Page 129 of Valley Girls
Water rushed down the wallows of the hills. Across the river, the hill rushed with it. Rilla yelped, pressing the pedal to the floor as a chunk of thick mud crested into the river and sprang upward to her side of the river. Too fast. She was too fast. The water was too fast. The road was too fast. She slammed on the brakes and the back end skidded behind her, fishtailing in a hydroplane. The river seemed to reach for her. The mountain was pressing against her, pushing her off the road.
The truck stopped, half off the road, facing the river.
Fingers shaking, she unbuckled and got out. The rain drummed on her head. Her heart pounded; she was sick to her stomach. She couldn’t do this. What had she done? This was punishment for revenge. She put her hands on her knees and bent, water dripping in a long stream off her nose and over her lips. She was almost there. She just needed to keep going and everything would be fine. Get back in the truck. She stared at it for another few minutes, willing herself to get back in and keep going. If she kept going, she’d make it.
If she kept going ...
Rilla straightened and got back into the truck.
•
The rain had lightened to a drizzle by the time she pulled into the meadow in the Valley. She wanted nothing more than to rub her ticket to France in Petra’s face, but the rain had sobered her up and left her empty. Thea wasn’t home. No one was.
In the silent house, safe and sound, it felt like a hollow victory. Particularly given what she’d had to do to get there.
She got in the shower, hoping to wash off the guilt. The sight of the hill rushing into the river and the water spinning around her in the truck flashed as the shower hit her back. The drive was over. She had done it, and she had fifteen hundred dollars to her name. She pulled back her hair and took a deep breath.
No one was home yet, and after getting out and dressed, she grabbed Thea’sWilderness First Aidand sat on the porch with a box of cookies.
She’d only been out there ten minutes when Walker came up the steps. “Hey, girl,”
She froze. She’d been avoiding him since Middle Earth as best she could, but somehow it had only been making it harder.
He smiled, bending down to kiss her.
She twisted away, pretending she hadn’t seen.
He frowned and pulled away. “What’s up?”
She shrugged and studied the page—the words going to nothing.Shit. Why today?
He sat on the floor and folded his legs. “Are you okay?”
“Nope,” she said, turning the page. The next page didn’t make sense either. But she’d been stupid—stupid to allow herself to trust another person and ... why had she thought she could have feelings about him? Confide in him? Love him? He should have been nothing but a friends-with-benefits.
She’d gotten attached to everyone. And they all sucked.
She flipped another page, fingers trembling.
Walker took the book out of her hands. His tone was serious and made her think of the day in the river and how happy she’d been to be cared for. “Hey, what’s up?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Nothing. I made a mistake is all. I’m just ... I’m.” Her face burned. Her eyes watered.
“Did I do something?”
“Nope. You didn’t do anything.” She wasn’t trying to be vague, she just didn’t want to admit how she felt.
“Rilla. Talk to me.”
“I misunderstood you is all. I misunderstood everyone.” She sniffed and threw her arm over her face. “I just thought. I thought we were ...”
“Oh.”
If she’d harbored any hopes she’d misunderstood, they were dashed to utter destruction in his quiet, sadoh.
“It’s fine. It was all new and exciting to be here. I got confused.”
“I really like you,” he said. “I think you’re awesome.”
