Chapter 15: A Mother's Helper

Collin encourages me to return to his car. He hugged me for a long time. Darkness surrounds the woods. I like the dark. It's quiet, silent, and nonjudgmental. The daylight brings drama and chaos.

"Let's go to the tavern. Maybe I can make you a smoothie?" He says.

"Thanks... Sure," I reply.

We get into the tacky tavern. This cheesy cafe is growing on me. Maybe it reminds me of Collin, or it's a place to let down my guard. He grabs my hand and takes me to a table. We sit down for a long time.

"I'll go get you a smoothie now," he says.

I wait for him and turn off my phone. My parents don't deserve to get a hold of me. The clock on the wall reads 10:30 pm. I ran away from dad two hours ago. Oh well...

Collin returns with a pink smoothie. There must be strawberries inside. And in his other hand, he gives me an ice pack.

"What's this for?" I ask.

"Your arm got hurt in the woods. I want to make sure it will be okay," he says.

Mrs. Abernathy comes into the tavern.

"Hello, Natalie. Collin told