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  Finding Friday

  The Road to Truth Series

  Quell T. Fox

  This book contains adult/mature situations.

  This is a paranormal reverse harem.

  There is m/m action.

  Copyright © 2019 Quell T. Fox

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the publisher

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Printed in the United States of America

  ​CHAPTER 1

  Walking down the highway in these heels is no easy task. Why did I decide to wear these heels anyway? Oh, that’s right. My boyfriend - excuse me, ex-boyfriend, is a cheating, lying asshole. Okay, so maybe that’s not the exact reason why I put the heels on, but it was part of it. These heels paired with these jeans make my ass look ah-may-zing. And he needed to get one last glimpse of what it was that he’s missing out on. Petty as it may be, I don’t care. It needed to be done.

  ​So, why am I walking down the highway, you ask? Well, as if my day couldn’t get any worse, cause finding out your boyfriend has been cheating on you for who knows how long isn’t bad enough, my car decided to shit the bed. Or maybe it ran out of gas. I’m not entirely sure at the moment, but I plan to get it all taken care of as soon as I find help. My cell phone? It’s broken. Oops. Due to my fit of anger when finding him in bed with that bimbo. Can you blame me?

  ​That’s what I thought.

  ​Life is looking pretty good right now, as you can see. No car, no phone, nowhere to live. Possibly no money, either. That all depends on how quickly I can get to an ATM to take cash out before Shithead drains the account.

  I’ve been walking for a while, too long. I can’t be sure for how long because I’m not one of those weirdos that can tell the time by looking at the how high the sun is and where Mars is positioned…or whatever. And this heat is killer, I need water. My mouth feels like a desert has invaded it. I have no idea where I am, only that I am around ten hours away from where I live…ed. I was trying to follow a map but who uses those things anymore? There was a sign back…I don’t know, back there, that promised an exit with amenities would be coming up in a few miles.

  So, only like an hour left to go. Yay for me.

  ​I make it to the exit without one car driving by. Not one. Damn. Car. Leave it to me to find the one and only highway on the planet that people don’t use. I mentally slap myself for not keeping my anger in check. I’d still have a phone right now if I had. Hopefully this uncharted territory has a place that sells phones. Based on my surroundings, I’m not sure that a cell phone would work to begin with. It’s a whole bunch of nothingness.

  Exits, off ramps, turnoffs, whatever the hell you want to call them, don’t, I repeat do not walk down them. They seem fine when driving, a nice short little curved road that leads to your destination. Not. Even. Close. They suck. Hard. Downright suck. I highly suggest not doing this, like ever. The one and only car that I finally do see almost hits me on the curve, then has the audacity to beep at me. At me! Like, fucking excuse me, I’m walking here.

  I round the bend and a few small buildings pop into my line of view. They look similar to the buildings back home, just smaller. Hopefully one of them will allow me to use the bathroom because I really have to pee. Which seems weird considering my body feels like a dried-up raisin.

  Welcome to the town of Ellbrooke!

  ​Never heard of it.

  I finally reach the end of the exit after what seems like another hour on top of the fifty I’ve been walking already. Maybe I’m being dramatic, maybe I’ve been walking for two days. Who knows? The sign at the crossroads promises food, gas, restrooms and more. Thank fuck. If I had to walk for another hour, shit another five minutes I can guarantee that at least one, if not both of my feet would fall off. No joke.

  I keep to the right, noting that the sign told me there is a gas station, ATM and a motel this way. Everything I need all in one spot. As I walk a few feet I notice that the gas station is the first place that I’ll reach. Across the road from that is a motel. Perfect. As long as I can get enough money out of the bank to pay for one. If not, I’ll be sleeping on the sidewalk or walking my way back to the car to sleep in there. When I reach the store front, my feet are numb. Literally, numb. But still attached, so that’s good.

