Free In Plain Sight by Amy Sparling Page B

says. “I might have to get a second one for myself.”
    Two hours later, I’m sliding into the front seat of my shiny new Chevy Camaro. It’s silver, with black leather seats and a sunroof.
    And it’s all mine.
    Landon even had them put the car’s title in my name. I slide my hands over the steering wheel and breathe in deeply, reveling in the wonderful new car smell.
    Landon finishes talking with the sales guy, who happens to be someone he knows in some business way or another, and then he walks over to me. He taps the top of the car, while I sit inside with the driver’s side door open.
    “I can’t thank you enough,” I say.
    “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy,” he says. “I just talked to Rose and she said they’re having fun in the pool. You wanna stop and get some lunch before we head back?”
    “Sure,” I say, and I really mean it. None of Mom’s other boyfriends have ever asked me to lunch, just the two of this. This guy is pretty awesome.
    We go to a Mexican restaurant and the food is absolutely to die for. I’m starting to wonder if I’ve just eaten the wrong things all my life. Peanut butter sandwiches and cheap instant noodles are no way to enjoy meals, that’s for sure.
    “Do you need a parking pass at the high school?” Landon says over the smoking tray of his fajitas.
    “I don’t know. I think so, yeah.”
    “When I went to school there, they’d tow you away if you didn’t have a pass, so we’ll make sure we get one.”
    “Good to know,” I say. Now I’m realizing I might not even know the fastest route from my new neighborhood to the school. I should probably figure it out before school starts back.
    “Next Spring Break we’ll go on vacation or something,” Landon says. “This one is too boring staying at home all week.”
    I snort. “Trust me, it hasn’t been boring.”
    He laughs. Conversation comes easy with him, and that’s good. He’s genuinely a nice guy and not some creep, and my secret worries that maybe he’s a serial killer are slowly going away.
    “Your friends at school won’t even recognize you with the new hair and car, I bet.”
    I roll my eyes. “I don’t really have friends, so I’m not too worried about it.”
    Colby flashes into my mind, no matter how hard I’ve been trying to ignore him. “Hey, Landon, I actually have a question for you, if you wouldn’t mind.”
    “Go for it,” he says, reaching for some tortilla chips.
    “So I ran into some people from my school the other day when I was shopping,” I say, turning the Colby story into a made up version of the truth. “They thought I was a new girl and offered to show me around school. And, well, I just kind of froze up and didn’t tell them I’ve been going there for four months. I just let them think I was new.”
    “That’d be a fun social experiment,” he says, chewing thoughtfully. “Go back as the new girl and see how many friends you get with pink hair versus your normal hair.”
    “I don’t think it’s the hair,” I say, glancing down at my manicured nails. “I think it’s the whole she-bang. I live in Shady heights now, so I’m not seen as some parasite from the trailer park.”
    He grimaces at this, but then looks at me with sincerity in his eyes. “Are you asking me what you should do?”
    “Kind of, I guess. If I see those same people at school again, they’re gonna think I’m new and I don’t know if I should just tell them the truth or not.”
    “Eh, it’s only high school. I say live boldly. You can be a new girl if you want to be. After all, Rose is all about starting over fresh and leaving behind your old life. If that will make you happier in the end, I say go for it.”
    I grin. “I like the way you think.”
    Landon studies his food for a moment. “I grew up in a situation a little like yours. My dad was an alcoholic who beat the hell out of my mom.”
    I flinch at his candid confession, but I don’t say anything and let him continue. “She