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The taxi driver put his foot on the gas, and the car lurched forward The scarred du behind and the fa where she’d learned about love froed her life rolled out of sight

Twentybut stare out theShe almost felt…numb It was kind of nice Raine didn’t expect the reprieve to last because the pain lurked just under the surface But she’d take the daze for now The ly

The cab stopped in the little strip shopping center She thought about asking hiot a call for another fare And honestly, she didn’t knohere to tell hirabbed her suitcase, then climbed out

It started to rain

Da, Raine dashed into the shelter of the store She pretended to browse the cos cards, toys, snacks—and ca she could really use

She grabbed the first one on the shelf, paid a goth girl for it, and peered out, hoping for a break in the storm, which probably wouldn’t last But all she had to do was find a place to hang her head for the night Then the skies could pour down buckets for all she fucking cared

Except no one was going to rent her a roo

Crap, she couldn’t even plan a departure without fucking it up

At the end of the road, the sign of a low-budget chain of ht her attention It wasn’t fancy, but it was clean and probably pimp-free Those were her only requirements now

Fifteen led her purchase under her ar, transferred her suitcase to her other hand as she strolled through the autoht would be no problem Their computers were down currently, and none of the rooreed to store her suitcase for her, handed her a claim ticket, then told her she could check in officially as soon as the touchy machines all came back online

Nohat? She could hang out in the lobby, but she’d have nothing to do except to think of all she’d lost Since she was no longer focused on the details of getting fro at her again, e her of any desire to put one foot in front of the other It would get better, she knew In time A few months, if she was lucky Maybe a few years

Maybe never