Chapter 46
FORTY-SIX
Why did time seem to move slowly when I was excited about something, but now that I dreaded this stupid conference, the week seemed to go by in the blink of an eye?
I groaned.
This was Ty’s fault.
Every day, I looked forward to ending the day in his bed.
My parents had no problem with this development. Like Mr. Kane, they were ecstatic about the turn of events. It seems everyone was amused watching us going in circles.
After work, I would go to my parents, and sometimes Ty would join us for dinner. Other times, he had to close, and then I would make my way to his house.
It just seemed like the better option. Since he had the basement to himself, it gave him more privacy. I’m unsure I could get it on with my parents down the hall.
A girl had to have some dignity.
I looked at my duffle bag sitting on top of my bed, as if it had personally offended me. I was so distracted by glaring at the bag that I barely noticed the screech of my window as it opened.
“You know you can use the front door, right?” I told Tyler, somewhat amused as he climbed inside my bedroom window.
“I was reminiscing about the ol’ times.” He smirked at me once he was inside.
“Is that so, Tylosis.”
He scowled.
“All packed, beautiful?”
“I am. I really don’t want to go. I was looking forward to family dinner at your house.”
This made him smile.
“My dad invited your parents over.”
I scoffed.
“Without me there?”
This made him chuckle, but then he became serious. “Is something bothering you? You’ve been tense…uneasy.”
Shit . Was I really that uneasy about this trip? So much that Ty took notice?
If there ever was a moment to tell him, this would be it, so I opened my mouth, but the words didn’t come out. I knew by saying something, he would insist I didn’t go, and everyone at work would know, and then I would miss an opportunity.
“Is it your boss? Is he still mad about not getting your pieces in on time?”
I sat on the edge of the bed.
“My pieces were submitted… Um…I have to confess, I might have done something.”
This caught his attention, and he cocked his head at me.
“I might have used that tidbit of tea your dad dropped the other morning.”
Tyler started chuckling.
“I figured you might have use for that.”
Okay, great, he wasn’t mad.
“And I think you’ll love my ‘Around town with Hart’ article this week.”
At this, he beamed. Ty crouched in front of me and then used one of his hands to cup my cheek.
“I’m going to miss waking up next to you.”
“Me too,” I admitted.
My hands wrapped around his shoulders, and my forehead rested on top of his.
“I miss you already,” I told him.
His eyes widened, and then they went molten. He liked it when I expressed my feelings freely.
Ronnie aside, the conference was a delight. When we checked in on Friday morning, Ronnie was still a bit dry with me. There were a lot of people, so it was easy enough to ignore him.
I loved meeting other reporters and writers, everyone having collective ideas and sharing tips and tricks to make their small paper or blog grow.
It was very inspiring, and it truly motivated me by listening to other speakers. The only person holding you back half the time was yourself.
On Saturday, I was all over the place, and I had forgotten why I was even worried about coming here in the first place.
I was truly delusional since this weekend was a breeze, and I would be home tomorrow evening. Then I could put this behind me, I thought to myself.
Ronnie was slightly creepy, but that didn’t make him evil.
At that thought, a weight lifted from my shoulders, and I got ready for bed. While I did my nighttime routine, I gave Ty a quick call. He was going to go over to Zeke’s with his friends.
He gently reminded me that Collin wanted to talk to me, and I think I was finally ready to face him.
At the end of the day, we were stupid teenagers.
It was not his fault for having an allergic reaction, and I had done the right thing by calling an ambulance.
In a bigger town, that might not have been a big deal, but for our small town I ruined one of the biggest nights of the year for some of my peers.
At least after that, they had the actual event at a salon where they could have chaperons supervise and not have students govern other students, because that never worked out well.
The stress of the last few weeks and the constant anxiety I had been in since the announcement of this trip hadn’t allowed me a good rest. I was so tired I passed out instantly, not hearing the knocks on the other side of the door.
When I woke up, I was groggy but still alert. The room was silent, but an overwhelming feeling washed over me instantly. The air in the room felt heavier, almost suffocating. I slowly opened my eyes and could tell it was very early morning.
Somehow, that made it better.
Monsters came out in the dark, right?
If I had superpowers, I would say my spider senses were tingling—tingling a lot. As I became more cognitive, I could tell something was wrong. The hairs on my arms rose, and I felt gooseflesh all over my body.
I’ve had vivid sleep paralysis, but this was not that.
I blinked once.
Twice.
My hearing got better.
I could see the wall, but the eerie feeling that someone was watching me wouldn’t go away. My breathing instantly labored, and my body told me the things my eyes had not yet seen.
