Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
I do one last thing, texting her.
Me: Hendrix, where are you?
If the woman is crazy enough to leave me in her home without a backwards glance, I guess she’s capable of turning any and every thing off. Message received. I throw my phone to the bed and grab the rest of my clothes. Dressing in yesterday’s clothing isn’t my favorite thing to do, but sometimes it’s what’s necessary. I guess I’m the fool who thought something would come out of this. Clearly, I was wrong. It’s time to refocus on the not so crazy aspects of my life, which right now aren’t easily attainable. I know the minute I leave Hendrix’s place, I’ll be back to helping my family, working, and taking care of anything and everything I can. It doesn’t take me long to get dressed, but during that time, my phone doesn’t chime either, and that says plenty enough to me
“Let’s go boy,” I tell my chocolate lab. He’s sitting in front of me, big eyes wondering what the hell is going on, and has me doing much the same. I take another glance around as we walk through the small place. “I hear you boy. I’m done, fucking done with the psychosis that is Hendrix Drake. If this is the games she likes to play, she can play them alone,” I tell Coop. At least he'll listen to me even if he doesn’t respond.
TWENTY-FOUR
Hendrix
I ended up leaving Journey’s house shortly after breakfast. I stole an outfit that would be better than the sweats and oversized shirt I slipped on before leaving like a thief in the night. Only it was broad daylight. No walk of shame was happening, since I was running away from my own damn house. The best thing was that Journey didn’t say a word, and neither did Nico. Sure, there were instances where I could tell they both had something to say, certain looks that were telling me what they were feeling, but thankfully, they kept quiet, giving me time to wrap my head around everything that is Madden Hughes. Which is not an easy task. The man is pretty freaking perfect from what I know of him. Admittedly, that’s not a lot. Besides the fact that he rescued a dog and said dog was a horndog, he kind of sucks at dog ownership but not, since he was looking out for Coop much the same as I was for Jolene. The man can kiss, and he didn’t shy away from the way I practically attacked him. Instead, it only made him hungrier to consume me. And then there’s the tenacity. If there’s one thing about Madden Hughes that stays consistent, it’s that he never gives up.
We’re out in the open air, the beauty of nature surrounding Jolene and me. Mother Nature is once again showing off in all its glory. I even did something totally unlike me—I left my phone behind in the car. It’s a major no-no when you’re out here by yourself, away from a lot of people, and I could have potentially put myself in danger. Some days, though, you need the silence. The calm and tranquility today seemed more than necessary with my head rattling around with life. I know what I was after when I stole away to the trails, and when silence also comes from friends who are more like your family, that’s when it’s time for a reflection of sorts. And while I should be absolutely appalled with my behavior, sadly, I’m not. If my mother only knew the half of it, she’d no doubt give me the one word that rips my world to shreds. The “D” word, code for disappointed, a word that can cripple me to tears in a matter of seconds. Another reason why I haven’t been going to their house recently like I’d usually make a point to do? My mom is one of my best friends, and not telling her what was going on lately is not something I could do face-to-face. So, I’ve made sure to keep calling her like I usually would without causing an alarm while also using Jolene as an excuse as to why we haven’t been over like we normally are. I guess that’s going to have to end because Jolene is getting back to normal and can do light trail walking, which sucks because we’re both used to longer walks, but it’s only for the time being.
“Alright, Jolene, it’s time to face reality. I’ve taken enough time off work, hidden from the world, and now it’s time to put a few things to rest,” I tell her after our thirty-minute hike. It’s not our usual length, but I also wasn’t prepared either, kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing. Okay, fine, I’ll admit to myself what I clearly am not communicating out loud. That song, the one where it goes, “She’s a runner, she’s a track star,” that is most definitely me in this scenario.