  A chime sounds as I enter the small, compact store. The clerk behind the counter is a young kid with red hair, lots of freckles and wire glasses – not even to cool kind. He looks up from his handheld gaming system but quickly looks back down. I walk directly to the counter, unable to hold my pee anymore. I swear I’m about to burst. I lean onto the counter, popping my chest out. No, I’m not a whore. I just know how to use my body to get things I need. So what? I have to pee! Most of these places will not let you use the bathroom unless you buy something and I don’t know if I can do that right now, so my boobs have been tagged in. Get em’ girls.

  ​Flipping my mirrored sunglasses to the top of my head, I put on the best smile that I own. Also the fakest, but guys can never tell the difference.

  ​“Hi!”

  ​“H-hello, can I help you?” His voice squeaks, he tries to hide it by clearing his throat, but it was bad. There’s no coming back from that one.

  ​“Yes, handsome,” not really, but you know, I gotta pee! “I really need to use the toilet, do you mind?” Sweeping my hair over my shoulder, I continue smiling.

  ​I notice him swallow hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he does. His eyes dart to my cleavage and he nods, quickly bringing his eyes back up to meet mine. He hands me the long wooden stick thing that has a tarnished gold key zip-tied to it.

  ​“Thanks, love,” I wink before turning around, then make a mad dash to the bathroom, convinced that I am not going to make it.

  ​The bathroom is cleaner than I expected it to be. These bathrooms are usually so disgusting that homeless people wouldn’t dare sleep in them to hide from a snowstorm. I go in, do my business, wash my hands and head back into the store as quickly as I can because I’m on the verge of completely turning into dust and getting blown away with the wind. The freckled kid is no longer standing behind the counter, but I leave the key there anyway. Assuming he couldn’t have gone far, since he’s working and all. The blinking neon sign towards the back of the store catches my attention, telling me that there is an ATM there. I pull my glittery black wallet from my purse, take out the debit card and pray like hell that there is money in the account. The machine takes my card, I enter my pin and bounce from foot to foot in anticipation.

  “Yes!” I shout louder than I should have but I’m unable to contain my excitement. All the money is still in the account, he hasn’t taken a penny. Not yet, anyway. Knowing that I can only take a thousand from my account using the ATM, that’s what I do. Bank rules, they suck. Maybe tomorrow luck will still be on my side and I can take out another thousand or find a bank before Asshole does.

  ​I grab a few snacks and as many bottles of water that I can carry before heading up to the counter. Red Head is back in his spot and scans all my items.

  ​“That’s going to be $23.82.” It should be illegal to charge double for an item just because of convenience. I hand him my debit card, knowing that I should get as much out of it as I can and save the cash for emergencies.

  ​“Do you know if there is an Americo Bank around here anywhere?” I ask, as I take the bag that he hands me.

  ​“Uh, not that I know of. Maybe a few towns over.” He points a finger towards in the direction that I just came from.

  ​Great.

  ​“What about a tow place? Me
chanic? My car is dead on the highway, may be out of gas, but I can never tell. Gauge hasn’t worked in years.” I do the hair flip thing again.

  ​He perks up, a smile sliding across his thin lips.

  ​“I can do it for you. We have a tow truck here. Buck is on vacation, but he’s shown me how to use it a few times so I think it will be all right. Where do you need it to go?”

  ​Buck. That sounds promising. Also, he seems way to happy over this. Maybe not the best idea but desperate times…you know how it goes.

  ​“I’m hoping to head over to the motel across the road for a room.” I peek out the window towards the motel sign across the street to make sure that there are vacancies. There are. So says the sign. “Looks to be my lucky day, they have vacancies. It’s at least five miles back that way,” I hook a thumb behind my back, because I couldn’t tell you which direction that was if my life depended on it.

  ​“Oh, all right. I’d be happy to help. How about you give me your phone number and I’ll call you when it’s all set?”

  ​Smooth little guy, isn’t he?

  ​“Wish I could, Cutie, but my phone is broken. How about you just bring my car to the motel, and ask for my name? I’m sure they’ll direct you to my room. Sound good?”

  ​“Yeah, that’ll be just fine. What’s your name?”

  ​“Friday McKay. See you soon.” I flip my shades back down and walk out the door.

