Chapter Fifteen #2
I lock eyes with Declan, who gives a small wave as he and his brother venture back up the highway to wait in their SUV.
His expression is inscrutable, though. I didn’t mean to offend him by suggesting they could drive on without us, because it just felt like the obvious, polite thing to offer.
Of course I’d prefer if he stays with us. He has to know that, right?
Wrapped around the truck’s rearview mirror is a little crochet chain with flowers made from light blue, pink, and white yarn, as well as a small lavender air freshener pouch. There’s a cooler of water bottles in the footwell.
Amelia and I are quiet as we wait, and the fear of what’s just happened hits me harder in the aftermath.
We’re the adults here. The ones who had to figure out how to manage a broken-down car on the side of the highway far away from home.
And we still don’t know how long the repairs will take, or exactly how far we still are from home, but there’s at least four more hours left to go.
My sister rose to the occasion. I didn’t.
I’m so used to my parents being there to take care of everything. Or, for most of my life, Amelia. But I’m leaving home in a few months, and while I know my family will still be there for me, they won’t actually be there.
The bench seat squeaks beneath us as I rest my head on my sister’s shoulder, grateful she’s here with me now.
.....
At the mechanic, Declan and I wait outside while Amelia and Grady manage the situation in the shop.
We excused ourselves after it began to seem too crowded in there, and there’s a perfectly good picnic table out here for us to sit at.
We’re close together on the same side of the table, elbows resting side by side as we check our phones.
“How long do you think it’ll take to fix?” I ask when I can’t tolerate the quiet anymore.
Declan ponders for a second before he shakes his head. “I know absolutely nothing about cars.”
A few minutes later, our siblings exit through the open garage doors rather than the main entrance we originally walked into earlier. Amelia is holding papers, while Grady’s hands are clasped together. They’re bringing big we’ve-already-got-it-figured-out energy.
Which is exactly how I know a plan has been made that will only now be relayed to Declan and me, without our input.
“We’ve got it sorted,” Grady announces, resting his palms on the edge of the picnic table, narrowly missing a questionable patch of bird poop.
Amelia hands me the yellow papers, which look like a receipt or something. “The credit card is already on file, and they’ve got Mom’s number for any questions, but this should all be wrapped up in about two hours.”
“Oh, nice!” But I look down at the pages, wondering why she handed them to me.
She continues, “Since we’re only about four hours out, Mom and Dad said they’re fine with you just waiting here until it’s ready.”
My eyebrows drop down so fast. “Wait, me?”
“Yeah, I’ll go ahead and give Lee a ride back,” Grady explains, all buddy-buddy with my sister, who now seemingly has no qualms whatsoever about his usage of her nickname.
I stand and confront Amelia. “What? You’re just going to leave?”
She gestures toward Declan and then toward a single-story brick building nearby. “You two aren’t in a rush. Sam mentioned the roller rink that’s right there is a good spot to hang out and wait.”
I spin around and discover that Declan’s face is contorted and looks even more upset than I feel. He quickly jumps up and follows his brother to the SUV.
“Seriously?” I ask Amelia.
“What?” she asks. “I’ll be able to get home to see my friends, and you get to roller-skate with your boyfriend.”
I cross my arms so tightly it hurts, but I don’t release them. “I told you, no boyfriend jokes like that.”
“Just playing matchmaker,” Amelia adds with a smile, so sure that she’s doing something in my best interests.
“I didn’t ask you to.”
“But it all works out,” she insists, genuinely not seeming to see my problem with the situation.
“You could’ve asked me first, at least. You always just decide what’s going to happen and then tell me.”
“I don’t always do that,” she says, latching on to what she assumes to be hyperbole.
That’s the worst part about arguing with my sister—that anything that could be perceived as even the slightest exaggeration somehow negates the entire point.
Maybe she doesn’t take control of the plans 100 percent of the time, but I wouldn’t put that number lower than 90.
“Come on, isn’t this exactly what you would’ve come up with here anyway? ”
“I don’t know, but if—”
“It’s a win-win situation here,” she interrupts. “Really, what’s the alternative?”
I’m not sure, and can’t come up with a retort quickly enough, because Declan is returning to the picnic table, carrying his backpack in hand by a single strap, his shoulders slumped, and he doesn’t seem enthusiastic about this, either.
Wait, why is Declan upset about this? Does he not want to spend more time with me? Ugh, this is so frustrating.
Grady jogs behind him to catch up, handing over a plastic grocery bag of snacks. “Did you text—”
Declan grits his teeth. “Yeah, I texted Mom. So you have to text Dad.”
Letting Declan’s irritation bounce off him, Grady nods and turns to me. “All good?” he asks, still with that ridiculous smile that right now I’m finding exceptionally patronizing.
Do I really have any choice here? Declan’s eyes are wide, deferring to me.
“I mean, it’s fine,” I say, trying to seem happy enough for Declan to understand I’m glad to spend more time with him but mad enough for my sister to know I’m annoyed she’s ditching me again.
“Just saving time,” Amelia says in a joking tone, trying to lighten the mood.
“I’m kind of jealous that I don’t get to roller-skate.
” I roll my eyes and add a juvenile huff so that she gets the audio effect.
“Anyway, the keys are in the shop, and Sam has your number, but you should probably check back in like an hour to see if they finished up early.”
“Sure.” I lean against the picnic table as Declan sits back down on the bench.
“Are we really roller-skating?” he asks as our siblings wave goodbye and walk across the lot. “I’d rather not.”
I wouldn’t mind skating, but I won’t drag him onto the rink. “Hanging out in air-conditioning seems better than staying here, at least.”
“Sure.” He stands again.
Grady climbs into the SUV, but Amelia runs back toward the auto shop. “Almost forgot my driving glasses!” She fetches the case from our car, gives another round of goodbyes, then leaves with Grady, abandoning Declan and me to fend for ourselves here in Iowa.
“You know, if they asked us first, we probably would’ve been cool with them wanting to drive ahead separately,” I admit to Declan, reaching out to grab hold of his hand.
“But they didn’t even bother to consult with us.
And then, when I try to tell her why that bothers me, she just brushes it off like she knows best. Like, doesn’t what I’m feeling matter at all? ”
“Yeah,” he says, but his hand feels tense in my grasp, so I intertwine our fingers and spin myself in toward his chest, tilting my chin up with what I hope is a flirty look. He gives a half smile down at me.
“We can make the best of it, though?” I ask.
He doesn’t say anything but plants a sweet kiss on my forehead that makes all my concerns melt away.