Page 36 of Chasing Stardust

Dash sweeps my hair over my shoulder, and my stomach somersaults. “I don’t know your sister, but I think you look a lot like your mom.”

“You . . .” I lift my gaze and find myself trapped in his mesmerizing eyes.

Inconvenient or not, you still have a boyfriend, remember? I may finally be ready to put Damian out to pasture, but even he deserves more than an impersonal text message breakup before I start shopping for his replacement.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I look away while I still can. “You’re not watching the road.”

“Sorry.” He shifts his attention to the traffic ahead.

As if he has a sixth sense, or some sort of Zoey radar, my phone rings and Damian’s face lights up the display. Speak of the devil. With a panicked glance at Dash, I accept the call.

“Finally!” Damian’s voice booms through the line, and I can almost see the vein in his neck pulsing with every breath.

Twisting in my seat, I face the window and lower the volume on my phone. “Hi.”

“Are you ignoring my calls?”

“No, Damian.” I grit my teeth as I grind out the words. With my insides coiled like a snake about to strike, it’s a wonder I haven’t reached through the phone and strangled him with my bare hands. “I told you my phone died.”

“For Christ’s sake, Zoey! Why didn’t you charge it?”

“Because—” My breath hisses out like an Instant Pot releasing steam. Nothing I say will make a difference anyway. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter.”

“Call it a sign and scrap the whole trip. You can come with me to my brother’s place on Rehoboth for the Fourth.”

“I can’t just scrap my trip,” I whisper, hoping Dash isn’t paying attention.

“Why not? You’d have way more fun at the beach with me. And as an added bonus, I can help you register for classes.”

A dull ache builds behind my eyes, and I contemplate ending things right here and now. With a glance at Dash, I change my mind. This isn’t the time or the place to make those kinds of decisions. “I told you I wrecked my grandma’s car.”

“Exactly my point. Nothing you can do about that now, right? I’ll get you a bus ticket and you can—”

“I got a ride to Memphis.” I hold my breath and peek over my shoulder at Dash, watching the road with his jaw clenched tight enough to shatter bone. “To spread Mom’s ashes.”

The line goes quiet, and for half a second I think the call dropped, but then Damian chuckles. “Where’d you find someone to give you a ride in the middle of East Jesus?”

“Uh . . .” I fiddle with the frayed hem of my shorts, tugging another loose thread free. “West Tennessee, actually.”

“What the hell ever.” Damian snorts, and I can hear the eye roll from here. “Who gave you a ride, Zo?”

Dash shifts in his seat, opening and closing his mouth as if itching to say something.

My skin prickles, sensing his eyes on me. “Sorry, Damian, I’m losing the signal. Can I call you later?”

“Zoey, wait.”

“Sorry, I’m losing you.” I rub my finger over the speaker, hoping to make the line crackle.

“Don’t hang up.”

“Gotta go!” I mash the button, disconnecting the call, and put my phone on Do Not Disturb.

Eyes locked on the road ahead, Dash exhales through his nose. “So that’s him, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, he sounds . . .” He laughs, abandoning whatever polite flattery he was about to spout. “He’s not happy you’re still here, is he?”