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Original Edition: CHAPTER 31 - MYS

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September 8 | Noon

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September 8 | Noon

In the stinging rain, I squinted after the fading taillights of the Uber car and wondered if this was it. Was I losing Kittie Cad for good?

Kris had been my first boyfriend. We went to the same church. When I was fourteen years old, my parents had given grudging approval for us to start seeing each other. It wasn't that my heart kicked for the gangly kid I had known for ages, but because he had an X-Box, and his mom didn't mind us playing hours on end.

At my place, my folks enforced the "no video games, no music, no television" rule. Above all, I couldn't have boys in my room. They had no idea how different things were at Kris' apartment.

There, I was allowed to ditch my dresses and try on his jeans. Of course, his mom didn't know he tried on my clothes, too. She was the Pentecostal church choir director, homophobic enough to just be happy her son had a "friend-girl" rather than worry about what we did behind closed doors.

Now, as I stood in the middle of the sidewalk in the pouring rain, I remembered being juniors in high school. Trying on his Prom tuxedo, checking my reflection in the mirror while he posed in my bra. "Let's get married when we grow up," I had suggested.

"Nah, it's not going down like that," said Kris as he smoothed his slender hands over his low-cut fade. His lips were glossy from the Carmex my mother let me keep. "When we get out of this hellhole, you're going to Hollywood, and I'm finding Mr. Right."

Although I had never made it to Hollywood, it seemed Kittie Cad had found her Mister. Now, for the first time, our lives were diverging. Sadness blanketed me at the thought of letting her go, but I had to do it. The mayor's official contact info was online. I would call him and let him know Kittie deserved his love and trust.

After that, I would finish this business with Aurie and Zyr and get back to enjoying my solitude. It occurred to me I had never truly been alone. But with Kittie washing her hands of me, I would be, once the ghost and her detective were out of my life. That was what I wanted, right?

Dashing the rain from my face, I went back through the gate and returned to my apartment, and the mounting despondency arrested as relief washed over me. Aurie was huddled by my door watching me. Raindrops glistened in her wavy hair and beaded on her clothes and skin like jewels. She lifted and wriggled her fingers, a shaky smile flitting over her lips.

"Don't ever disappear on me like that again!" I rushed to her and pulled her into crushing hug.

Aurie laughed. "I told you I'd be back. By the way, you look like you're hugging the air to anyone who isn't Supernatural." She tiptoed to peer over my shoulder as I let her go. "There's Zyr."

I looked, too. Sure enough, the Dodge was pulling up across the street. I studied the woman in the truck with the detective and wondered why he brought along his partner. Was Tegan the reason he hadn't answered his phone all morning? Zyr hopped from the driver's seat and jogged to the passenger side to hand the redhead his keys. I overheard him tell her, "Take it back to my townhouse."

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