PART 6: The Drive Home
PART 6: The Drive Home
Suburban sunsets bring hard-earned peace.
The drive back home was quiet, save for the soft murmur of classic rock playing on the F-150’s radio.
When we pulled back into the gravel driveway, Lily didn't get out of the truck immediately.
She sat there in the passenger seat, staring out the windshield at the maple trees swaying gently in the late-afternoon breeze, a look of profound, dawning wonder on her face.
“You... you actually went in there and took down Richard Miller,” she whispered, turning her head to look at me, her eyes wide. “Everyone in town is terrified of that family. Even the teachers bow down to them.”
“People who throw their weight around usually fold the second someone pushes back harder,” I said, turning off the ignition and pulling the keys from the dash. “They’re paper tigers, Lily. All noise, no substance.”
“Mom’s going to flip when she finds out,” Lily laughed nervously, though a wide smile was breaking across her face. “She’s going to think you started a war with half the county.”
“Let her worry about the nursing schedule,” I replied, opening my door and stepping down onto the gravel. “I’ve got the home front covered.”
We walked up the front steps together, side by side, shoulders squared.
For the first time all day, Lily wasn't walking with her head ducked and her books clutched like a shield.
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She walked tall.
She walked like she owned the sidewalk.
