15. Piper
PIPER
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Kerry Winsor: Anyone know why @SherriffMike Finch is in front of The Reserved Bean? Did something happen?
Comments:
SherriffMike Finch: Can I not have a quiet moment to enjoy a coffee, woman?
Kerry Winsor: You’re usually at the station! It’s a fair question.
Hu Gh: Listen, those pops you heard were NOT me.
SherriffMike Finch: Hugh, I literally saw you and stopped you from shooting that squirrel.
Hu Gh: You didn’t!
SherriffMike Finch: I can’t stand you people . . .
Memories spun in front of my eyes as I locked the door and slid down to the floor. I needed to check to be sure no one was outside, but my breaths were coming fast, and all I could do was remember what Scarlett told me: put my head between my knees and try not to pass out.
I never thought I would see Arlo again. He’d only come when Dad was at his worst and needed his next fix. Arlo would look at me in a way that made me so uncomfortable that I would run to my room, lock the door, and put a chair there for extra security.
A few times, he tried to get in.
And judging by the way he looked at me again, I had a feeling he still wanted me in a way that made me sick to think about.
My chest tightened and I knew I couldn’t sit still. I stood, pushing my couch across the room and against the door just to be safe. Then I shut my curtains before falling onto the couch.
I pressed my fingers into my scalp and knew I couldn’t deal with it alone. My first message was to Scarlett. I hated that I needed yet another emergency session in such a short time frame, but I did.
My message sat unopened and I stared at the screen for a long time, chest tighter with every passing moment. I knew she had other patients she needed to see.
But my skin was crawling. I had no idea if Arlo was still around. I had no idea who Theo even was.
Which meant I was unsafe.
The next move was calling my best friend.
“Hey, Piper,” Joey answered. “Been a bit since I heard from you.”
“Y-yeah. Things were good. Now they’re not.”
His whole tone changed immediately. “What happened? Where are you?”
“I’m home. I’m safe. I think. Someone from my past is here. Which means I can’t be in Strawberry Springs.”
“Oh, Piper.” His voice shook in the same way it did when he saw my first panic attack.
“I need you.”
“I’m out planning for the wedding, but I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
My heart squeezed. “How long?”
“An hour and a half. But I’ll make it quicker. Promise.”
He hung up without another word and I set a timer on my phone. If I could stay safe for an hour and a half, then I would be okay. While I waited, I did my deep breathing exercises and tried not to think of what had happened.
Slowly, the panic receded. The quiet of Strawberry Springs helped, but knowing my door was barricaded and that meant that no one could get in helped even more.
Logic won out, and I started to sift through the memories of what had happened, trying to make sense of it.
Everything blurred together when I saw Arlo, but now that I was alone, I remembered he and Theo had been arguing.
I didn’t know what it was about.
That was when Scarlett messaged me back. When I saw her offer to hop on a call with me now, I scrambled for my computer.
I nearly cried when I saw her face.
“Hi,” I said, my voice still wobbly. “I’m so sorry to call you like this. Again.”
“It’s fine,” she replied immediately. “This is my job, after all. I’m happy to help. What happened?”
“Someone my dad knows was in town today. Arlo. He . . . was really bad.”
Her jaw dropped. “Oh my God. Are you safe?”
“I think so. My door is locked. My sofa is in front of it. And I have friends coming over soon.”
“Have you called the cops?”
I tensed. I’d called the cops many times before. They were never any help. Every time, Dad talked them into letting him stay home, and they left me in that house far too often.
“B-bad memories. They don’t ever help anyway.”
“If you’re unsafe, someone needs to know,” Scarlett said slowly. “I won’t force you because we do need to talk and I think it’ll trigger you, but if anything happens in this session, I’ll be calling them for you.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“How did you run into this person?”
“He was here for someone else. For . . . Theo.”
Scarlett blinked, her brow furrowing. I knew that shock. I still felt it.
Theo had known Arlo, the man who’d provided my dad with far too many drugs, ones that eventually took his life. The man who wanted me since before I was legal.
“That must have been terrifying.”
“It was. It is.” A sob escaped me as I tried to find words. “I can’t be here now that I know someone connected to my past is living here.” I let out a shaky breath. “It’s not fair. I liked this place. It felt safe. Theo felt safe too.”
“How does Theo know him? Did you hear a conversation between them?”
“Does it matter? Theo has a connection to Arlo. I shouldn’t trust anything he says.”
“Maybe not, if he’s okay with what Arlo has done. I’m only asking if you know if he was.”
I thought back. My stomach twisted at the memories, but I pushed forward.
