AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His shoulders have risen to his ears. “Just because I don’t like heavy metal, it doesn’t mean I only listen to pop. I listen to all kinds of music, hip-hop, rap, jazz, even some country.”
“If you don’t listen to metal, you aren’t listening to all music.”
“I guess it depends on how you define music.”
I snort. “Okay, grandpa.”
The streets of town are full of locals and tourists on this sunny June day, and Mac sinks lower in his seat.
“I doubt your aunt is going to see you driving through town. She’s probably in her store.”
“I’m not taking any chances.” He doesn’t relax until we’re well out of town and on the highway to Roanoke. Interesting. Whatever kind of touring he does, he’s well-known enough he thinks strangers might recognize him.
Maybe he does those TED talks. Is that a traveling thing? Or he could be a stand-up comedian. They tour. Mac hasn’t been very funny around me, but comedians aren’t funny all the time, are they?
A comedian who does something illegal on the side?
“How about some car snacks?” I bend over to dig them out of my bag.
“I just had breakfast. I’m good.”
I sit up and plop the bag of candy and chips on my lap. “But it’s a road trip.” I love road trips. I think. This might be my first one. At least my first one with a friend.
“We’re going to Roanoke. It’s a couple hour’s drive at most.” Mac’s smile is patronizing and annoying. “It hardly counts as a road trip.”
I deflate, some of my excitement replaced by embarrassment. “It might not be a road trip to someone who tours the country on a bus filled with smart people, but it’s a road trip in my book.” I pull out a bag of gummy worms and rip it open, stuffing two in my mouth. “I’m going to enjoy it.”
Mac glances over at me. “How many road trips have you been on?”
“Plenty,” I lie. “And I believe in making the most of every moment.”
“You’re right.” He holds out his hand, his expression softening. “Give me some road trip snacks.”
***
I’m smiling when I walk into the restaurant, because Mac kept me laughing all the way here. We didn’t talk about anything particularly meaningful, mostly just chatted about Catalpa Creek and our experiences there as kids. He’s a great storyteller, and I found myself telling him more about me and my sisters than I think I’ve ever told anyone.
It should have made me sad, talking about how distant I’ve always felt from my sisters, how I’ve always felt I’m on the outside looking in, but he felt the same with his siblings and it made me think, for the first time in forever, that maybe there’s not something dreadfully wrong with me, maybe it’s just a case of normal sibling dynamics.
I smile even bigger when Maya stands from her seat at a nearby table. She’s already ordered and her table is loaded with a burger, fries, and the biggest milkshake they have here. She’s put on weight since we were teens, and it looks good on her. Her white skin is healthy and glowing, with her hair lightened and hanging past her shoulders, wearing a white blouse and jeans that seem tailored to her petite, curvy body.
Her eyes glisten with tears as I cross the room. I don’t even hesitate to hug her, the years between us falling away. I realize now that I’ve always liked her better than Dell, even though she could be vicious when she had to be.
“It’s good to see you, Honey. It’s been too long.”
I pull away. “You look amazing.”
She smiles and sits back down. “That’s what regular meals and a low-stress life will do for a person. I don’t even know how I survived that wild life we lived together.”
I sit across from her. “I know what you mean. You couldn’t pay me to go back.”
“You look good too. Do you want to get some food?”
I shrug. “I’ve been vegan for a few months. I don’t think there’s anything here I can eat.”
She shakes her head. “You becoming a vegan doesn’t surprise me. You have a softer heart than you’ve ever wanted anyone to know.”
Maya hasn’t always thought the best of me, but she seems to have forgiven me for our differences. “I taught you to con people out of their money. I’m no saint.”
