Meggie's hoarse voice surfaces through the line. "I am going to kill you. It is one-thirty in the afternoon. Margo is hunting you down like a cat."

"My phone died in the middle of the night, Cassidy, and I barely can't move out of bed."

"Are you at Mike's house?"

"Yes, but I have no idea where he is. I finally found a charger in the kitchen, but of course, he doesn't pick up his phone when I call him. I'm wondering how I am going to get back home. It's been over three hours since he disappeared. Can you pick me up?"

"Shit, Meggie. Doesn't he live all the way on the west side? How am I getting there without a car?" I remember TJ only comes later in the evening.

"I have to be on time for the dinner meeting."

"You still have plenty of time."

"No, I don't," she cries on the phone. "I have to buy stuff at Woodman and prepare dinner with two other students. I've gotten two warnings already. They will kick me out f there, and I'll be homeless."

"Can you catch the bus?" I ask.

"My head is spinning. I don't even know what direction should I take. Besides, I'm still wearing the same clothes from yesterday."

"And about ordering a cab?"

"I don't know how this happened, but I lost my wallet while in the bathroom last night. Where else could that be? Honestly, I can't remember much of last night. I lost all my tips from Sophie's." My head jerks when I hear her statement.

"You need to call your bank and report this immediately." I press my lips together while picking the corner of my nails.

"I'll do that, but I still need someone to pick me up here at Mike's place. I also promised to feed my pet sit my neighbor's cat. Vicky traveled to Texas to visit her family. I haven't cleaned the litter box in two days." Meggie pauses for a moment, "Oh my gosh. I think I'll puke again."

"Drink some water in the meantime. I'll see what I can do," I promise her.

"Thank you. I know I could count on you."

After calling a few cab companies, I find out they are charging more than I can afford. Same for Uber or Lyft. My heart pounds heavily only to think about my friend not being able to come home. Jerk. He used her, and now he is keeping her captive in his own place.

If I don't help Meggie, I know that I will feel terribly guilty.

"Call us back in about four hours, especially if you don't have the money to pay for the ride," The woman tells me on the phone.

I make a second call, "There is a festival in the Marquette neighborhood and a five-kilometer walk. Unfortunately, we have our hands tight, and we don't have enough drivers to keep up with everyone's request." Maybe I should buy a car and apply for Uber or Lyft or even their company. The pay might be better than Sophie's.

Who else has a car? Danika? Oh no. I just spoke with her.

It doesn't cost me anything to call TJ, so I do it. He answers in the first ring and says he is still working and won't be home until later. He pretty much confirms what I already knew.

Then an idea comes to mind. Would that sound weird if I called him? I suddenly remember when he'd given me his business card once. How could I have forgotten about this? I grab the card over my wardrobe and quickly dial his number. He answers in the third ring. 

***

I stare at the window until I see a gray Volvo pulling in at the parking lot. I shut the door behind me to meet him downstairs. After listening to the loud music coming from Jeff's apartment all night long, the hallway now is empty and silent, giving me the feel I'm the only one living in this building. The smell of pot is still present, though, and honestly, I don't think it will ever go away even with a carpet cleaning.

I barely had slept by going to the Bunker, spending half of the night talking to Denver and dealing with Jeff's noise before heading to Sophie's, and cleaning all his mess. The sun is finally up in the sky after the heavy rain from earlier today. I'm not trying to puddle jump, so I skip any accumulation of water on the groundwater. Although shallow enough to walk through, it would still make my shoes completely wet. As kids, Jason and I used to puddle jump with his cousins, including his sister, Jessa. She was the most careful, always avoiding getting wet. Jason was definitely the wildest of the kids, so fearless. As a teenager, he'd drive the scooter over the big puddles without worrying whether he would lose the balance.

I enter Maroney's car, strapping the seat belt around my chest before he drives off the parking lot. He is wearing a Badger shirt and the same scent woody aromatic fragrance with a mixture of mint and lemon, and maybe ginger.

"Ready?"

I nod, "I am apologetic for putting Maroney into this mess. Hoping never to call him again in this time of circumstance, I say sorry more than one time.

He is too calm when I finally realize how fast I'm speaking to him, trying to explain myself over and over. Am I overreacting? My mouth is dry, and I notice I hadn't drunk enough water all day. I still can't believe I asked him such a favor to begin with.

"Don't worry. That doesn't bother me, Cassidy. It is actually a nice excuse to get out of the house and see you."

"Believe me. I didn't wish for us to meet in this type of circumstance." I remove my hood while strapped with the seat belt, placing the light jacket on my lap. He watches me briefly, but then his eyes get back to the road in front of him.

