Running Northwest by Michael Melville Read Free Book Online

afterwards, he left Michigan and her life completely. Stephanie had always known that she was the reason Thomas left Michigan and moved to Oregon. He never actually said it to her though; he loved her far too much to say something like that. However, she always knew the real reason for it; the reason that nobody, including their mutual friends and even his family would ever admit to. Standing there thinking about him and her past, she realized she had missed him every day.
    She stood up and threw the picture of her and Jared into the box as hard as she could. Shattering glass all over and not caring if anyone else heard. She sat on the floor of her office and leaned against the front of her wooden desk. Stephanie pulled her knees against her chest as she held the old picture in her arms tightly against her chest.
    As she sobbed uncontrollably, she said quietly said to herself, “I miss you so much, Thomas, I was so stupid back then.”
    A few minutes later, Karen the secretary knocked on the door , came in and saw Stephanie sitting on the floor, quietly crying.
    “Stephanie, are you okay? I heard breaking glass…”
    Karen came into the room and shut the door behind her. She walked over to Stephanie and knelt down onto the ground next to her. She put her arms around her crying friend.
    “What’s the matter, Steph? What’s going on?” she asked, very concerned.
    “I don’t even know, Karen. I don’t even know what to say right now,” Stephanie said, and adding, “I just feel kind of stupid, right now for a lot of reasons I guess.”
    “Why? What the hell would you, or could you, feel stupid about? Is this about last night with that bastard Jared?” Karen asked.
    Earlier in the day, Stephanie had filled Karen in on what happened the night before with her ex-boyfriend.
    “No, not really. Well, maybe a little, but not as much as you would think,” Stephanie answered, still holding the picture of her and Thomas tight to her chest.
    “You’re confusing me, babe. What the hell did you break anyway?” Karen asked, seeing the broken glass on the floor.
    Stephanie, who was a little embarrassed now, pointed to the box on the floor with the pictures in it which had broken glass lying around it, “Those,” she said quietly.
    Karen looked at the box on the floor with the broken picture frames in it, and back at Stephanie’s face. Her eyes closed tightly as she looked at her young friends face and at her eyes that were starting to fill with tears again.
    “You know what; let’s take care of this crap right now okay? I’m going to throw it away myself,” she said as she bent down to grab the box off the floor, reaching for the picture frame Stephanie had clutched in her arms.
    “No! Not this one, Karen,” Stephanie said as she pulled away from Karen’s reaching hand that was already touching the still somewhat dusty frame.
    “Stephanie!” Karen said angrily, “You need to get rid of them all, every picture you have him.”
    “I know and you can. I’m not going to stop you, but…” Stephanie started saying
    “But nothing, Steph,” Karen said, again reaching for the dusty frame causing Stephanie to pull away further.
    “No, you don’t understand. This isn’t him, Karen. This one isn’t Jared,” she said somewhat meekly, but smiling slightly as she looked down at the picture.
    Karen looked at her friend and was a little confused and curious now. “Umm…okay. Who is it then?” she said.
    “Don’t take it, please!” Stephanie said causing Karen to laugh a little bit.
    “Okay. Don’t worry, Sweetheart I won’t take it” Karen replied as Stephanie slowly stood up and removed the old dusty picture from her chest so Karen could see what it was.
    Stephanie watched Karen’s eyes as she studied the picture in Stephanie’s hand.
    “Who is this Stephanie, he’s a stud and look how damn young you look!” Karen asked.
    “Yeah, that was back when I was really hot,” she said trying to make a