Chapter 4 Leaving Hidden Towel For Good

Emma leaned closer and gently shook Phoebe, who was still fast asleep on the bed. “Phoebe, wake up,” she whispered, sounding worried.

Hearing her name, Phoebe groaned and turned her face away from the pillow. Her voice was heavy with sleep. “Who is that?” she mumbled, squinting until she finally saw her. “Emma?” she said slowly, still half-asleep.

“Yes, it’s me,” Emma said as she held Phoebe’s hand and helped her sit up.

“Oh my God, where were you last night? I looked everywhere for you! I even called you like fifteen times.” Phoebe’s voice was of relief and annoyance, the sound of a friend who’d been panicking all night. She had already made up her mind that if Emma didn’t reach out by morning, she was going to the police to report her friend missing. “Wait—” she paused, her tone sharpening with suspicion. “Did you meet Scott?”

Emma frowned. “How do you expect me to meet Scott when I don’t even know what he looks like? You were the one who was supposed to take me to him.”

“Right.” Phoebe rubbed her eyes, still trying to wake up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you, so I thought you left. I ended up drinking a little more with Jones, and he drove me home.” She blinked again, trying to focus on Emma. “Where did you even go last night?” She turned to look at the clock beside the bed. “What time is it?” Seeing 6:45am, she groaned. “Emma, this is too early for you to wake me up on a Saturday.”

Emma sat on her bed and let out a long sigh. Phoebe looked at her closely and immediately felt something was wrong.

“Oh my God, Emma. I know that look. What did you get yourself into this time?”

She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “They’re after me. I think I’m going to end up in jail,” she said, her voice shaking.

Phoebe’s eyes opened wide. “Jail? Did you hit someone at the party last night?”

Emma shook her head fast and pushed her fingers through her hair in frustration. “No. No, it’s worse,” she said quietly. She looked at Phoebe, who was now staring at her with worry. “I stole something… and I feel like he’s going to come after me and destroy my life, and…”

Phoebe froze for a moment, shocked. “Stole? From who? Who did you even meet last night?”

Emma hesitated, her throat tight as she remembered a few things from the night before. “I met this guy… we talked, had some drinks, and then…”

“And then what?” Phoebe asked, impatient. When Emma didn’t answer, Phoebe’s eyes widened in understanding. “Oh my God. You slept with him, didn’t you?”

Emma didn’t say a word. Her silence was enough.

“Wow,” Phoebe muttered. “Who would have thought the Virgin Mary would lose her virginity to a total stranger?”

She scoffed. “You wanted to give me to a total stranger too.”

“Well, that was different. I knew Scott. People knew Scott Jones. You didn’t know this man.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Come on, Phoebe. I never thought something like this would happen.”

“Of course you did,” Phoebe said. “I know you. When you want something, you always go for it. Now talk! Who did you steal from?” Phoebe swung her legs off the bed and walked to the cabinet. She grabbed a fresh pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, and lit it. The first drag burned her throat. It was a familiar sting that somehow calmed her. She exhaled slowly, letting the smoke curl into the air. “Want one?” she asked, holding it out.

Emma shook her head fast. “No.”

Phoebe dragged a chair in front of her and sat down. “Okay. Start talking.”

Emma took a long breath. “Honestly… he didn’t look rich at all last night. He was dressed so simple.”

Phoebe wrinkled her nose. “Ugh, I hate guys like that. They pretend to be broke so girls won’t bother them.” She took another puff. “But is he cute?”

Emma gave her sharp stare. “Phoebe, that’s not the point.”

“Oh, but it is,” Phoebe argued. “Anyway, if you’re scared about jail, maybe you should’ve thought about that before stealing. What did you take that’s making you panic? If he’s rich, he might not even notice.”

“Oh my God,” Emma said, breathing out slowly. “He will notice. I didn’t count it, but there was a lot of money. He stuffed everything in his wallet, and I just… I don’t even know how my—”

“Enough! Stop rambling. Just show me the money.”

Emma dug into her bag and pulled out the neatly stacked money. She handed it to Phoebe, who gasped.

“Wow… Em, you’re in serious trouble,” she said, staring at it.

Emma took a deep breath and reached back into her bag again. She pulled out a car key. “I also took his car.”

Phoebe’s eyes widened. “What? Are you crazy?” She couldn’t stop herself and laughed. “You’re so going to jail!”

Emma quickly shushed her, looking around nervously. “Too loud! Can you stop saying that? It’s freaking me out.”

