Tears fill my eyes. “I have a party on Saturday. Ellen invited me to her party. Can we just stay until Saturday?” I whisper.
Mom’s face falls and her eyes flicker up to my friends as they all wait. “Next time,” she murmurs.
There will be no next time.
“Say goodbye, Rosh,” she urges as she squeezes my hand in hers.
* * *
“Here, you are going to need these.” He passes me a large yellow envelope. “Inside you have your new passport and three utility bills in your name so you can open a bank account.”
“Thanks.” I look down at the envelope in my hand, my ticket to freedom, and I clutch it tightly. The boat is docking in Columbia as we speak and Stace—I mean Mac—is letting me off the ship. The plans have changed and now I’m not going to Puerto Rico, apparently, but that suits me fine. It gets me away from him quicker… him and Chelsea. I’m pissed at myself that his words last night about being bored in our cabin cut me like a knife, and I just want to get the hell away from him as soon as possible.
He is not good for my sanity, but then again I’m not sure Columbia is a much safer option. I will, however, be glad to rid myself of this cabin fever bullshit.
“You will have to apply for a driver’s licence yourself and you may have to go through your learner program again, we can’t get past that one.”
I nod. “Okay.”
“It’s probably best to open a few bank accounts as soon as you get to mainland because the utilities are still in date now.”
“Yes, okay.” My eyes hold his. “Thank you.”
A frown crosses his brow as he looks down at me.
“I sincerely mean that. You didn’t have to save me, yet you did.” I smile softly.
He puts both of his hands into his pockets as he stares down at me as if scared to touch me. He has a good reason. I’m feeling unstable after he went to Chelsea last night. If he touches me, he’s going down.
“Can I have a goodbye kiss?” he asks hopefully.
The electricity zaps between us.
“No.” I cut him off before he has time to retaliate. Why would I want to kiss him? So another fucking asshole can bring me undone? No, thank you. Alone and safe is a much better option.
He frowns in question.
“I don’t want to kiss you. I’m done with us. It was fun while it lasted, let’s just leave it at that?”
He shakes his head in frustration as if knowing that I am lying through my teeth.
The horn on the boat sounds loudly.
I look toward our cabin door and screw up my face as I feel the adrenaline shoot through my blood stream. “This is it?”
He nods.
“How will I get off the ship. Are they going to search me or anything?”
He shakes his head. “No, they will think you are one of the girls who travels with us. We come here regularly. They know us.”
I nod as I think.
“So, you will show your passport to them.”
“Oh. What’s my name?” I quickly open the envelope and then the passport. My face drops in horror. My deadpan, horrid face stares back at me, and I look like something from America’s most wanted. “C-could you not have picked a worse photo?” I stammer. “Oh, that’s woeful.” I scan down at the name Rebecca Williams.
He gave me his surname, although he doesn’t know that I know what it is.