smearing most of it around my plate instead of eating it.
I wave goodbye to Maggie soon after. She was happy to let me sit at the counter and hangout, but I don’t need to be there taking up her time if she won’t let me help out.
I finger the key in my pocket, knowing I’ll need to see about getting another set. The keys I lost had the door key along with the ignition key. The door key should be easy enough to replace, I hope I don’t have any trouble getting the other key made, it’s older and doesn’t have any fancy chip in it or anything, so I think I should be okay.
I spot a car parked alongside of the road near the entrance of Turtle Creek. As I get closer I can see three silhouettes leaning on the hood. My footsteps falter, what are they doing here? I’ve been sitting at the diner for over an hour, have they been here the whole time? What if my mom saw them waiting for me? Ollie doesn’t know she’s not around. He’s the only one I told that she was sick, so I can’t really be mad at all of them. But I still feel like I want to yell at them for it. I know my frustration has more to do with yesterday than about them waiting for me, but I don’t care.
Milo turns first, the sound of my shoes on the gravel alerting him I’m nearing. “Hey,” he blurts, and the others turn too.
“What are you guys doing?” There’s a bite to my words I can’t keep out. Dante’s head turns, and he looks over at Ollie. Expecting him to talk for the group, again. I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him. “I told you my mom was sick.” He swallows quickly.
“I know, we weren’t planning on knocking on the door or anything, we were just waiting to see you. I thought we’d catch you coming from school.” Ollie stands then pushes the loose strands of hair, which escaped his hair tie, back.
I narrow my eyes still waiting for an answer to my question as to why they’re here. Milo steps forward, taking a quick peek over at Ollie, who blows out a breath and tilts his head. “We were wondering if maybe we could talk… about yesterday.” Milo seems unsure for the first time since I’ve met him. He’s always been a little aloof, but I’ve never known him to mince words. If anything, he’s always been the most direct of the three of them.
“About what? How you guys punked me and I fell for it? No thank you. I get it, haze the new girl. It’s not even all that original. You think you’re the first people to give me a hard time, with as much as I’ve moved? This isn’t even a blip on the radar.” I stare then up and down.
“We aren’t punking you Laura. I think you know that. How could we fake what you’re feeling? You asked me if I felt it too, remember?” Dante asks softly.
I purse my lips, sure I remember, but it doesn’t mean any of it was real. I roll my eyes upward and shake my head. “I really don’t have the energy to argue with you guys. Why don’t you just tell me what you want so we can move this along?”
“I… we were hoping to talk.” Ollie looks around the deserted road. “Do you want to grab a bite to eat, or we could go back to Dante’s house. I know we can’t disturb your mom and standing on the side of the road is kinda strange, even for us. I promise it won’t go like yesterday.” He rushes out the last bit, looking between his two friends.
“Yeah, no interruptions. Just answers,” Dante adds.
Twelve
My mind is warring with indecision. Yes, I still want to know what these boys think they know about me. But, I’m consumed with worry for my mom. Should I let myself be distracted by them? I glance past the Turtle Creek sign, my camper is too far away to see, but I need to check and see if my mom is home before I go.
“Laura?” Ollie questions.
“I’m thinking, okay?” Ollie nods briskly, taking a step backward and dropping his rear on the car to sit. A picture of patience. I make my decision. “I’m going to check on my mom first. If everything is okay, I’ll come