Left On The Highway: Too Late, Ex-Lover

ne for Them; They Couldn't

r three hours just because my boyfriend's new coworke

o my back; my lips cra

ed the group chat: "Almost done." No one repli

wn as I stared at the bl

doesn't feel like going anymore. We're resting at the gas st

riend. In thin canvas shoes, I walked the whole three miles

my injuries, they insis

degree fever and begged f

"Take some Tylenol

he knife: "Stop textin

holarship from Imperial College London-the offer I'd been

trash can, called a taxi, and headed straight for the airport. At the departure

pte

ke's

ood from my rubbed-raw heels seeping through my white

ff the asphalt,

ew message from Eas

drive into town. Walk yourself along the highway

y heart went i

his personal errand g

bjected-because every time, he'd tell me:

y would play with me, but he was

brought his coworker

terfully weaponized helplessness-three grown men tripped

ld had to stop spinning until someone f

and cook dinner for everyone until I dropped, and al

oked the cabin, planned the rout

picked up the rental Tahoe at Phoenix Sky Harbor, she started compla

; the cooler at her feet dug into my wais

as acting up, and Easton immediately dabbed peppermi

waves; my legs ach

the visitor center at the park's sou

savagely on t

he way to the parking lot entrance-sixty or seventy people

ad given it up for her on the grounds that her

manicured fingers resting on the visor. "Three hours in l

t me through the

rdered, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Text us whe

inting at the endless queue. "It's almost a hundred and four

middle row. "Kenzie could get heatstroke. You're stu

Avery had already un

e letting the AC out,"

halt so hot it fel

diesel fumes and

undred meters to the tail of that endless line.

had soaked through my shirt

hour

gan to peel. One by one, people left the line to buy water at the little stor

ter, I finally shuffled

xted the group: "I'm almost

rep

on. Straight

ainst the glare, and looked back toward

pt

e, the sun casting a s

e couldn't sit still in the car, so they'd decided to sk

left me a bo

ither-it was still stuffe

s a phone at sixte

walk along the hi

row gravel shoulder. Every so often a car roared past, s

les; every step drove the coarse

at my heels with every

ight heel had bled through

nto my eyes, sti

beside the road, and lingering where ther

station sign shimmering in the heat haze

shaking too h

like it had b

asphalt lot and immediately spotted the black Ta

e heavy glass door

oning froze the clammy s

on, Hiram, Avery, and Kenzie, the table l

matcha, laughing brightly at

not a single bead

to the table

hem looked u

g from his voice. "What took you so long? It's barely three m

observation deck p

s a raw, cr

nergy drink and set the ca

iting for you to finish your three hours, the whole afternoon w

I said. "My bag's

mb toward the SUV's trunk outside the window. "We were gonna save y

down at t

y soda cans, and the crumbs of a bag of

was left

with big eyes brimmin

de hair behind her ear. "My blood sugar dropped while I was waiting

ok my front

ead droope

easy ever since the m

d. "Why do you have to start drama every single time you show up? Sweaty and sour

ered and sh

so slow," he teased. "Classi

last time one of his j

store's buzzing

ood soaking through my sock,

swore at my college graduatio

, who once swore when Dad walked out

who used to ride bikes with me

ering Kenzie, terrified that my pett

thly clarity w

erupt. It froz

I said

w?" Hira

rom under the

he car," Hiram said, grabbing the keys off t

y bag." I

dn't trembl

tched the bag from the car, and s

he tossed over his shoulder, heading

wrappers and empty cu

" I

ep and turned around

" I picked up my bag. "And I wi