The Forever of Ella and Micha - By Jessica Sorensen Page 0,5
silence toward the grass area that stretches over the front of the campus. Lila is underneath a tree talking to Parker, a tall guy with thick arms and sandy blond hair. He’s wearing a button-down shirt and a pair of fancy jeans. It’s her type of guy normally, except for Ethan. The two of them occasionally talk on the phone, although they still insist they’re just friends.
“Thanks for taking us to lunch.” I step up onto the curb. “I’m sure Lila’s thankful too. She’s been going crazy being stuck on campus.”
“Anytime.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets with a pensive look on his face. “So your boyfriend’s in LA right now?”
I nod unenthusiastically. “Until tomorrow.”
He mulls over something, gazing at the parking lot. “You know that’s only, like, a four-, four-and-a-half-hour drive from here. You could probably make it there later tonight if you left soon.”
“I know that.” I force back a smile, knowing I could make it there in less time than that. “But I don’t have a car.” I point over my shoulder at his red Ford Mustang. “Hence the ride this afternoon.”
An amused smile tugs at the corners of his lips. “I know, but I have a car that could get you there.”
“Why would you do that?” I ask, shocked.
He shrugs, scuffing his shoes against the sidewalk. “Because I know how hard it is to be away from the person you love.”
“Are you for real?” I ask, and he nods. “Let me get this straight. You’re going to let me borrow your car and drive it out of the state, so I can see my boyfriend for, like, a night?”
“Actually I was going to take you,” he clarifies. “My girlfriend lives in Riverside and you could drop me off and pick me up.”
“Girlfriend?” I sputter out a laugh. “Oh my God, you have a girlfriend?”
He tilts his head to the side with a mystified expression. “Am I that repulsive?”
I shake my head swiftly. “No, I’m sorry. It’s just that… Well, Lila thought you had a thing for me and that’s why you talk to me all the time.”
He tugs his beanie onto his head, pressing his lips together to suppress a laugh. “Oh, I see. Your friend’s… interesting.”
“She’s nice, though,” I tell him, glancing over at Lila, who’s running her fingers up and down Parker’s arm. “I love Lila to death.”
“I know that,” he replies. “And for the record, I talk to you because you’re an interesting person. You remind me a lot of my friends back home.”
I’m curious what his friends are like back home. “Are you sure you want to take me? Because you don’t have to.”
“I’m sure.” He tucks the car keys into the back pocket of his jeans. “It’s worth it just to keep that happy look on your face. You don’t smile very much.”
I can’t stop smiling. “Well, thank you. It means a lot to me.”
“Why don’t you go grab your stuff and we can meet back here in, like, an hour.” He backs down the sidewalk as I hike across the grass toward Lila.
“Sounds good,” I call over my shoulder. “And thanks again.”
By the time I reach Lila, she’s writing her phone number on Parker’s hand with a red pen.
“We’re going on a road trip,” I announce, interrupting the conversation.
Parker gives me a once-over and then dismisses me with his eyes. “So I’ll call you later then?” he asks Lila.
“Yeah, sure.” She waves at him and he struts toward the main entrance of the campus, high-fiving another guy standing beneath the canopy in front of the doors.
“Where and why are we going on a road trip?” Lila clicks the cap back on the pen and drops it into her bag.
My stomach flips, thinking about how I’m going to see Micha in just hours. “To LA. Blake is giving us a ride. And before you say anything, he has a girlfriend.”
“Sure he does,” Lila says cynically. “And he also really loves her and would never do anything to hurt her. Typical guy cop-out.”
“What… Are you okay?” I’ve never heard her say anything like this before.
“I’m fine,” she swears, shrugging it off. “Let’s go.”
Blake’s a slow driver and when I ask him what he has under the hood, he has no idea. I try not to give him too much crap about it, but a few sarcastic remarks slip out.
“Aw, you like cars.” He merges the car back into the slower traffic lane.
From the backseat, Lila snort-laughs. “Likes them. The girl’s insane