Now or Never

breath, blowing hair away from her face as she sank against the seat. Maybe his break was over, and he wouldn’t call back.
    Her phone buzzed once, the screen bursting to life again, and Grayson felt like she either wanted to cry or scream. She looked down at the text message: Why aren’t you answering your phone?
    If she replied, it would give her more time to get out of town. All she’d have to do is say she was in the bathroom when he called. He would buy it, although, she wouldn’t put it past the psycho to have some kind of GPS tracking on her phone. Just the thought of him doing that almost made her jerk the wheel around and aim back home.
    Stop it , she told herself, banging the steering wheel with both hands.
    Flustered, she turned down the music, missing the knob twice before she finally made contact.
    The phone rang again, and Grayson jumped with a shriek.
    Her mind stilled. She grabbed the phone, rolled down the window, and tossed it into the night.
    “Fuck you, Josh!” she yelled sticking her head partially out of the window. Grayson felt a calm wash over her as she sat back in her seat and laughed.
    For the first time in three years, she felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She finally felt free to be herself, and it felt fucking amazing.
    She recognized the song that came on: one of her favorite Travis Tritt tunes. Josh hated country music, especially the songs she liked, so she turned it up louder. Oh yeah, Grayson thought, fucking amazing.
    A few more miles passed until the reality of the situation started to creep into Grayson’s head. Where in the world was she going to go? All she knew was she was on the highway and headed east. She didn’t have much money and was in the middle of college, so she had no real skills. It hit her that she could go anywhere she wanted; she never felt so alive. She could get a job waitressing or work in a bookstore. All that mattered was that she was free.
    As long as Josh doesn’t find me, Grayson thought. She couldn’t help it she was still scared of that poor excuse of a man. And that really pissed her off.
    She knew he would look for her. What better reason to reinvent herself? She was twenty-one years old, and she was about to start a new life. The thought both terrified and excited her at the same time.
    Maybe I should call Mom , she thought, glancing at the clock. It was only nine; she’d still be up, probably watching the news. She needed to tell her mother that she was okay, because Josh would call her when he couldn’t find Grayson. He’d done it before, managing to scare the crap out of her mother.
    Her mom lived in Tennessee, where she’d recently moved to be closer to her brother and his family. Ethan was a soldier, married with two kids. His wife, Heather, was sweet, but there was no denying her OCD tendencies. Grayson tried to remember the last time she’d seen any of them. It was well over a year since she had seen her brother’s face.
    Josh always insisted they spend the holidays with his family. A wave of sadness washed over her when she thought about her twin sister, Luna. They used to be inseparable, and now they barely even spoke, except for the occasional text messages.
    My brother isn’t a fan of Josh, either , Grayson thought, rolling her eyes. Note to self: If your family hates your boyfriend, there is probably a good reason behind it.
    Grayson didn’t want to return to her family for good. She needed her independence, but she could definitely visit. Take a break; maybe save up some money before she left for someplace better. Either way, she did need to call her mom before Josh did.
    She reached for the cup holder—and realized she no longer had a phone.
    “Oops,” she said, and laughed again. The phone call would have to wait.
    Grayson drove for hours until she felt like her eyes were going to cross. She passed a sign that said, “Albuquerque – 20 miles” and figured it’d be better to stop before she reached the city. A brightly lit exit loomed closer: gas stations, hotels, fast food, and a giant Wal-Mart. She took the off-ramp and pulled into a Days Inn.
    As the engine cooled, Grayson leaned her head against the seat rest and stared into the empty lobby. It was the dead of night; other than the clerk behind the desk, nobody else was in sight. She’d never stayed at a hotel on her own before. It looked a little seedy, but she was too tired to drive any further.
    A bell rang when she pushed