Swallow

Chapter 1.81:

Riley marched the whole way across the parking lot until she hit the side of the main road.  She made a right and continued down the street like she was going to walk home. She followed tightly to the edge line painted on the pavement until she disappeared behind a few trees where the road curved.

I leaned against my car and positioned my fingers into a few chord patterns against the door handle while waiting for her to reappear.  Once she calmed down, she would realize how idiotic she was for storming off in the first place. There was no way Riley would be able to walk all the way back to her house from here.  It was hotter than hell and she was wearing flip-flops for fuck's sake. She could trip over the questionable footwear and die from heatstroke simultaneously.

After another minute, she still hadn't made her way back to my car. It was clear that she would rather irritate the shit out of me than use common sense.  She was certifiably insane. 

Damnit, she was such a pain in my ass.

I rushed around the side of my car and jumped inside to go after her.

I barely waited for the car to turn over before gunning my car in reverse.  I peeled out of the lot and turned in the direction she was walking without even bothering to see if any cars were coming. 

When I rounded the bend, Riley was walking about thirty feet ahead of me as fast as she could manage. She was walking with her back facing me and on the wrong side of the road.  What if she was hit by a car —or even worse, get abducted by some lunatic who wanted her all to himself?  She wouldn't even see the asshole coming before it was too late.

"Fucking walk towards traffic," I screamed at her and waved my hands as I revved the engine to get to her quicker.

When I got up behind her, I slammed on my brakes and slowed my speed to match her pace. She didn't even stop and look back when I rolled down the window.

"Get in the car," I shouted the order out at her and pointed to the passenger seat.

"Nope." She held out the word dramatically without looking over at me.

Riley was acting like a spoiled child.

The girl's face was already bright pink and covered in sweat.  She was going to make herself sick under the bright sun in the sweltering heat. Her stubbornness was on another level I had never encountered before.  Riley was determined to hurt herself just to prove a point to me.

"Just get in and I will take you home." I groaned, beyond frustrated with the stupid girl.

"Not happening." She shook her head and continued down the road with her obstinate lunacy.

"Riley, it's like ten miles to your house and you're pregnant. Don't be ridiculous." I bit back my anger as I tried to reason with her. Her attitude was grating against my patience. 

I was less than a few microseconds from stopping the car in the middle of the street and jumping out to grab her.  The veins in my arms and neck were popping out from under my skin as I ground my teeth together and shook. 

Control. I had to regain control of myself—and her. 

Mostly her.

I took a few breaths trying to level my head out, when a car impatiently started laying on its horn behind me.  The deafening noise made me jump and hit my head against the roof of the car. I rubbed the spot and swore when the horn went off again in rapid-fire succession. 

I called the person behind me a few made-up curse words as I rolled down my driver-side window.  I stuck out my arm and motioned the car to go around me. My eyes darted back and forth between the car in the rearview mirror and the grouchy silent blond walking next to my rolling car.