Once I get home, I quickly get off the bus and head inside. I see a note from mum on the kitchen table. she says that she's going to be out of town tonight, meeting yet another new client who wants to work with her. well, that work out then. I immediately climb the steps, head into my room, and change into light clothes that will still keep me warm. then, going on mums tablet that she only keeps in her studio, I quickly type Austin's address into google maps. when it loads and shows me how far his place is, I'm actually quite surprised.
His address is actually on the other side of town. he really came all that way to apologise to me, to talk to me after the incident with the bear?
For now, I push it to the back of my mind and quickly make a hand drawn map on a piece of paper. I just hope I can follow it correctly. then, quickly heading outside, I open the garage door and approach the bike I haven't touched since the day he died. it's light blue with purple stripes. I remember the days I would ride it while my dad was behind me. everything felt so simple then, so easy to process and get through. now, it''s just really hard without him here. but I know he would tell me to take it and get to Austin's place so I can warn him. I quickly grab the bike, first putting up the kickstand and putting on my grey helmet. then I wheel it out of the garage. thankfully, the day isn't windy so I'm able to easily hold the map between my hands as I wheel it towards the street.
Then, Once I'm at the sidewalk, I get onto the bike. hoping I can make it there soon, I start pedalling, riding the bike towards the same side of my street Austin has take, hoping It wont take me long.
It's been about an hour since I left the house. Red, Yellow, and Brown leaves greet me on all sides of the street. there are a couple wooden and rustic houses here, most with Edison bulb lights being the main lighting feature for outside. cars pass, honk at me even though Im riding my bike on the correct side of the street. there are a couple stores in the are: A cafe, a small boutique, even a very small bookstore. I'll have to check it out some other day, when I'm not so pressed for time. but as the minutes pass, I wonder just whether I've followed the map correctly. stress slowly starts to creep onto my skin, causing me to sweat a little. and suddenly, just when I feel like I'm truly lost and debate whether to turn back, I look to my right, about 200 feet away, and see someone very familiar working on a white truck thats a few feet off the ground. a radio plays on the dashboard inside. I quickly open the gate, unhooking the latch. however, he doesn't hear me as I jog up to him and say,
"Austin! I really need to talk to you! it's important!"
He looks up. I see an oil stain on his cheek, the one where the pink and yellowing bruise is. his lip looks a tiny bit better. same with his eye. he looks confused at first, the alarmed. why? is the guy here?
He quickly says,
"Nora? what the heck are you doing here??"
"You cant come to school tomorrow. please!"
"Why not? what happened?" he comes over, wiping his oil stained hands on a white rag as he does so. I quickly and frantically say to him,
"You know that girl who used to be in our schools Reading Club, Anne?"
"Yeah, I guess. but why-"
BẠN ĐANG ĐỌC
The Girl Who Reads
Teen FictionNora Greene loves to read. Some would agree when she says it's her literal drug. She's also the captain of her High schools Reading Club. One day, after hurting another student, just for defending her father, Nora is sent to the principals office. h...
