Checking the time, I saw that it was only just after 7pm. I was turning into an old woman. I needed to get out, so I texted Zach to see what they were up to for the night. Turned out he had some family obligation and Chad was going with him, so he didn’t get bored. I knew Major was doing something with Kayleigh and I really didn’t want to spend the night watching him eye fuck her. I loved the guy to death, but he was definitely pussy whipped.
As I was trying to figure out what to do with myself, my phone dinged. I smiled when I saw who it was.
Tiffany: Are you busy?
Me: No. What’s up?
Tiffany: I need to get out of the apartment
Me: Fuck, so do I. I’ll be there in 20.
Tiffany: Awesome
What I was wearing was fine, so I grabbed my keys and headed to my car. Almost twenty minutes later, I was pulling up outside of her building. She was waiting on the curb for me.
“That bad huh?” I asked, when I saw the look on her face.
“Yeah, they were all over each other in the living room. At least, they could go to her bedroom.”
“Wow, that sucks,” I said. “So, what do you want to do?”
“I don’t care, as long as it keeps me out of this apartment for a few hours.”
“Okay, I think we can manage that. Have you eaten dinner?”
“No, I was hiding in my room,” she said, with a hint of a smile.
“Dinner it is. Actually, I have a great idea,” I said.
“Sounds good to me, whatever it is.”
“Do you like pizza?” I asked.
“That’s a stupid question,” she said, with a laugh. “Who doesn’t like pizza?”
“Gotta ask, you never know what weird qualities you might have.”
She smacked my arm, but she was smiling and that was the plan. I couldn’t fix my own problems right now but at least I could make Tiffany’s night a little better.
“The Pizza Fix,” Tiffany said, reading the sign as I stopped the car. “Are you sure this place is safe to eat at? It looks … well it looks a little run down.”
I chuckled. “Don’t let appearances fool you. Are you game or not?”
“Of course, I am,” she said, and got out of the car.
We walked in and I looked to see who was working. Lucky for me it was George. He was the owner and I’d known him my whole life.
“Bodie,” George yelled, when he saw me. “Come give this old man a hug.”
I laughed. He was like the crazy uncle I wasn’t actually related to.
I walked behind the counter and hugged him. “Nice to see you George. It’s been a while. Taking time off again?”
“Such a smartass,” he said, but smiled. “I thought I could semi-retire, but I love this place too much. Who’s your friend?”
“George, this is Tiffany. Tiffany, this is George. He owns the place.”
“Wow, nice to meet you,” Tiffany said. “It smells freaking awesome in here.”
That made George smile.
“I was wondering if we could get the Bodie special?” I asked him.
He smiled. “We haven’t done that in years. Of course, we can. Come on,” George said, and I followed him.
Tiffany looked confused because we headed into the kitchen, not back out front where the tables were.
“Trust me,” I said. “This is going to be fun.”
George handed each of us an apron. I laughed at the look on her face. She was even more confused than before.
“Have you ever tossed a pizza crust?” George asked her.
“Um, no.”
“Get ready for a lesson then,” I told her.
Over the next hour, George showed Tiffany how to make the crust and then toss it to make it just the right size. Then we each made our own pizza with whatever ingredients were in the kitchen. Once we put them in the oven, we got a drink and went out front to a table.
“That was really fun,” Tiffany said with a smile. “I take it you’ve known him for a while?”
“Yeah. My whole life actually. My parents met here, and George has become like part of the family.”
“That’s pretty awesome. Thanks for distracting me,” she said.
“That’s what friends are for,” I told her. “Works both ways.”
I realized I’d been just as distracted as she was. Not once had I thought about Karma or her nightmare.
George brought us our pizzas and Tiffany practically devoured hers.
“Good?” I asked, chuckling.
“So, freaking good. This crust is amazing.”
“It’s this town’s best kept secret. Only locals know about it, well, and about half the college students.”
“Why doesn’t George fix it up? He’d get more people.”
“He doesn’t want more people. This place is just for special people, at least that’s what he always says.”
Tiffany boxed up her leftover pizza and I told her to take mine, too. I left a fifty-dollar bill on the table and waved to George. We left in a hurry so he wouldn’t try and give me the money back.
We spent the next couple of hours just driving around and talking about nothing. It was after 11pm when I dropped her off at her apartment.
“See you in the morning,” I said, as she was getting out of the car. “Make sure you have my muffins ready.”
“I will. Thanks for tonight Bodie. I appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
I waited until she was inside and went back to campus. I glanced at my laptop as I went to my room. I still wanted to know what was up with Karma, but I decided not to pry. If she wanted to tell me she would.
Chapter 19
Karma
I was lying in bed next to Anthony, but I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about the last text from Bodie. Is it a memory or just a dream? I’d planned on texting him right back, but Anthony had woken up, so we ate dinner and watched a movie. I gave him another pain killer and it didn’t take long for him to fall asleep again. But those words kept repeating in my head.
I don’t know how Bodie knew, but he was right, it was a memory. The only people that knew what happened were mom, dad and Kayleigh, but for some reason I felt the need to tell Bodie. I don’t know if it’s because he had been there for me, or if I just needed to get it off my chest, but I’d already made the decision to tell him. I wanted to do it in person though, definitely not by text.
Closing my eyes, I tried to make myself fall asleep. I laid there for at least an hour and finally got up. Without overthinking it, I grabbed my phone and hit send.
“Hello?” a very sleepy voice said on the other end.
“Hey Bodie,” I said quietly.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, sounding totally awake now.
“Yeah.”
“Then why are you calling me at one in the morning?”
“I can’t sleep,” I told him.
“Okay.” I could tell he was confused.
“The truth is, I think I’m afraid to fall asleep. I don’t want to have another nightmare.”
“Karma, I …” he started to say then stopped.
“I know this is weird, me calling you in the middle of the night while my boyfriend is asleep in the bedroom, but for some reason I feel like I can talk to you about things. I know Kayleigh is my best friend and I can always talk to her, but since she was kidnapped by Wes, she has her own issues to deal with. I don’t want to put more on her.”