  ​Don’t worry babies, we’re almost there. Yes, I’m talking to my feet. Don’t judge me. I start my trek across the road towards the motel that may be my new home for a while. Hopefully the last one for a while, my body needs a break. I could sleep for a week, I think.

  I’ll be damned if I let all this negative bullshit bring me down. It’s going to take more than a cheating douche to ruin my life. It’s just a bump in the road and I’ll get over it, just like I always do. The door to the office is being held open by a string that’s attached to the wall behind it. A very large man sits behind the desk, his very thin comb over is blowing about from the small fan that sits on the desk in front of him. His eyes light up when I enter, but he doesn’t stand. Probably can’t, honestly.

  ​“Well, hello there. What can I do for you, little lady?” He smiles and I wish he hadn’t. The only few teeth that are left in his mouth are brown and rotted.

  ​Gag.

  ​“Hi, sir. I need a room, please.” I really try to keep my girly façade going, but it’s never easy with a guy like this. I hate to be all judgey, but I can’t help it. Sometimes I’m a shallow bitch. I accept it.

  ​“Sure thing, Darling. For how long?” He spins in his swivel chair to fully face me.

  ​“Definitely tonight, perhaps tomorrow too. See, my car just died and I’m on my way to visit my grandmother for her one hundredth birthday, can you believe it? One hundred. Anyway, I only need to stay as long as it takes for me to get my car fixed.” Lying isn’t my thing, but what’s a little lie when I’m in need. Desperate times…again, you get it. Besides my grandmother died a long time ago of an overdose, never even met her. She’d be proud, though. That I am sure of.

  ​“Oh, I’m sorry to hear of your troubles. We have a few rooms open, are you looking for anything particular?” He scans through a notebook, not sure what it’s for. Don’t people use computers for this kind of thing?

  ​“Whatever is cheapest. I’m running low on cash and trying to make sure that I have enough to fix my car. And to buy grams a present.” I smile sweetly.

  ​“Here’s what I’ll do for you, because you caught me on a good day. Our normal rate is $59.00 a night, but I’ll give you two nights for the price of one. How does that sound?”

  ​“Wow, that sounds amazing! You are a huge help, sir. Thank you so much.” Clapping my hands together and doing a little bounce, I push back the vomit that I feel crawling up my throat. It really does sicken me when I have to act like this. Why do guys fall for this shit?

  ​I hand him my card, but he waves his hand at me. “Sorry darling, we only take cash.” Of course. I pull three twenties from the giant wad that I have in my wallet, and I do it with quick movements, not wanting him to know that I’m playing him. He takes the cash, hands me back my change and a key. A key. I thought everyone upgraded to cards?

  ​“Room 7. Go out this here door and turn left. It’s the last room on the bottom floor. Please, let me know if there is anything,” his emphasis on the word totally skeeves me out, “that I can do for you while you are here. Do you have someone taking care of your car for you?”

  ​“I sure do. That young boy at the gas station next door has offered to help me.”

  ​“Todd?” His tone full of doubt. “He doesn’t know nothing bout cars, you sure you want him helping?”

  ​“I’ll let him take a shot at it. No one learns anything if they don’t get a chance to try.” The saying was something that I remember from school. One of my teachers, Mr. Houghlin, had all kinds of cheesy quotes on poster boards plastered throughout his classroom, but for some reason that one always stuck with me. I’ve never had a chance to quote it until now.

  ​Before he says anything, I turn and leave, not wanting to know what he has to say. I put a little pep in my step, knowing that the creep is staring at my ass. I can’t blame him; it really does look good in these jeans. I’m a natural born tease, it’s a gift, really. Also makes me kind of an asshole, I get that, but I’m okay with it. I flirt to get what I want, it’s no big deal, really. Guys do the same. Why should it be okay for them to do it, but not us girls?

