She tore up a couple of them and threw them on the bed. Then he would be able to work out for himself why she wasn’t there when he came back.
Michelle looked around, wondering what to take with her. No way was she going to move back to her family, even if it was just for a short while, because Stephan was there—the idiot her mother had been seeing for three years. He was a complete psycho. Didn’t her so-called stepfather want her to work for him in his rotten garage for a measly fourteen thousand a month? Did he really expect her to get oily and dirty for fourteen thousand a month?
As if he was doing her a favor.
She sat for a moment and stared at the wallpaper, trying to see everything from the outside. Why was she so bad at this sort of thing? Why couldn’t she just do what was best for herself? She really needed some support and good advice.
Then she thought of Denise and Jazmine, who were both so focused. What would they do in her situation?
—
Michelle walked down the street feeling positive. She had called the girls and they were meeting in town in an hour. She felt ready to lay all her cards on the table. Perhaps they could help her, and one of them might even have an idea about where she could find a decent place to sleep for a while.
She smiled and noticed the red car a little farther down the street pulling out from where it was parked. The driver was probably someone not so different from her, albeit without all the demands she was subjected to. Someone who took herself seriously.
She nodded. In a few months she would probably have her own car. Just before she left the apartment, she had checked Facebook and seen that there was another casting for a TV show that she was definitely better suited for than the person who had posted the link. It was a totally new concept—nothing Michelle had heard of before—something about girls on a farm having to fend for themselves and that sort of thing. That was definitely something she could do—but she wouldn’t tell the producers that. She would just play dumb, pretending not to even know how to boil a potato or anything. Play dumb and look amazing while showing off her tits and ass. They’d take her without a doubt.
She crossed the street. There was also another reality show looking for contestants. Dream Date it was called or s—
She looked instinctively over her shoulder, but it was already too late. The car was suddenly there, a bright red blotch in the middle of the street, coming quickly at her with the engine roaring in low gear.
The woman behind the windshield looked directly at her while jerking the wheel toward her—a face that made Michelle throw out her hand protectively in panic.
But her hand couldn’t stop the car.
—
She was woken by a faint throbbing in her arm. She tried to open her eyes and sit up, but her body wouldn’t budge.
I’m lying with my mouth open, aren’t I? she thought as smells and sounds she couldn’t place smothered her like a heavy blanket.
“Michelle, listen.” She felt a soft tug on her good arm. “You’ve been in an accident, but it’s not serious. Can you open your eyes?”
She mumbled something or other. It was just a silly dream.
But then someone patted her on the cheek. “Wake up now, Michelle. There’s someone here who wants to talk to you.”
She took a deep breath that pulled her out of her daze.
A bright white light surrounded a face that was looking directly down at her.
“You’re at Copenhagen University Hospital, Michelle, and you’re okay. You’ve been very lucky.”
She saw now that it was a nurse. She had freckles just like Michelle had once had.
A man was standing behind her nodding with a friendly smile.
“The police are here to ask you a few questions, Michelle.”
The man stepped forward. “Hello, my name is Preben Harb?k. I’m a police sergeant from Bellah?j Police Station. I’d like to ask you a few questions about what you can remember from the accident.”
Michelle crinkled her nose. There was a strong smell, and the light was far too bright.
“Where am I?” she asked. “Am I in the hospital?”
The man nodded. “You were in a hit-and-run accident, Michelle. Can you remember that?”
“I’m meeting Denise and Jazmine. Can I please go?” She tried to support herself on her elbows again, but it made her head hurt. “I need to talk to them.”
The nurse looked at her insistently. “You need to stay where you are, Michelle. You have a deep gash in the back of your neck and you have a lot of stitches. The friends you were meant to be meeting are in the waiting room. They called your cell phone to ask why you hadn’t arrived.” She looked serious—but why, if Jazmine and Denise were outside waiting?
“You’ve been here for three hours and we need to keep you under observation for concussion because you took a heavy blow to the head when you hit the pavement. You were lying unconscious when someone from the neighborhood found you. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”
Michelle didn’t understand everything, but she nodded. At least Jazmine and Denise were here. Now she could tell them that she had left Patrick.
“Do you understand how serious this is, Michelle?” asked the policeman.
She nodded and answered his questions as best she could. Yes, she had seen the car. It was red and not too big. It drove right at her as she was crossing the road. When she realized the danger she had tried to stop it with her hand. Was that why it hurt so much?
The policeman nodded. “But it is miraculously not broken,” he said. “You must really be a strong girl.”
She liked that he said that. He was okay. Other than that, she had nothing to add.
—
“They say you need to stay here for a few days, Michelle.” Jazmine looked around the room. It was apparent that she didn’t feel comfortable, but then the place did smell pretty disgusting. Only a screen separated her bed from her neighbor’s, and there was a bad smell emanating from there. Over by the sink and mirror there was a trolley with the bedpan the nurse’s aide had just taken from her bed. So all in all the place wasn’t exactly appealing.
“We’ll come and visit every day,” said Denise. She didn’t really seem to mind the place or the stench.
“We would’ve brought flowers, but then we thought we’d rather use the money in the cafeteria,” said Jazmine. “Are you allowed to get out of bed?”
Michelle didn’t know, so she just shrugged.
“I’ve left Patrick,” she said casually. “Would you mind checking if that’s my bag over there?” She pointed over at the pile on the chair, and they nodded. That was good.
“I don’t want him coming here. Can you let them know out there?”
They nodded.
“Then maybe I have somewhere you can live that won’t cost you anything,” said Denise. “And there’s room for you too, Jazmine.”
Michelle looked at her gratefully. Brilliant.
“For a while anyway,” she added.
Michelle pursed her lips. That was awesome, but then she’d known all along that those two would sort everything out for her.
“What happened? They said you were run over. What did you say to the police?” asked Denise.