26. Kelsey
Chapter twenty-six
Kelsey
Brightwater was getting smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. My stomach hurt. With every passing minute, the distance between Quentin and me got bigger. I tried to get some sleep, but the moment I broke his heart kept replaying in my mind every time I closed my eyes. Why had I been so cruel? I knew my words would hit far below the belt, but at that moment, in that dark parking lot, I just wanted to get it over with. Leaving behind my life in Brightwater was difficult enough without Quentin pleading for me to stay. I knew if I said those words, he would leave me alone. It had worked, but I wondered if it had been worth the price.
“Can we make a stop?” I asked Ryan. “I’m feeling queasy.”
“You’re not going to vomit in my car, are you?”
“I just need a snack.”
“Already? We’ve got a long road trip ahead of us, Kelsey. I can’t stop every twenty minutes.”
“Can we just get something to eat, please? ”
He rolled his eyes. “Fine.”
Ryan pulled off the highway at the next opportunity and stopped the car in front of a dingy gas station with a flickering neon sign.
“Go ahead,” he said. “I’ll pump some gas while we’re here.”
I entered the gas station without him. A young black woman was lounging in front of the cash register and greeted me with a nod.
With shaky, sweaty hands, I headed straight to the section with the sweets and snacks, something to get my blood sugar up. Surely, that would make me feel better.
I picked a bag of Skittles and a box of Twinkies and added two chocolate bars with strawberry filling for good measure. With my arms full of snacks, I made my way to the magazine rack. I was in the mood for mindless celebrity gossip. Maybe it would take my mind off things.
Ryan came in, wallet already in hand. “Come on, Kelsey, hurry up.”
“Give me a minute. I need something to read for the drive.”
Ryan huffed and stomped toward me. He pulled out one of the glossy magazines without even looking at the title and pushed it into my arms. “Here. Can we get going now?”
“I’m coming,” I meekly followed him to the cash register and put my snacks on the counter.
Ryan groaned. “Twinkies and Skittles? Really? What are you, twelve?”
I shrugged. “I want something sugary.”
“You’re not getting those.” He shoved my snacks aside and grabbed two protein bars from a stand next to the counter. “Here, you can have these.”
I hated those bars. They felt like sawdust in my mouth. “I don’t want those,” I said. “I want Twinkies and Skittles.”
“I don’t care,” Ryan said. In the corner of my eye, I noticed the cashier girl was raising her eyebrows .
Ryan threw the protein bars on the counter. “We’re buying these. Until you learn how to make better decisions, I’ll have the final say.”
“But—”
“What? Are you going to throw a tantrum like a toddler because Daddy didn’t buy you candy?
He made it sound like a playful jab, but I could tell he was losing his patience with me.
“Okay, fine,” I mumbled.
As I watched Ryan pay for the protein bars I didn’t want, I noticed he looked a lot less appealing in the bright fluorescent light of the gas station.