He opens the window, letting the fresh air come in. His car smells like lemon with a hint of nicotine. Although I took a shower after I'd gotten home from work, I didn't bother to wear makeup for this occasion. Sometimes, I prefer to keep my face natural.

The traffic is a little congested of the many events happening in the city. I text Meggie to let her know I'm on the way to get her. She'd already given me Mike's address as Maroney places on his GPS.

"Yeah, the walk for victims of sexual assault that started at the Alliant Center," he concludes. I notice the traffic in John Nolen drive is worse than from Willie street, with hundreds of people still finishing their walks. Some people stay behind. I imagine how tired they might be.

"Do they always have those walks?"

"They always have something going on in the summer. There are so many non-profits here, so many bike events, concerts, and five-to-ten-kilometer walks that support non-profit."

"I'd like to go sometime to an organized bike tour," I say.

"You can. I think it is doable. I've done a few, but that was years ago."

I remain in silence, watching people walking. I can't believe they faced all the rain from the morning. For a moment, I remember the woman I'd spilled the mocha at Sophie's and how pissed she got at me for being so disastrous. I definitely ruined her shirt.

"You disappeared last night." He asks me, interrupting my thoughts.

"Huh?" I am confused. I clearly don't know what Maroney is talking about.

"I was looking for you, too. Mike said he kicked you out." Just the mention of his name makes me sick again.

"What?" Maroney giggles, "Is that what that jerk told you? The guy who was hitting off with Meggie, right? We haven't exchanged words at all last night."

My mind spins. "So, are you saying he didn't ask you to leave from the Bunker last night? "

Maroney sneered, "There is no way in hell this guy would have kicked me out from there."

"Nope. And if he did, I wouldn't have left. I'm not a chicken."

I study his features carefully to see if he is lying, but he doesn't appear to be. "So why didn't you wait for Meggie and me then?" I finally ask him the question that had bothered me since last night.

"Someone told me you were gone. Two people, actually." His eyes dart between the road and his vehicle mirrors. From time to time, his eyes meet mine. His eyes don't appear to hold any emotions. His emotions appear to be totally blocked.

This is so strange – to have someone tell him I was gone just like that. Only someone from the group could have told him such a thing. If not Mike, then who?

"I was looking for Meggie..." I explain myself.

"I'm sorry about it," he apologizes, "I feel stupid for believing this girl..." Maroney holds the wheel with only one hand while grabbing a cigarette from a small compartment with the other hand. I'm glad when he finally reaches the beltline with his Volvo. There are no signs of traffic, which surprises me. Beltline is famous for car crashes, and congested traffic, precisely in the rushing hours.

"How does this girl look like?" I'm still in disbelief. There were three girls. Amaya, Luna, and Danika. Danika is the shortest of the girls with blonde hair and wears the most expensive outfit brands that match her high heels and a sophisticated purse. Luna is very skinny, exhibiting anorexic slim body type, but I wonder whether it is her genetics rather than refusing food intake. Her black straight hair that meets her shoulders contrasts with her white skin. It is not too long and neither too short. Amaya is the tallest of them, with beautiful dark skin under a crisscross long velvet red and sparkling dress.

Meggie wasn't even a possibility.

"A short girl with a European accent," Maroney confirms my first suspicion. Danika. But why would she do that?

"She came to me and told me you left with another dude. I'm sorry I believed her. How stupid of me! Maybe this was Mike's idea?" He suggests. My eyes suddenly collide with his, and now I can see some lust in them when he stares at me.

"That's what I'm thinking here." There is no hesitation in his voice tone when he opens his mouth to speak. His lips curl as he places the cigarette between his lips, opening the window more. It is possible that Mike would come out with a plan to be alone with me for the rest of the night and ditch Meggie, hoping I would never tell her?

"Who else was with her? You mentioned two people..."

"A guy. He didn't say much, only agreed with her," he confirms.

But it is hard to tell who that might be. Danika knows too many people here in Madison. I'd say she is one of the popular ones here. I don't ask Maroney more questions.

"So, how did you go back home?" Maroney asks me this time. He checks the rear mirror quickly before changing the lane. Even without traffic, the beltline has too many cars for a Sunday, and from time to time, there are accidents. He lights up his cigarette, opening his window more. Smoke comes immediately inside his vehicle.

"A guy from the group walked me home."

"Nothing wrong with that. Wait a minute? Did you guys walk from Bunker to your place?" That's a long walk, miss," he giggles under his breath. "And you're telling me your best friend took off without you, and now you're picking her up at the guy's house?"

"I was going to order a cab. I didn't want to get a ride with him. He appeared to have been drinking all night."

"I see," he concludes with a smile, exposing his perfect dimples.

***

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