Read Online Jump When Ready by David Pandolfe - Free Book Online

stay here if you think it
would be better.”
    Bethany shook her head, then smiled. “No, it’s fine.”
    I walked with them as they left. I got into the back seat
of the van. I kept listening as he kept lying. I witnessed all of it.
    They’d only driven a mile or so when Will’s cell phone
rang. He patted his pockets. “Damn, where is that thing?”
    The phone rang again.
    “I think it’s in the center console,” Bethany said. “Do
you want me to get it for you?”
    “Thanks.”
    All of it was so well staged. Bethany never suspected
anything. Neither did I.
    Will answered the phone. “Karen? I’m sorry. Who –” A
moment passed while he listened. “Oh, God, I totally forgot. Yeah, I think it
will be okay. I’m on my way into town now, actually. Probably like fifteen
minutes or so.”
    Will tossed the phone back into the center console and
sighed. “My roommate’s sister. I totally spaced it. Eric asked me to drop off
some stuff. My roommate, I mean. Sorry. Eric’s my roommate and—”
    Bethany laughed. “Karen’s his sister. Got it. You need to
drop something off.”
    Will laughed too. “Yeah, I said I would. Do you mind?”
    “Why would I mind?”
    Will kept driving, accelerating a little. “Well, you
know. This is our time together. But it should take like two minutes. I told
you my roommate’s from Richmond, right?”
    “Yeah, you mentioned it.” Bethany rolled her window down.
She closed her eyes as the breeze blew over her face. “Does your roommate—Eric,
I mean—like Chapel Hill too?”
    “Loves it,” Will said, accelerating just a bit more.
    ~~~
    Just on the outskirts of Richmond, Will drove into a
neighborhood lined with old brick apartment buildings. He stopped in front of
one of them, then dialed his phone. “Karen, it’s Will. I’m right out front.
Okay, sure.” He turned to Bethany. “She’ll be right down.”
    Bethany’s eyes popped open. “Oh, my God, sorry.”
    Will tilted his head and looked at her curiously. “Are
you tired?”
    It seemed weird to me that Bethany was tired all of a
sudden. Just a few minutes ago, she’d been totally excited and happy.
    Bethany rested her head against the seat. “No, I’m fine.”
    “Any good places to eat on Cary Street? Maybe we could
get some dinner.”
     “Sure, that sounds great.” Bethany spoke softly, her
eyes starting to close again.
    It even seemed like Bethany might be about to doze off
when a thin girl with long blonde hair approached the car. A woman, really. She
might have been a little younger than Will, but not much. She leaned into
Bethany’s window and I couldn’t help notice how green her eyes were.
     “Thanks so much for stopping by,” she said. “Eric told
me he didn’t mean to take my books. I totally don’t believe him.”
    Will laughed. “Right, I wouldn’t either. There’s just the
one box in back. It’s kind of heavy, though. I can help if you—”
    “No, it’s fine. But do you mind giving me a ride to where
I parked? I was going to put them in my trunk.”
    I wish I could say that I at least sensed something was
off. But it wasn’t like that. They totally fooled me too.
    Karen got into the van and Will started driving. Looking
back, I realize that I should have guessed something was going on when he
didn’t ask Karen where she’d parked. He just kept driving, down one block and
then another, while nobody spoke. Suddenly, he was outside the neighborhood and
taking an onramp for the highway. I was in back, next to Karen, who sat looking
out the window as if nothing unusual was taking place. Not that I could have
done anything, but it was already too late.
    A few minutes passed before Bethany opened her eyes
again. She seemed groggy and confused as she looked out at the road. Then she
turned to Will without lifting her head fully from the headrest. “What are we
doing?”
    Will didn’t answer.
    Bethany sat up, blinking repeatedly, struggling to keep
her eyes open. She glanced back at