you ask me. You don't corner my family and question them."
My head snapped around, ready to defend myself, but my voice softened when I saw his face.
"I didn't. Amanda—"
"I don't believe you. If I wanted you to know, I would have told you."
"I'm sorry, Josh, but I—"
"God, you're like all the rest of them. You get all hyped over the money and my baseball star brother-in-law."
"What are you talking about?"
"You loved it. Having Brian's hands all over you." His fist started pounding the center console, and he had trouble catching his breath.
"You are ridiculous." I found my voice.
"Am I? Don't think you’re special because he paid attention to you. You're not. He does that to every hot girl. You're no one special."
"Josh?"
I gripped my leg and tried to stay calm although my heart broke hearing his words. I did nothing to encourage Brian's advances.
Josh continued his rant. He stopped speaking to me, but he spouted words for his own benefit.
“I don’t fucking believe this. God, I shouldn’t have brought you.”
I grew tired of his self-pity, poor little rich boy rant quick.
I opened the car door and stepped out. He reached out to grab me, but I pulled away and slammed the door behind me. Although muffled, I heard his solo rant continue inside of the car.
My eyes adjusted to the darkness, but the chill in the air ran through me.
This is not a good idea.
And when Josh started the car and peeled away from the side of the road, leaving me stranded in the middle of nowhere, it confirmed it. This was a stupid idea.
I stood there in the dark on the side of the road, rubbing my hands up and down my arms as I hugged myself. I watched his taillights disappear in the distance and thought to myself that any second he would come back for me. No way would he leave me stranded on a deserted road in the middle of Florida.
I started walking. I remembered a gas station a couple of miles back, but we were no longer on the main road. We had exited and turned down a side street before Josh stopped. At twelve am, the placed was probably closed.
I walked in the direction Josh drove. The deserted road spread out in front of me. There were no street lamps, and I could only see a few feet in front of my face. I hadn't seen a car pass since we pulled over.
I bit my lip and rubbed my arms to ward off the cold. It was seventy degrees outside but to me, alone and cold felt the same. Tears formed in my eyes, and I tried to hold them back. If they started, they would be impossible to stop, and nothing seemed more pathetic than a girl stranded on a deserted road crying her eyes out.
I held out for one more minute and then the floodgates opened. I sounded like a wounded cow dying on the side of the road. My sobs shook me to my core. I walked a little faster, trying to control myself.
Up ahead, I saw a bend in the road, and I prayed I would find something or someone willing to help. I started jogging to get to it quicker, but I slowed my pace when I turned the corner, and Josh's silhouette came into view illuminated by the taillights on the back of his car. He squatted with his back to the bumper. I continued my slow pace, and I hated myself for being not only relieved, but also happy to see him.
***
Joshua Elijah Griffin, IV
I turned the light on in the car and stepped out. I wanted to go back and get her. The magnitude of what I had done weighed on me, and I needed to let her make the decision on how this would go. I hoped she would get back in the car and accept my apology. Hell, I hoped she would give me a chance to apologize and not walk right past me.
I squatted near the ground. I wanted to crawl into a ball and move time back by sure will. I half hoped a car would come by, pick her up, and run me over, but I was too much of a chicken shit to throw myself in front of it.
I watched her walk toward me. Her face hid in the shadows, but she slowed down and hugged herself. She sighed when she saw me.
She continued, slow and
My head snapped around, ready to defend myself, but my voice softened when I saw his face.
"I didn't. Amanda—"
"I don't believe you. If I wanted you to know, I would have told you."
"I'm sorry, Josh, but I—"
"God, you're like all the rest of them. You get all hyped over the money and my baseball star brother-in-law."
"What are you talking about?"
"You loved it. Having Brian's hands all over you." His fist started pounding the center console, and he had trouble catching his breath.
"You are ridiculous." I found my voice.
"Am I? Don't think you’re special because he paid attention to you. You're not. He does that to every hot girl. You're no one special."
"Josh?"
I gripped my leg and tried to stay calm although my heart broke hearing his words. I did nothing to encourage Brian's advances.
Josh continued his rant. He stopped speaking to me, but he spouted words for his own benefit.
“I don’t fucking believe this. God, I shouldn’t have brought you.”
I grew tired of his self-pity, poor little rich boy rant quick.
I opened the car door and stepped out. He reached out to grab me, but I pulled away and slammed the door behind me. Although muffled, I heard his solo rant continue inside of the car.
My eyes adjusted to the darkness, but the chill in the air ran through me.
This is not a good idea.
And when Josh started the car and peeled away from the side of the road, leaving me stranded in the middle of nowhere, it confirmed it. This was a stupid idea.
I stood there in the dark on the side of the road, rubbing my hands up and down my arms as I hugged myself. I watched his taillights disappear in the distance and thought to myself that any second he would come back for me. No way would he leave me stranded on a deserted road in the middle of Florida.
I started walking. I remembered a gas station a couple of miles back, but we were no longer on the main road. We had exited and turned down a side street before Josh stopped. At twelve am, the placed was probably closed.
I walked in the direction Josh drove. The deserted road spread out in front of me. There were no street lamps, and I could only see a few feet in front of my face. I hadn't seen a car pass since we pulled over.
I bit my lip and rubbed my arms to ward off the cold. It was seventy degrees outside but to me, alone and cold felt the same. Tears formed in my eyes, and I tried to hold them back. If they started, they would be impossible to stop, and nothing seemed more pathetic than a girl stranded on a deserted road crying her eyes out.
I held out for one more minute and then the floodgates opened. I sounded like a wounded cow dying on the side of the road. My sobs shook me to my core. I walked a little faster, trying to control myself.
Up ahead, I saw a bend in the road, and I prayed I would find something or someone willing to help. I started jogging to get to it quicker, but I slowed my pace when I turned the corner, and Josh's silhouette came into view illuminated by the taillights on the back of his car. He squatted with his back to the bumper. I continued my slow pace, and I hated myself for being not only relieved, but also happy to see him.
***
Joshua Elijah Griffin, IV
I turned the light on in the car and stepped out. I wanted to go back and get her. The magnitude of what I had done weighed on me, and I needed to let her make the decision on how this would go. I hoped she would get back in the car and accept my apology. Hell, I hoped she would give me a chance to apologize and not walk right past me.
I squatted near the ground. I wanted to crawl into a ball and move time back by sure will. I half hoped a car would come by, pick her up, and run me over, but I was too much of a chicken shit to throw myself in front of it.
I watched her walk toward me. Her face hid in the shadows, but she slowed down and hugged herself. She sighed when she saw me.
She continued, slow and
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