Free Nearly Broken by Devon Ashley Page A

tendrils whipped their way up the barrel. I felt the heat
against my hand intensify, and I yelped as I pulled my hands out.
    Fire licked across
my skin, the red inflammation growing darker and darker in color as
the pain attacked my nerves.
    “Damn it,
Tish!” Darla yelled, snatching the cup from Tish’s hand.
“What the hell is in there? I thought they were only selling
beer here.”
    “So someone
brought a little vodka to the party. So not a big deal.”
Surprisingly quick, Tish stole her cup back from Darla.
    I checked my hands, my
skin still tingling from the heat, my heart feeling the strain.
“Thanks, Tish,” I snarked. “I think I just wet
myself.” Well, not really, but I was lucky that burst of fire
didn’t make me literally crap my pants. My comment got Tish’s
drunk ass laughing, her drink sloshing haphazardly around the edge of
her cup. “I’m going to go stand in line to finish
peeing,” I jested, pointing to the set of port-a-potties.
    “Oh, honey. No,”
Darla stated with a hint of disgust. “Just go use the one at
the diner.”
    “Good idea.”
I turned and scanned the area, but didn’t see Nick and Paul
anywhere. Oh, well. “I’ll be back in a few.”
    When I turned off the
side road and headed down Main Street, I came to an abrupt halt. It
was eerily deserted. Cars still filled most of the parallel spots and
occasionally one would drive by, but I only saw two people walking
hand-in-hand way out in front of me.
    I didn’t like
walking alone in the dark, even on a night when everyone in town was
just a block away, the music and voices still replacing the silence
around me.
    This isn’t
safe.
    I turned to look back.
How could so many people be in one direction and not the other? My
heartbeat increasing with each passing second, I stood there under
the yellowish glow of the street lamp. Which was completely stupid.
Not only was the light inhibiting my eyes’ ability to scan the
darkness efficiently for shadows, I let everyone out there know I was
standing here all alone.
    Suddenly those
port-a-potties were looking a lot better.
    Damn it, Megan.
Just move. It’s not that far.
    I sidestepped three
times, holding still while my eyes adjusted. I needed to get it
through my thick, paranoid head that I was safe here. Myrtle Creek
was safe, way off the radar of everyone .
    I could see the diner
down the way. We had forgotten to turn off the exterior sign, so it
still glowed red and yellow in the night sky, acting like a beacon to
guide me on my journey. Alright, journey might have been an
overstatement for the short expanse of road. But the distance between
here and there was so daunting, I considered it to be an epic
journey, because the terror clenching the muscles in my heart made me
fear I may never return.
    I sucked in a deep
breath. I needed to do this. I needed to not be afraid. To prove to
myself that I could walk alone in the dark for a quarter of a mile
and have nothing bad happen in the process. I needed to take that
step and move forward in my life.
    One small step to
reduce the fear that crippled me at times. One small step closer to
being the kind of girl that could date someone like Nick. Someone who
wouldn’t unleash a shit load of baggage onto him. I really
didn’t want to be this version of Megan anymore. Scared.
Paranoid. Haunted.
    Exhaling slowly, I
took that first step. Then a second and third, until my feet finally
gave into rhythm and advanced my trembling body down the path. My
eyes continued to worry, shooting left and right and behind at the
slightest movement or noise in the vast darkness. Unlike the normal
person, I found myself maneuvering around the light, finding safety
in the blackest of blacks. As brave of a front as I had put on, I was
still terrified to be out by myself, and my feet quickened their
pace, yet were light as air against the pavement.
    Unfortunately, I had
to brave the light to get through the front door. My key already
leaving its imprint inside