  ​I make it to the room quickly, wanting nothing more than to relax. The room isn’t nice by any means, but it will do. As long as there aren’t any roaches then its fine by me. I do a once over - I’ve slept in enough motel rooms to know the signs of bug infestations - it’s clean…of bugs anyway. It’s just your standard shitty motel room. Bed with scratchy sheets, nightstand, dresser with a TV on top and a random chair placed in the corner.

  Thankfully there is a robe hanging in the bathroom that looks clean enough to be safe. Something that I’ll be able to wear after the shower and in between washing my clothes. Unless Todd gets here sometime soon and I can grab my stuff from the car. I didn’t ask when he would be getting my car and I should have. It’s fully dark out now, I’m not sure what time his curfew is. I laugh out loud at myself, sometimes the asshole just comes out of me without notice.

  ​I take a quick shower and put the robe on when I get out. The bathroom is not clean enough for me to want to spend time in there. I take my clothes and soak them in the sink with some soap. Not that it looks any more sanitized than the rest of the bathroom, but it beats the bathtub. I contemplated putting my feet into the spare trash bags, but once I realized the tub scum was stuck on, I figured it was just stained. Still, I don’t want to sit in it or wash my clothes in it. I scrub them, rinse and then ring them out, and hang them from the shower rod.

  I may seem like a snob, or like I come from money, but I’m actually the complete opposite. I came from nothing. Absolutely nothing. That is why I am the way I am. I know what I’ve come from and how far I’ve gone. I know that I’m not better than anyone else, but I’m also confident because of what I’ve overcome. I didn’t lie on the floor when shit was bad, I faced it head on. Always have, and I’m not going to change now. I have done better for myself than a lot of people that I know.

  ​I’m lying on the bed, enjoying the bag of cookies that I bought from the gas station when I hear a soft knock on the door. I push my bag of chocolate chips to the side by the three empty bottles of water that I downed as soon as I set foot in the room.

  ​Bright lights blind me through the peephole as I look through. As quickly as they are there, they’re gone. Nope, there again. Gone. I pull back for a second, blinking the spots away. Assuming that it’s Todd because those blinding lights can only belong to a tow truck, I open the door.

  ​“Hiya Friday, I-I got your car over here. I can’t do much in the dar
k, b-but if you’d like I can come back in the morning to check it out for you.” He dangles the car keys a little too close to my chest, I take them while taking a step back. The lights from the truck causing me to squint and cover my eyes. That should be illegal.

  ​“Oh, that would be so kind of you. You sure you don’t mind?” I open the door a bit more, only to let him know that I’m in a robe. His eyes wander down, and slowly make their way back up to meet my eyes. I cock my head to the side, moving my still wet hair to one shoulder. The hair trick is gold.

  ​“N-no, I don’t m-mind.” He shakes his head as he takes a step back. “I’ll be back first thing in the m-morning.”

  ​“All right, you have a good night. See you soon.”

  ​“G-goodnight,” he waves awkwardly and heads towards the large tow truck. I notice him stumble as I close the door. Poor kid is never going to get laid with that kind of awkwardness. If I wasn’t in such a shitty mood, I’d do it. But I’m not in the mood to feel bad for someone enough to sleep with them right now. Don’t judge me, I’d be doing that kid a favor.

  ​I wait a few moments before looking through the peep hole. The flashing lights are gone and nowhere to be seen, even in the distance. It’s pure darkness out there other than the small light above my door, this small town even lacks streetlights. Now that the coast is clear, I pull the door open and walk towards my car. The cool stone is soothing on my sore, bare feet. I make it to the car without stepping on something sharp and I open the trunk. I pull out two of the giant black trash bags that I have stuffed in here, one at a time because they are filled to the max and quite heavy. I may only be able to handle one at a time…

  “You hiding a dead body in there?” The deep voice comes from above, I look up instinctively to see what kind of nosey bastard is up there. It’s hard to make out his features in the dark, but his hair is perfectly in place and I see the outline of muscles popping out of his tight shirt. He’s nothing more than a silhouette standing against the dim light of the hotel door lamps. He steps back from the rail as he flicks his cigarette away. Bastard hasn’t heard of an ashtray?