Phoebe smirked and flicked her cigarette ashes into the tray. “You should be scared. Scared enough that you might lose control.” She paused. “But seriously… Why would you do this? You love money, yeah, but you’ve never stolen before.”

Emma sighed. “Last night, before I left the dorm, I thought about everything. I got excited when you said you’d introduce me to Scott, thinking maybe some of my problems could get solved. But then reality hit. Tomorrow we have to leave this place, and I have to go back to my mom’s tiny apartment… it’s impossible. With my bank balance, even a small place is out of reach. I thought you’d understand better than anyone.”

Phoebe nodded slowly, her face serious. “I get it, but this seems extreme. So what’s your plan for the car? Are you going to sell it?”

Emma didn’t hesitate. “Yes. That car is worth a fortune. The money could keep me going for a whole year.” She stood and walked to the window, motioning for Phoebe to join her.

Phoebe leaned out the window and looked at the car Emma pointed at. “Wow… that car is really worth millions, Em,” she said, turning to her with worry in her eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I’ve already made up my mind,” Emma replied.

“What if he comes after you?”

Emma turned to her. “You said you wanted to leave Hidden Towel after graduation and stay with your aunt, right?” Phoebe nodded slowly. “Then, what if I come with you? I can stay there for a while, far away from New York, and come back later.”

“Whoa. Calm down.” Phoebe let out a long breath and crossed her arms. “I don’t even know when I’m coming back. Mom wants to stay with Aunt Tiffy because she’s still grieving Brian. Honestly, I might just move there and start over with my family.”

“Then I’ll go with you,” Emma said quickly. “It doesn’t matter how long you stay. I need a fresh start too.”

Phoebe lifted a brow. “And your family? You’re just going to leave them? Em, you can’t do that.” Emma didn’t say anything, and Phoebe continued, “I can’t let you just walk away from them.”

“They survived without me for four years. They’ll survive four more,” Emma said softly. “And I’ll send my mom money. You’re the only person I trust, Phoebe. Please… let me come with you.”

Phoebe looked overwhelmed. She took a moment, then walked back to her bed and sat down, thinking. Emma stayed by the window, staring outside with her mind racing.

“I’ll talk to Jones when the sun comes up,” Phoebe finally said and Emma looked at her. “The car should be easy to sell. It looks so fancy and expensive that nobody will ignore it. And once I leave, you should start packing. We’re leaving Hidden Towel by Sunday.”

---

Jones handed Phoebe a bag. “Here’s all the money from the car. It was easy to sell,” he said, though he still looked curious. The car was showcased for just 25 minutes before attracting attention, and soon five buyers came forward, each eager to make an offer. “Why do you need this money so fast? Are you going somewhere?”

Phoebe looked at the bag, then met his eyes. “Yes, Jones. I am.” She quickly made up a story about how Emma got gifted the car after a night with a rich guy. Jones chuckled nervously and scratched his head.

“You didn’t give me much detail, so I wasn’t sure if it was stolen. But it’s not listed anywhere, which is weird for such an expensive car,” he said.

“It’s an emergency,” Phoebe said firmly but softly. “I’ll be back next month. Can you wait?” She leaned in, kissed him, and whispered, “Thanks for this. I love you.” Another quick kiss, and she turned to leave. For a moment, she hesitated, wanting to tell him it might be the last time she saw him. She loved Jones, but Emma needed her now. Supporting her friend was more important, even if it hurt.

Phoebe opened the dorm door and saw Emma packing. She smiled. “Hey there,” she said, closing the door behind her.

“How did it go?” Emma asked, then she noticed the bag. “I’m guessing it worked.”

Phoebe smiled. “Jones came through. And your one-night guy? He hasn’t reported the car stolen. I wonder why.” She stepped closer. “Are you really going to do this?”

Emma nodded, determined. “Yes. I’m sure.” She took the bag and hugged Phoebe tightly. “Thank you for helping me. I really appreciate it.”

“That’s what friends are for.”

After a moment, she looked at Emma, then turned back to finish packing. Leaving Hidden Towel was hard. She'd miss this place.

By 10 p.m., they had everything ready. They shared a bed because the room had gotten smaller because of their bags. The next morning, the alarm went off, shrill and loud.

“Time to get up,” Phoebe said, nudging Emma.

Once dressed and ready, Phoebe grabbed their tickets. She had struggled to get them yesterday, paying far more than she expected, and together, they left Hidden Towel for good.