Free Fight or Flight by Jamie Canosa Page B

I’ll be right back.”
    “Umm . . . okay.”
    Jay looked about as sure of leaving her alone as she was, but in the end he dumped his bag beside her and ducked into the shop. Em watched him for as long as she could until he disappeared behind some shelves. Then, she settled back against the wall to wait. The sun was out in force and the bricks warmed her back. Tipping her face back to enjoy its rays, she shut her eyes and sighed.
    The sound of laughter snapped them open again almost immediately. A group of teenage guys were walking down the sidewalk, pushing and shoving as they went. They were big guys all wearing matching high school football jerseys.
    Sucking up her courage, Em pushed off the wall. What the hell. It couldn’t hurt to ask, right?
    “Hey!” Her abrupt greeting caught their attention a little more effectively than she would have liked. She’d never liked being the center of attention and now she had all of them staring at her . . . and smiling. Okay, this could work . “I um . . . I wanted to grab a soda, and it turns out I’m a little short.” If there was one thing she’d become adept at over the years, it was lying. “Do you think you could lend me a few quarters?”
    She was going to ask for a dollar, but Jay had been specific about them needing quarters for whatever reason.
    “I think I could manage that,” one of the guys offered with a grin, “but what do I get in return? Maybe a kiss?”
    Not likely. Em took a step back. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea, after all.
    “Don’t listen to him.” Another, slightly shorter guy pushed his way to the front and handed her three quarters. “There ya go.”
    “Thanks.”
    “No problem.” His eyes slid over her ratty outfit and flicked to the two bags at her feet. He got this knowing look that made her squirm, but then just smiled and shoved the others off further down the sidewalk.
    “I was just kidding . . .” She could hear the first guy gripping all the way around the corner as they resumed their playful shoving match. It made her smile. She’d forgotten what it was like to just hang out with friends. She hadn’t really had any in years. It just got too hard to keep lying to everyone all the time.
    “Hey, I didn’t—” Jay gave her a weird look. “What are you smiling at?”
    “This.” She dropped the three quarters into Jay’s hand.
    “How did you . . .?”
    “I asked. Nicely.”
    “Huh.” It looked as though the thought had never even occurred to him. “Okay, then. Let’s go.”
    Luggage in tow, they moved away from the busy center of downtown. The further they went, the more remote it became until one whole side of the street was lined with nothing but trees.
    “Through here.” Jay veered off into the woods, and Em came to an abrupt halt.
    Quarters and now woods? What the hell kind of shower was this? And did she really want to find out?
    “Come on. Trust me.” Jay laughed, getting far too much enjoyment from all of this. “You may need to lift the bag though.”
    Seeing as she had no idea where they were or how to get back to the squat from there without Jay, Em didn’t have much of a choice. She hefted the bag and followed him into the dense underbrush. They must have hiked for a good ten minutes without seeing a single thing. The sounds of the city slipped away as they trudged on, and Em was beginning to wonder just how deep the woods were going when they started to open up. Not into the city again, just small clearings here and there. And was that . . . a tent?
    He’d brought her to a camp ground on the outskirts of the city, and standing in the center was the greatest sight she’d ever seen. A small wooden bath house. Em took a moment just to stop and stare. She could feel Jay’s eyes on her and knew she must look like an idiot, getting so excited over something so mundane, but she didn’t care.
    “Here.” Jay dropped four quarters into her hand. “It’s a pay shower. The park won’t be open