“No. I didn’t stick around long enough to ask.”
Scarlett nodded. “I’ll be honest here. I wouldn’t blame you if you left purely because of Arlo, but all I ask is that you don’t assume Theo was involved. Where is Arlo now?”
“Theo threatened to call the sheriff when he got close to me. And . . . now that I’m saying that, I see your point.” I let out a sigh. “It was just so scary seeing him again. I never thought this would happen here.”
“Do you know why he was there?”
“To visit Theo is what he hinted at. But Theo didn’t seem thrilled about it.”
My phone buzzed with a text. I was tempted to ignore it, but I was curious to see if Joey was close.
Theo
Hey. The sheriff will be keeping a close eye on your place in case Arlo gets any ideas. He knows what he’s done. I’m sorry I was involved in it, and I understand if you never talk to me again.
“Piper?” Scarlett asked. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” I said. “At least I think so. Give me just one second, please.”
I stood and moved toward the window. True to Theo’s word, there was a sheriff parked in front of the shop. The man inside the vehicle was watching the road intently.
“Theo told the sheriff to keep an eye on me,” I said to Scarlett when I sat back down. “He’s outside now.”
“Theo had the right idea,” she said with a smile. “How do you feel about it?”
“Relieved. Curious. Would it be a terrible idea to talk to Theo?”
“Not at all.”
“And if I stay?”
Scarlett hummed as she thought about it. “You like Strawberry Springs, yes?”
“I do.”
“Do you want to leave?”
I thought about it. “No.”
“Then I think everyone deserves a chance to explain themselves.” She gave me a small smile. “Don’t you?”
I’d just finished my session with Scarlett when a loud pounding came at my door. For a moment, my body tensed, but I knew that knock by heart. I had to push the couch back to its spot first.
“H-hey,” I said, still out of breath.
“Did you barricade the door?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Jesus. Are you okay?” His eyes roamed over my form. I wasn’t at my best, but I’d already been through my worst. I was sure my cheeks were red after dragging the couch and my hair was messed up from running my hands through it.
“I think so. I had a session with Scarlett just now. It was short but necessary.”
“Good. I bet she agreed that we need to get you out of here. Where should we start?”
I blinked. I knew I said I’d need to leave, but now that I’d calmed myself down, the idea of me leaving seemed like an overreaction.
“I . . . I’m not sure. I’m still a little overwhelmed.”
Joey knew what to do when I was overwhelmed. I hated that I felt this way so often.
“Let’s get you some water,” he said.
I followed with a nod, letting him take care of me. When I had water and a soft blanket, he finally spoke.
“We need to get packing.”
“Packing?”
“To leave.”
Shit. He was still on that. “I’m not leaving.”
“What?” Joey’s voice went hard. “No way. Why would you want to stay here?”
“I owe it to Th—” I paused. With the way Joey stared at me, maybe it was better that I didn’t say who it was. “I need to make sure I didn’t overreact.”
“You don’t overreact.”
“I absolutely do.”
He sighed and pinched his nose. “Judging by how your past is? You’re justified. Something happened here, and I’m not letting it happen again.”
My jaw tightened. I knew Joey cared about me, but I deserved to be able to handle this in the way that was best for me.
“This is a part of life.”
“It’s not. And it won’t happen again when I’m involved.”
“And what does that mean?”
“It means that I’m putting my foot down. You’ve had two panic attacks since coming here, and that’s not okay. You say you’re doing well, but you’re not. So, you’re coming with me.”
My entire body tensed. I didn’t want to fight with Joey because I knew he cared about me.
But this was over the top.
“I’m not leaving right now.”
“Obviously. We need to pack first. We can get it all done and have you home by tomorrow.”
“No, I’m not leaving tomorrow either.”
“You said you needed to go.”
“That was in a moment of panic. I’m better now.”
“And what happens if I leave and it comes back?”
Some of the fight left my body. “How about we compromise? What if you stayed the night and we can see how I feel? If I panic again, we can talk.”
I really hoped I didn’t.
“Piper, I—this is a bad idea. You said you weren’t safe here.”
“I need to pause and think. Scarlett supports it.”
Joey groaned. “Seriously? Why does she—”
“Can we not fight over my therapist? Are you trying to get me to panic?”
That seemed to get Joey out of his thoughts. “No, of course not. I’ll stay the night to make sure you’re okay.”
“Thank you.”
“Any time. Now, do you have food or should I go shopping for you?”
“I have food.”
“Then I’ll cook you something. It’s the least I can do. And I know you’re never hungry after something like this, but you need to eat.”
“You’re right,” I said with a nod. “I should eat.”