Free Between the Cracks by Helena Hunting

Chris
     
     
    A vibration below the waist woke me up. I cracked a lid and blinked against the dim light from the TV. A Shamwow infomercial flickered on the screen, the volume low. I was half-lying, half-sitting, sprawled over Sarah’s couch. Sarah was draped over me. Her forehead rested against the side of my neck, and all that long, pale blonde hair fanned out across my chest.
    My neck had a crick and my left arm had no feeling. The position was hella uncomfortable, but the view was stellar. Sarah’s hand was curled in a fist under her chin, lips parted slightly. Her breathing was slow and even; she looked peaceful.
    As the haze of sleep lifted, the memory of the events that led to my current discomfort returned. Tenley had taken off with her asshole brother-in-law or whatever the hell he was; Hayden had lost his shit, and when he’d pulled himself together, taken off after her.
    The vibration, and its accompanying buzzing sound stopped, thankfully; it was annoying. I closed my eyes and relaxed back into the couch. Or tried to. Now that I was awake, it was hard to ignore the pain in my neck or the lack of feeling in the arm pinned under Sarah. A minute later the buzzing resumed. It finally registered that my phone was in my pocket.
    I dug around for it, trying not to jostle Sarah and wake her up. She’d been pretty damn upset when Tenley pulled a runner, and it had taken her a long time to calm down. She’d fallen asleep eventually, and apparently so had I; otherwise I wouldn’t still be here at whatever-o’clock in the morning.
    My phone stopped ringing before I got it out of my pocket, but I checked the screen anyway. It was three-thirty and I’d missed a bunch of calls from Hayden. I dialed him back.
    “Thank fuck. I thought I was going to have to call Jamie.”
    “What’s up? You okay?”
    “I’ve got a problem.” He sounded like someone had run his vocal chords through a grater.
    “What’s wrong? Did something happen to Tee?”
    “No. I don’t know. I mean I can’t get through to her phone. It keeps going to voicemail, so I have no idea.”
    “You want me and Sarah to try her?” I couldn’t tell him Sarah had called until she fell asleep and got the same result. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to give it another shot.
    “I don’t think it’s going to make a difference. She’s probably not answering because she doesn’t want to. That’s not my only problem, though. I got caught speeding. The cop suspended my license for twenty-four hours. My car’s been impounded.”
    “Ah, shit, H. How fast were you going?”
    “Pretty fucking fast. This night’s all kinds of screwed. I won’t be able to get my car back until Tuesday morning.”
    Technically, it was Monday morning now. Hayden, stuck in the middle of wherever on his own, in the state he was in, would be bad news. “Where you at? I’ll come get you.”
    “Don’t do that. I just need you to reschedule my appointments on Tuesday—”
    “Fuck that, dude. Tell me where you are. I’ll pick you up. Then we can go get Tenley and bring her home.”
    “You don’t even have a car.”
    “Tee’s is still parked behind Serendipity. If the keys aren’t in her apartment I’ll hotwire it. If that doesn’t work, I’ll borrow Sarah’s beater.”
    There was some rustling around on the other end of the line and a heavy sigh from Hayden. “I’m at a truck stop just south of the Wisconsin Dells on the 94. It’s three hours away if you don’t drive like an asshole.”
    “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
    I ended the call before he could argue. Sarah sighed and shifted, freeing the arm pinned under her. The rush of blood sent angry prickles shooting down my arm. I rested it on the back of the couch, flexing my fingers as the feeling returned. I turned my head, pressing my lips against her hair. Like a sap, I inhaled the clean, fresh scent of her shampoo. She used some brand that smelled faintly of mint and something else. Whatever it was, I