Same Time Next Week (Ch 54)

That was the plan: don’t get close. Don’t get attached. Play with him for a while, have some fun, let him go. But Jackson wasn't easy to let go of.

The nightmare of a day had begun relatively peacefully. Shelby awoke easily after a night of the usual broken sleep, at the usual time, which was always quite early. She turned on some music, allowing it to permeate the house with zest and pep. It helped to motivate her for the day. She showered and dressed for class, stuffing her books and notebook and pens into her school bag when the doorbell rang.

Shelby froze. Few people knew where she lived. Even fewer would be at her door at 7 AM.

She tiptoed through the house and peeked out of the kitchen window in time to see a FedEx truck pulling away. Breathing a sigh of relief, she went to the front door and pulled it open. The sturdy white envelope had been leaning against the door, and now fell back into the house.

Shelby picked it up and started to open it, but happened to catch the shipping label and nearly dropped it. A tremble began to shake her, from the tips of her toes to the top of her head.

It was addressed to Shelby Torres.

It was odd to see that name. No one knew her as Shelby Torres except for people back in Miami. People she didn’t want to know anymore. People she didn’t want to remember her or send her FedEx packages.