Robbers

three

            As she ran past mailboxes and cleanly cut lawns, Ella managed to push all thoughts of Ryan Hunter from her mind. He had been clouding her thoughts for over two nights now, and she welcomed the chance to clear her head and simply focus on running. Ella would never consider herself athletic, but she knew how to keep a steady pace that would last long enough for her to burn off the frustration that still bloomed in her stomach.

            The soles of her sneakers pounded lightly across the pavement as Ella turned left onto the next street, a tiny trickle of sweat already beginning to trace its way between her shoulder blades and down her back. She quickly lost track of time, her legs falling into an easy rhythm and countless cars passing her on the right. Ella soon didn’t even need to focus on pushing her annoyance away; her chest felt calm, and her spirits were lifted as she realized how well-rested she finally felt after the lengthy week.

            Ella couldn’t be sure how much time had passed before she began to consider heading back towards home. Maybe she’d take a shorter route back, to get inside more quickly and watch a movie with Rosie. After all, she already felt guilty enough that her sister had been alone and cooped up inside all day.

            When Ella glanced around to locate a green street sign to orient herself, her eyes fell upon something that nearly made her trip and fall forward onto the concrete.

            Across the road, there was a deep blue pickup truck parked in the driveway of a two-story home. Ella stumbled to a stop, barely keeping herself balanced as her right toe scuffed the path and nearly caused her to fall. That wasn’t…it couldn’t be…?

            Ella could have sworn that was the exact same truck Ryan had driven to school yesterday.

            She stood stock-still in the middle of the sidewalk, well-aware that she looked incredibly ridiculous to cars driving past as she stared across the road, but this was too important for her to care. Ella was certain that was Ryan’s truck the longer she stared, and that meant that the off-white, thatched roof house had to belong to him. She had always known the Hunters lived close by – Ella had been on the same bus ride home as him freshman year, though her stop had always come long before his – but she had never attempted to learn exactly where his house was.

            This, apparently, had to be it.

            Ryan clearly wasn’t the only one home; there was a grey station wagon parked beside the truck, its rear bumper slightly crumpled by some sort of past fender-bender. Ella remained in her place across the street, fighting an internal battle with herself as she debated whether or not to cross the road and ring the doorbell.

            She wanted answers, didn’t she? Ella needed to find out why Ryan had attempted to steal her family’s safe last Thursday night, and he was the only person who could answer her questions. If she waited until Monday to get him alone, it was very likely he would just pretend he had no idea what she was talking about.

            Ella was starting forward before she could stop herself. Pulling the headphones out and wrapping the wire around her iPod, she hastily crossed the street and made her way up towards the house’s front steps. Her sneakers squeaked slightly against the smooth stone, and Ella had to automatically reach for the doorbell – because she was seconds away from changing her mind and running back towards the street.

            But her finger had already pressed the button, and there was no turning back now. Ella was suddenly very aware that her t-shirt was sticking to her back, and that the skin of her neck and upper chest was coated by sweat. Much too late, Ella realized she probably looked disgusting.