."

"Really?" Kay asked amused. "Is he finally asking you out properly."

Angie shook her head, her black waves covering her face. "Don't make this about me. This is about you."

Kay raised her eyebrows. "Alright..."

"You see, Tom's brother is rather in the same situation as you. So... Maybe you two could go out?"

The next breath Kay took went down the wrong way and she found herself coughing so badly, she missed Angie's next words.

"...messy break up, so you'd be perfect for each other."

"I didn't go through a messy break up. I was practically kidnapped!" She and Kyle were still together.

Angie waved her hand as if there wasn't much of a difference. "You need to get away from that asshole and from your parents. Come on, it could be fun!"

She had a point there. Kay was so sick of her parents and Donnie always coming over she'd basically locked herself in her room where she spent her time crying and rolling the key to Kyle's Ferrari between her fingers. Maybe getting out of the house would do her good. And a date didn't necessarily have to become anything romantic, right? Maybe she could make a new friend.

Because she was so great at having guy friends. She'd completely fallen in love with the one she thought she had. She shook her head, trying to drive the worrying thought back.

"Plus, Jimmy is so cool and really hot," Angie continued.

Kay fought the impulse to laugh out loud. After Kyle, yeah right!