Read Online Let Love Shine by Melissa Collins - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Melissa Collins
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fly into the lot and spot my Jeep parked on the far end. The Civic
screeches to a stop next to the Jeep and I see someone in the passenger’s seat.
My feet slip on the icy pavement as I race around to the
driver’s side where Maddy is sitting. Maddy lowers the window and I slip my
head inside the cabin. “Reid, this is Lizzy.” Maddy reaches over to the passenger
and gently squeezes the girl’s arm. Her small face is hidden in the shadows,
but even in the darkness, she looks vaguely familiar. Angling her head more
toward the light, Lizzy’s features come into view.
I recognize her instantly.
She’s a student from Lincoln Memorial.
“You’ve been calling us.” It’s a statement, not a question.
Disbelief laces through my words. “But how did you…I mean, why are you here?” I
sweep my arm to the side indicating “here” as the campus parking lot.
I look at Maddy with what I’m sure is my “what the fuck”
face because she smirks knowingly at me as she steps out of the Jeep. Maddy
kisses my cheek and pulls her bag over her shoulder. “She followed the Jeep
after school. She thought you were driving. I’ll let her explain the rest.” She
hugs me tightly and the sweet smell of her hair swirls in my head. “I’ll see
you after class, but talk to her.” With one last quick kiss, Maddy turns on her
heels and walks toward the building where her class takes place.
I inhale the cold night air deeply. My lungs protest as the
chill seizes them, but I need a minute to gain my composure. I huff out one
last cleansing breath and watch the steam from my exhale curl into the night
sky.
Slicing through the uncomfortable silence, the door lets out
a loud creak as I open it. I twist in my seat and face Lizzy. She’s got a wad
of tissues bunched up in her lap and I can see the tracks of the tears that
she’s been crying streak down her cheeks. Whatever it is we need to talk about
can’t be said in the darkness. I reach up and turn the overhead light on and
I’m shocked to see that her face is all beaten and bloody.
“My God. Lizzy, what happened?” I don’t even let her answer
as I reach into my pocket to call the police.
Her icy-cold hand stops my dialing. “No. Please. Wait. Just
let me explain.” Through her wobbly and unsteady voice, I can hear
determination and strength. I put my phone away and hand her another tissue
from the box sitting in between us.
“Okay. Talk to me then. Is this about Cane?” I’ve put on my
best counselor voice, but I’m sure that she can hear the fear there.
At simply mentioning his name, Lizzy recoils in her seat.
She ghosts her fingers over her split lip and my gut churns in disgust. “Did he
hurt you, Lizzy?”
“No!” she barks out. “No, he would never…it wasn’t him…it
was…oh God, I don’t even know where he is. He just left.” Sobs wrack her tiny
body and I can no longer make any sense of her words as she muffles them into
her pile of tissues.
“Shhh…it’s okay. Just calm down and tell me exactly what
happened.” I try to keep my voice steady and relaxed, even though I’m feeling
the exact opposite.
After a few moments of awkward silence, her crying slows and
she regains her self-control. “Cane is my best-friend. We’ve know each other
since kindergarten.” She pauses for a minute to blow her nose—loud and not at
all sounding delicate. When her breathing is steady, she continues her story,
“He asked to borrow my glue stick, and when I wouldn’t give it to him, we ended
up wrestling over it. We had to stay inside at recess for detention and I guess
we hit it off because we’ve been inseparable ever since.” A cute, little smile
curls at her lips as she retells her childhood memories.
I don’t want to interrupt her, so I bite my tongue stifling
the long list of questions that I want to ask. Giving her the space she needs
to piece her story together, I don’t say anything.
“We dated when we were in ninth grade. But really, it
screeches to a stop next to the Jeep and I see someone in the passenger’s seat.
My feet slip on the icy pavement as I race around to the
driver’s side where Maddy is sitting. Maddy lowers the window and I slip my
head inside the cabin. “Reid, this is Lizzy.” Maddy reaches over to the passenger
and gently squeezes the girl’s arm. Her small face is hidden in the shadows,
but even in the darkness, she looks vaguely familiar. Angling her head more
toward the light, Lizzy’s features come into view.
I recognize her instantly.
She’s a student from Lincoln Memorial.
“You’ve been calling us.” It’s a statement, not a question.
Disbelief laces through my words. “But how did you…I mean, why are you here?” I
sweep my arm to the side indicating “here” as the campus parking lot.
I look at Maddy with what I’m sure is my “what the fuck”
face because she smirks knowingly at me as she steps out of the Jeep. Maddy
kisses my cheek and pulls her bag over her shoulder. “She followed the Jeep
after school. She thought you were driving. I’ll let her explain the rest.” She
hugs me tightly and the sweet smell of her hair swirls in my head. “I’ll see
you after class, but talk to her.” With one last quick kiss, Maddy turns on her
heels and walks toward the building where her class takes place.
I inhale the cold night air deeply. My lungs protest as the
chill seizes them, but I need a minute to gain my composure. I huff out one
last cleansing breath and watch the steam from my exhale curl into the night
sky.
Slicing through the uncomfortable silence, the door lets out
a loud creak as I open it. I twist in my seat and face Lizzy. She’s got a wad
of tissues bunched up in her lap and I can see the tracks of the tears that
she’s been crying streak down her cheeks. Whatever it is we need to talk about
can’t be said in the darkness. I reach up and turn the overhead light on and
I’m shocked to see that her face is all beaten and bloody.
“My God. Lizzy, what happened?” I don’t even let her answer
as I reach into my pocket to call the police.
Her icy-cold hand stops my dialing. “No. Please. Wait. Just
let me explain.” Through her wobbly and unsteady voice, I can hear
determination and strength. I put my phone away and hand her another tissue
from the box sitting in between us.
“Okay. Talk to me then. Is this about Cane?” I’ve put on my
best counselor voice, but I’m sure that she can hear the fear there.
At simply mentioning his name, Lizzy recoils in her seat.
She ghosts her fingers over her split lip and my gut churns in disgust. “Did he
hurt you, Lizzy?”
“No!” she barks out. “No, he would never…it wasn’t him…it
was…oh God, I don’t even know where he is. He just left.” Sobs wrack her tiny
body and I can no longer make any sense of her words as she muffles them into
her pile of tissues.
“Shhh…it’s okay. Just calm down and tell me exactly what
happened.” I try to keep my voice steady and relaxed, even though I’m feeling
the exact opposite.
After a few moments of awkward silence, her crying slows and
she regains her self-control. “Cane is my best-friend. We’ve know each other
since kindergarten.” She pauses for a minute to blow her nose—loud and not at
all sounding delicate. When her breathing is steady, she continues her story,
“He asked to borrow my glue stick, and when I wouldn’t give it to him, we ended
up wrestling over it. We had to stay inside at recess for detention and I guess
we hit it off because we’ve been inseparable ever since.” A cute, little smile
curls at her lips as she retells her childhood memories.
I don’t want to interrupt her, so I bite my tongue stifling
the long list of questions that I want to ask. Giving her the space she needs
to piece her story together, I don’t say anything.
“We dated when we were in ninth grade. But really, it
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