I Knew You Were Trouble: Accidents Happen Read Online Free Page A
Author: M. X. Potter
stopped walking and stood about ten feet away from me. I could see concern in her eyes. Maybe she thought I expected something.
"It felt wrong," I answered poorly, "I don't know why, but I didn't want you to spend the day in there." Her head tilted slightly as she considered what I said. "You will go to court, right?" I added, my three thousand dollars still weighed heavily on my mind. I think it was the wrong thing to ask. I saw her eyes water and I began to rethink what I couldn't unsay.
Adeline moved toward me, her bottom lip trembling. She entered my personal space with no reservations and hugged me. "Thank you for not hating me," she said, then the floodgates opened. I could do nothing but hold her. I hadn't been anyone's shoulder in a very long time. I was out of practice. Nothing I could think of to say seemed appropriate. She was a blank slate to me, and prison didn't seem to be the only thing she cried about. Something deeper was wrong. I should not have come -- she needed her own Oliver.
"Can I give you a lift home?" I asked softly. The closeness was uncomfortable, and I needed to get back to work. Adeline wiped her eyes and broke her embrace. The absence of her arms around me was strangely disconcerting. Maybe I shouldn't have spoken quite so soon.
"I am sorry for last night," Adeline admitted. Her remorse showed in her hazel eyes. "I was desperate and thought....I don't know what I was thinking. I am not normally a bitch." She gave me half a smile. It was a weak, non-confident smile that wrapped her apology.
"I wasn't at my best either," I said, "my last words to you were... misguided." I was doing it, apologizing to the woman who rear-ended me. I had no spine. Maybe Jessica had ripped it out of me when I wasn't looking. "I have to get back to work. Can I drop you somewhere?" I asked again.
"I'm not sure," Adeline said, "maybe my sister's." The 'maybe' was disturbing. She must have seen the confusion in my face. "I was staying with a friend." Her expression looked shy, and her cheeks reddened. "That was her SUV last night. She isn't answering my calls." Homeless? I was in deeper shit than I had envisioned.
"Your sister's then," I said with a false smile, gesturing toward the door. The quicker I could drop her off, the better I would feel. I already did the white-knight thing and had repaired my soul. It was time to exercise my spine. Adeline smiled and led the way to the door, which I opened for her. I tried not to notice how well she filled in her jeans. I needed more backbone.
Adeline pulled out her phone and fiddled with it as we walked. "Phone's dead," she informed me, "couldn't charge it last night." I smiled, anxious to get her on her way, and pulled out mine and entered my code. "Thank you," she said as I handed it to her. She laughed as she tried typing in the number a few times. "I don't know the last time I had to remember her number."
"Hard to live without your contact list," I agreed. I reached the car and unlocked the doors, opening the passenger side for Adeline. She stalled before she entered, raising one hand up to me and the other holding the phone to her ear. I waited as she listened intently.
"Cathy, it's Becca. I need to stay with you for a few days. Call me as soon as you get this," Adeline stated and hung up. "She's not answering right now," she said, looking a little distraught. The feeling was mutual. Adeline tried to hand me my phone, and clipped the side of the car door with it. Her eyes went wide when it fell from her hand. It spun away from us and landed glass-down on the pavement. The sound of it hitting was not pleasant.
"Oh, no!" Adeline cried as she squatted to pick it up. I closed my eyes, knowing what the ugly sound meant. "Oh, no," Adeline said again as she turned the phone over in her hand. "I am so sorry." Her voice sounded choked. I opened my eyes. The glass on my new phone had a thick crack running from one corner,
"It felt wrong," I answered poorly, "I don't know why, but I didn't want you to spend the day in there." Her head tilted slightly as she considered what I said. "You will go to court, right?" I added, my three thousand dollars still weighed heavily on my mind. I think it was the wrong thing to ask. I saw her eyes water and I began to rethink what I couldn't unsay.
Adeline moved toward me, her bottom lip trembling. She entered my personal space with no reservations and hugged me. "Thank you for not hating me," she said, then the floodgates opened. I could do nothing but hold her. I hadn't been anyone's shoulder in a very long time. I was out of practice. Nothing I could think of to say seemed appropriate. She was a blank slate to me, and prison didn't seem to be the only thing she cried about. Something deeper was wrong. I should not have come -- she needed her own Oliver.
"Can I give you a lift home?" I asked softly. The closeness was uncomfortable, and I needed to get back to work. Adeline wiped her eyes and broke her embrace. The absence of her arms around me was strangely disconcerting. Maybe I shouldn't have spoken quite so soon.
"I am sorry for last night," Adeline admitted. Her remorse showed in her hazel eyes. "I was desperate and thought....I don't know what I was thinking. I am not normally a bitch." She gave me half a smile. It was a weak, non-confident smile that wrapped her apology.
"I wasn't at my best either," I said, "my last words to you were... misguided." I was doing it, apologizing to the woman who rear-ended me. I had no spine. Maybe Jessica had ripped it out of me when I wasn't looking. "I have to get back to work. Can I drop you somewhere?" I asked again.
"I'm not sure," Adeline said, "maybe my sister's." The 'maybe' was disturbing. She must have seen the confusion in my face. "I was staying with a friend." Her expression looked shy, and her cheeks reddened. "That was her SUV last night. She isn't answering my calls." Homeless? I was in deeper shit than I had envisioned.
"Your sister's then," I said with a false smile, gesturing toward the door. The quicker I could drop her off, the better I would feel. I already did the white-knight thing and had repaired my soul. It was time to exercise my spine. Adeline smiled and led the way to the door, which I opened for her. I tried not to notice how well she filled in her jeans. I needed more backbone.
Adeline pulled out her phone and fiddled with it as we walked. "Phone's dead," she informed me, "couldn't charge it last night." I smiled, anxious to get her on her way, and pulled out mine and entered my code. "Thank you," she said as I handed it to her. She laughed as she tried typing in the number a few times. "I don't know the last time I had to remember her number."
"Hard to live without your contact list," I agreed. I reached the car and unlocked the doors, opening the passenger side for Adeline. She stalled before she entered, raising one hand up to me and the other holding the phone to her ear. I waited as she listened intently.
"Cathy, it's Becca. I need to stay with you for a few days. Call me as soon as you get this," Adeline stated and hung up. "She's not answering right now," she said, looking a little distraught. The feeling was mutual. Adeline tried to hand me my phone, and clipped the side of the car door with it. Her eyes went wide when it fell from her hand. It spun away from us and landed glass-down on the pavement. The sound of it hitting was not pleasant.
"Oh, no!" Adeline cried as she squatted to pick it up. I closed my eyes, knowing what the ugly sound meant. "Oh, no," Adeline said again as she turned the phone over in her hand. "I am so sorry." Her voice sounded choked. I opened my eyes. The glass on my new phone had a thick crack running from one corner,
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