Broken

Chapter Twenty-Eight

My mom can pick you up at the airport. Can't wait to see you

I reread the message over and over again as the plane was landing in Houston. I was growing excited to be back in Bridge Wood the closer I got. I walked through the airport with my suitcase rolling behind me. My phone was clutched in my hand and I glanced back down at the message. A ride from Houston to Bridge Wood with Justin's mom was what stood between me and my home.

That small feat seemed very doable. Mrs. Lathrop would have informed me of everything I missed in Bridge Wood. It would have been an easy, comfortable ride. The ride would have flown by. I would have been totally relaxed. The problem was Mrs. Lathrop was not at the airport. When I walked outside the airport, I saw Mr. Lathrop leaning against his car. The same car he had taken me to school in when Justin and I feel asleep building the float. The same car that I felt the opposite of relax in.

"Hayley," he said as he walked over to me. "Justin's mom got tied up with stuff back home. Hope you don't mind me driving you home instead."

"Of course not," I said quickly. My nerves were kicking in. That man made me uncomfortable and I was sure I was not the only one. Anyone who had ever been around Mr. Lathrop got that uneasy feeling around him. In simplest terms, he was scary. Mr. Lathrop was the kind of guy that always got his way and I wondered if anyone had ever told him no in life.

"Great," he said. "Let's get going. I'm sure you don't want to miss any of the game." I was surprised he was okay with doing this. He hardly missed a football game. He seemed a little too invested in Justin's football career to me for the most part.

"Yeah," I said. He took my suitcase from me and put it in the trunk. I was climbing into the shotgun seat as he did. I turned to buckle my seat belt. My eyes caught sight of a glare in the back seat. I saw a phone sitting on the driver's-side seat. I wouldn't have thought anything of it if it had not had the bright red case on it. I knew without a second thought it was Justin's phone.

I quickly turned around in my seat and took a deep breath. Why did he have Justin's phone? My head started to spin with crazy ideas. None of them eased my mind. I was looking straight out the window when Mr. Lathrop got into the car. I tried to control my breathing as he put the car in drive. Something was off. Something was wrong. I could feel it.

The ride was silent for a long time. We were on the highway towards Bridge Wood. The sun was setting fast in the autumn sky. Night would soon fall upon us and that only made me worry more. I wanted out of the car. I wanted away from Mr. Lathrop.

I needed to do something. I did not want to assume things, but Mr. Lathrop should not have that phone. My phone was in my back pocket. I had been sitting on it for most of the ride, not wanting to move a muscle. I could see Mr. Lathrop from the corner of my eyes. I did not dare look at him. I could see he had a relaxed grip on the wheel with one hand. I began to move my hand to grab my phone but dropped it in my lap when I felt how shaky it was. I took a deep breath through my nose and moved my hand again. This time I was in full control and I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

This was normal. Teenagers were always on their phones. He would not think anything of it. He does not know that I know he has Justin's phone. He has no clue how suspicious I am of him. He may be aware of how much I feared him. That I felt was obvious to the naked eye. I unlocked my phone. What do I do now? I could not exactly text Justin. He would not get the message for obvious reasons. Nora seemed like the only answer. She was the only other person that I felt I could trust.

Nora, please tell Justin that his dad is driving me back from the airport right now. I think something is wrong.

I typed the message and did not think twice before sending it. I quickly switched to an app on my phone. I could tell Mr. Lathrop's eyes were on me. I bit down on my lip again, hoping he had not seen what I did.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Oh, I was just texting my dad," I said. "Wanted to make sure he knew I landed alright. He was nervous about me flying alone." That was believable, I hoped.

"Dads are that way," said Mr. Lathrop.

I dropped my phone and my hands in my lap. My hands felt shaky again. I forced a smile on my face and just nodded. I could not find my voice. I was too busy praying that Nora would take my message seriously and tell Justin.

"How was New York?"

I glanced over at Mr. Lathrop. We were over half way through the drive and it was the first he had really spoken. I had been thankful. My nerves were going into overdrive and I was speculating all the bad things that would come from this conversation.

"It was nice," I said.

"It's an amazing city," said Mr. Lathrop. "I haven't been in far too long. How is your dad doing? I haven't seen him since he left for college."

The fact that Mr. Lathrop knew my dad was not a comforting thought. I had not even realized that they had probably met before. I wondered what my dad thought of him. I quickly realized I needed to answer the question.

"He's doing good," I replied.

"That's good to hear," said Mr. Lathrop. "I thought I saw him in town with brunette last week. I was shocked to see him in town." I bit down on my lip again. Did he not know about my grandmother's funeral or was he trying to be insensitive?

"Yeah, that would be his fiancé," I said.

"Oh, he's engaged?" Mr. Lathrop noted. "That must be tough for you."

"She's really nice," I said.

"That's good," Mr. Lathrop said. "I'm glad you're getting along with them. Are you thinking about moving to New York after school?"

"I...haven't really thought about it," I said honestly. New York City was not much of an option in my mind. It seemed so far away and so different than what I had envisioned for my life. I wondered if that question was supposed to through me off guard. It had not worked. I was too focused on getting out of that car. I supposed the whole conversation was meant to distract me. Maybe it did at some point.

My memory blanks out around there. I never really remembered what happened after Mr. Lathrop brought up New York. Perhaps it was a good thing...