Free Totaled by Stacey Grice

choice but to accept that things need to be a little different.”
    I just laughed. I laughed out loud, hard. I laughed like I hadn’t laughed in forever. Sue stared at me like I had smacked her in the face.
    “What?”
    “It’s intents and purposes.”
    “What?”
    “You said for all intensive purposes. It’s intents and purposes. Oh my God, that might be the best one yet!”
    “Whatever!”
    We walked back over the dune, me still laughing, her rolling her eyes at my joking at her expense, and entered the woods to return to the car. Opting to just walk back, Sue took the opportunity to chastise me for coming out here alone.
    “So speaking of being gang banged, I can’t believe you jog out here in the middle of the woods to a deserted beach all by yourself. Not exactly a smart decision,” she teased.
    “Oh, it’s fine. I’ve never ever felt uneasy or nervous about being out here. I always carry pepper spray in my sports bra and I’m comfortable defending myself if need be. Those self-defense classes at the gym I’ve taken for years have got to come in handy at some point.”
    “If you say so. Just don’t ever drag my ass out here again.”
    “Listen, Sue, don’t think I didn’t notice how well you were keeping up with me. An average observer would never know that you’re not a runner.”
    “Okay, I confess. It actually felt pretty good to go jogging. Maybe I’ll even consider joining you for more runs soon. Preferably not at four in the morning and not through the swampy woods of North Fernandina, though.”
    “Done. I’ll pick a normal, flat terrain, and a more reasonable time of day jog for you to join me on. It’ll be fun,” I assured her.
    When we got back into the car, I asked her to drop me off at the gym so I could start my day. I would just have to catch a ride home with Liam or something. She obliged, yawning something about getting home to sleep all day as she pulled away. I watched her car disappear down the street and thought to myself that I truly have the very best friend in the history of best friends.
    My day was uneventful. Boring, in fact. My father said fewer than five words to me all day, just “What’s for dinner tonight?” I wanted to reply, “Whatever you want to cook, that’s what!” Instead, I grinned with tight lips and no teeth and replied, “Meatloaf.”

Chapter Eight
    DREW

    The following day was ordinary and amazing at the same time. Mick and I managed to repair all of the gaps in his fence line and even reinforced some weak spots. We replaced one of his side gates that he’d been putting off simply because he didn’t have the strength to lift it on his own and hadn’t gotten around to impose on anyone else to come over and help him. I was happy to do it. The manual labor was actually relaxing and bonding with Mick all day was better than any therapy I could’ve paid for. For the first time in my life, I felt like I had a father figure to respect and look up to. Joan was great too. The love she showed Mick was inspiring. They took such good care of each other and truly seemed like best friends. I couldn’t help but notice the pang in my heart at wanting that kind of marriage someday. This was what a healthy, happy relationship looked like; it was incredible to witness. Knowing Mick and Joan made me want to be a better man. I had already resolved myself to a new start in life, now I just had to live it the right way. I was determined to make good choices and feel proud about where I was going and proud of the man I would become.
    I didn’t have any more nightmares while staying with Joan and Mick. I slept more solid than I had in months. My muscles were sore and my body stiff from all of the hard labor around the yard, but it felt good. It was a different kind of soreness than I was accustomed to. It felt satisfying to push my body to new limits. I lay in the guest bed, comfortable under my quilt, winding down by thinking of ways I could incorporate some of