Chapter 4

The next day, we arrived at Alex's house. He went inside for a moment and came back out holding a black bag.

"Your hat, scarf, and gloves are all in here. Apologize to Sophie, and I'll hand it over right away," Alex said.

Sophie tugged at Alex's sleeve again, just like she did yesterday.

"That's enough, Alex. I'm sure Emily regrets it now," Sophie said.

I didn't want to get dragged into this with them anymore and was ready to just suck it up and apologize, but then I caught the corners of Sophie's mouth curving into a smirk.

I wasn't surprised she was feeling smug, but Alex looked a little shifty, too. I couldn't shake the feeling they were keeping something from me.

"Open the bag and let me see what's inside," I said.

Alex looked surprised and tried to dodge. He said, "It's just about the apology, you!"

I grabbed the bag and ripped it open, only to see there was just some random piece of clothing inside, and it wasn't even mine.

I shot Alex a glare and asked, "What is this? Where's the stuff my grandma made for me?"

"You, just calm down, hear me out," Alex said nervously.

Sophie darted forward, stepping between Alex and me to shield him.

She said, "Emily, I'm so sorry, this is all on me. When I visited, the scarf looked so worn that I thought it was trash and helped Alex throw it out. I really am sorry. I'll pay you back ten times."

But before she could finish, I grabbed her by the hair and yanked her over, slapping her hard across the face twice.

That look in her eyes was pure provocation. She really thinks she can keep pushing my buttons and walk away unscathed.

But she has no clue what someone as unhinged as me might do.

Just as I was about to go in for another hit, Alex snapped out of it and grabbed my hand.

Alex said, grabbing my arm, "Sophie didn't do it on purpose, Emily! Don't freak out.

"It's just some old hat and scarf. Why not have your grandma make you new ones?"

I fought against him, and all that grief I'd been trying to bury just exploded inside me. I lost it.

"My grandma's dead. She can't make me anything ever again," I screamed, my voice cracking.

"What did you just say?" Alex blurted out, totally stunned.

Alex's shock made him loosen his grip.

As soon as I broke free, I turned and slapped him twice, hard.

"The day you ditched me on the highway, my grandma died. I didn't even get to see her one last time," I yelled, my voice shaking with rage and heartbreak.

Alex looked completely lost. He said, "I didn't know. Emily, I'm so sorry."

I forced myself to calm down, my voice numb. I said, "Open the door. I need to pack my things."

"Emily, you," Alex stammered, still at a loss for words.

It finally hit him that I'd come with a suitcase and a big bag today.

"No, Emily, just calm down. I've got an experiment to deal with today. I'm just gonna head out with Sophie for now. We'll talk about this when I get a chance," he said.

Panicked, he grabbed Sophie and tried to make a quick exit.

"If you don't open the door, I'm calling the police. Once, twice, three times if I have to. Every single time, I'll make sure they drag you out of your precious lab. You can kiss your experiments goodbye," I said.

Alex's eyes begged me for mercy. He said, "Emily?"

"Alex, Emily's really upset right now. Just go along with her for now," Sophie said.

Sophie's eyes burned with a mix of fear and resentment, but she knew I was about to cut Alex off for good. Of course, she was ready to seize the moment.

Alex hesitated for what felt like forever, his hand shaking as he finally opened the door.

I marched right in and started packing up my things.

Whenever I found something Alex had given me, I tossed it straight into the bag. A couple of times, he reached out like he wanted to stop me, but always pulled back, too afraid to say anything.

When I was almost done packing, I spotted our photo on the nightstand. Without hesitation, I yanked it out.

Alex thought I was going to take it with me, and for a moment, relief flickered across his face, until I ripped the photo in half right in front of him.

"Emily, don't be so cruel," he said, voice shaking. "Can't you at least leave me something to remember you by?"

I shoved him away, shooting him a cold glare, and said, "You don't deserve it."

As I walked out of the building, I called a cab. While I was waiting, I spotted Jack, the scrap collector from the neighborhood.

I handed him the bag and told him it was only two bucks. Since everything inside was still in good condition, Jack thought he was getting a steal and was grinning from ear to ear.

Out of nowhere, I heard someone shouting from the building behind me. He said, "Emily, what are you doing? Don't sell it, I'm begging you."

Alex was practically hanging out the fifth-floor window, screaming at the top of his lungs.

Jack, seeing Alex lose his mind like that, was too spooked to go through with the deal, even though it was a total bargain.

Just then, my cab showed up. Feeling totally defeated, I dragged that massive bag of junk into the car.

No way was I hauling it back to my dorm, and it was way too huge to just dump in some random trash bin by the street.

After the cab had pulled away, Alex burst out of the building, running like crazy to try to catch up. But all he could do was stand there, watching helplessly as the car disappeared down the street.

The driver, thinking it was just another lovers' quarrel, simply shook his head and sighed.

I pulled out my phone, looking for a way out. My mind was all over the place, and almost without thinking, I found myself calling David.

The call connected almost instantly.

"Hey, Emily? What's up?" David answered, sounding a little surprised.

I hesitated for a second, then finally said, "David, do you know if there's a scrap yard nearby?"