Torn between worlds

c from the nearby highway blended with the distant chirp of crickets, filling the air with a strange sort of calm. But neither of us

, Jake

his jacket pockets. "You gonna prete

ng to play dumb. "What

girl? The call? That freakin' SUV? You're te

e sidewalk, watching it skitter across the asphalt. "I don't know, m

straight-up movie-level drama. Did you see the look on her fac

eah, I noticed. But it's not like we can

same. He turned to face me, his expression

t w

he said, lowering his voice as

. "What p

working on her car. Her dad called. I wasn't tryin

r?" I asked, cr

ep breath and said, "Her dad was laying into her about not being married. Told her she's not ge

tunned. "You

told her if he dies before she ties the knot, she

," I said, tryin

it," Jake replied. "No w

one, the way her shoulders sagged, the way she muttered

ued. "Who do you think he was? He didn't l

uit was burned into my mind. "Could be anyone. A

Pete. The guy practically screamed trouble. Did you see

Something was unsettling about the whole intera

alking, throwing out theories like

id. "You know, like her dad cut her off a

a few minutes later. "Like, what if that guy was

what if she's secretly royalty, and she'

u've been watching to

id with a shrug. "Life's str

to see if the bus was coming. "Look, whatever her deal is, it's not our probl

the words, I knew I

the faint scent of her perfume still hanging in the air. And no matter how h

ard. Jake found a seat near the back, but I stayed standing,

oscope of colors across the darkened streets. My mind wandered bac

s had spoken volumes-fear, frustr

nd neatly tied-up endings. This was real life, messy and unpredictable. And I

casting a silver glow over the quiet neighborhood. Jake and

Jake turned to me. "You thin

e answering. "I d

ed. "If we do, call d

eyes. "Goodn

ight,

't answer. As I unlocked the door and stepped inside, I told myself I was overthinking

p at the ceiling, I couldn't shake the fe

outside a darkened mansion. The man in the su

eiver. "I've found her. It'

and with it, any lin

foreboding, as the pieces of an uns