My heart began to beat faster, and blood raced through my system, making me feel lightheaded.
Before I could turn around, someone spoke.
I closed my eyes tighter and instantly began to curse myself for being so fucking stupid.
Even though I was fully clothed, I still sat up with the covers all around my body as if the blankets were going to act like a shield.
“W-w-what are you doing in here, Ronnie?”
It surprised me that my voice didn’t waver more than it did. Even though I wanted to scream and rage, and to tell him to get the fuck out of my space, a part of me knew I needed to stay calm.
Call it women’s intuition.
Ronnie was calm, sitting on the couch diagonally from the bed. How long he had been there watching me like a creep, I couldn’t tell you, but what I could say was that the amber liquid in his hand was not just a crispy Coke.
He was still wearing yesterday’s clothes: a pair of pants with wrinkles in them and a shirt with a loose collar. His hair was messy, and his eyes were a tad bit bloodshot. Although Ronnie was facing me, I felt like he wasn’t seeing me.
“You look so peaceful when you sleep,” he said, ignoring my previous question.
My stomach was in knots, and I didn’t know which way to turn.
My mind going a mile a minute, I couldn’t think properly.
My heart was racing, and I was sure my blood pressure was through the roof.
I didn’t know what was going to happen, but if my career and past have taught me anything, it is that I should keep a clear head.
“R-R-Ronnie…how did you get in here?”
He brought the drink to his lips and took a slow sip.
I was more unnerved by his nonchalant demeanor than anything else he could have done. Maybe if he were erratic and shouting, I could act appropriately, but his type of lunacy was something I couldn’t match—at least not yet.
Punch with your thumb out.
Look at the exits and try to find objects to use as weapons.
My phone! Where’s my phone?
It took a second for my brain to rewire and remind me that my phone was on the nightstand next to me where I left it after talking with Ty.
I did my best not to turn and double-check it was there in fear Ronnie would take it away.
I cursed myself for not leaving it charging, but I knew I had enough juice to get me out of a pickle.
“I had high hopes for this trip, Astrid.”
There it was again, that feeling that I had failed, that this was my fault. I could have prevented this if I hadn’t been a pushover and just said to give this opportunity to someone else.
My throat clogged up, and even though my nerves were fried, I tried to keep calm.
“It’s been g-g-great,” I let him know. “I’m thankful for the opportunity.”
The words tasted like ash on my tongue, but I forced myself to say them.
This gave me a reaction.
Ronnie chuckled.
“It originally was going to be Orianna. She’s an actual reporter. Has seniority over you, but then she fell in love and got married.”
There was a bite to Ronnie’s tone as he told me this.
Three things passed through my head at that moment.
First was the way he diminished my reporting abilities; now that he no longer needed to pretend, he went straight to attacking me, trying to make me feel even smaller—or grateful, even.
The second was that I am pretty sure Orianna was his first choice, but she married into law enforcement.
And the third thing was feeling like an idiot.
There were times to ignore the red flags, like when your car is making a funny noise and you tell yourself it just needs an oil change and it’s not that serious, but in this case, I was fucked.
“I’m sure her marital status doesn’t interfere with the brilliance of her work.”
The words got away from me before I could filter them. If there was ever a time to be docile, it was now, but bitterness at the situation got the best of me.
Once again, Ronnie ignored what I was saying.
“I was nice to you, Astrid, gave you opportunities. Some might say you were too young…fresh out of school to deserve the opportunities I gave you.”
My stomach sank even more with each word that came out of his mouth. If Ronnie wanted me to feel small and underserving of what I had achieved—or in his eyes everything I had not—he got it.
Bravo.
You had to give it to men. They possessed the real talent to diminish a woman’s accomplishments and render them insignificant.
“Then you should have brought someone else,” I said.
Tears threatened to spill. I was angry, ashamed, and felt foolish, but I knew I couldn’t fall apart yet. That was what worried me the most. Just what was Ronnie planning when he broke into my room?
“You have a chance here to do what’s right,” he stated.
Before I could question what he was talking about, he threw a copy of the paper that went out today back home.
With shaky hands, I reached for the paper, using the opportunity to lift off the bed slightly. I was now on the edge of the bed with one foot on the floor, ready to run. The paper was the least of my worries, but I still indulged Ronnie so that I could buy myself some time.
The first thing I noticed was that my “Around Town with Hart” segment was missing, but the column wasn’t.
The paper shook in my hands as I read the piece of crap that was written instead.
My anonymous column had a whole piece dedicated to the Kanes.