“Don’t send myself into a seizure,” she says with an eye roll. “Yeah. Got it.”
When we reach the car, I throw my arms out toward it and say, “Ta-da!”
Chrissy looks at me skeptically. “Did you steal this?”
“Oh Jesus Christ,” I mutter. “No, I didn’t steal the car. It’s a perk of my new job.”
“New job?” she asks, still sounding like she doesn’t believe me.
“Yeah, we’re about to be rich,” I say, tugging open the back door for her to get in.
Cammy gets in the front, giving me another dirty look. All I do is grin at her.
We don’t go straight home. I stop off at an ice cream place that I haven’t been to since high school. We go inside and each enjoy a two-scooper, taking our time. Laughing. Enjoying the day like we deserve it—because we do. It’s almost like our life doesn’t suck.
It won’t for much longer, but that’s hard to believe. This still feels so unreal.
And… it is. Because when we get home, the witch is in.
Chapter Nine
Cassius
I drive past the trailer, swerving to the left and almost hitting a couple of garbage cans to avoid a cat.
“Damn Oreo,” Chrissy mutters.
“Oreo?” Cammy asks, looking into the back seat. “Is he new?”
“Heis ashe, and no. Oreo has been around for a few months.”
Chrissy is always trying to take care of the stray animals. I hate it and love it.
Love it because I love how sweet she is and that she cares about animals, even when she has practically nothing herself.
Hate it because I know what it's like to feel compelled to care for something because no one took care of you.
Cammy and I try our best to care for Chrissy, so she doesn’t end up the way we did. We promised each other that when she was first born, though at five, I doubt Cammy had any idea what she was actually promising. But we’ve talked about it over theyears. It’s our job to take care of Chrissy and make sure she has the best life… as best as we can make it. Better than ours, at least.
“Where are you going?” Cammy asks.
“I can’t park this in front of the trailer with Mom home.”
It’s a good thing I saw her through the windows before pulling up.
“And you think she didn’t see us swerve around the trailer?”
“These windows are tinted. There’s no way she sawusin here.”
Cammy rolls her eyes and goes back to looking out the window as I make the turn down the dirt road that leads to Abe’s. He lives on the dead end part of the road, so there should be plenty of space to park this thing.
Thankfully I spot his truck, and park on the side of his trailer toward the woods and out of the way.
“Wait here,” I say as I hop out, leaving the car to run. Hurrying up the steps, I pull open the screen door and knock.
Abe pulls it open, shirtless and with a grin on his face while chewing something.
“You know, I was just thinking about you.”