The Summer I Became a Nerd - By Leah Rae Miller Page 0,62
hangs up.
I find a covered bus bench, thank God, and I sit. I wonder if I’d have time to run in and find Logan, but I quickly dismiss that idea. I look like warmed-over cat crap. I don’t want to be that girl. The damsel in distress. I don’t want him to feel sorry for me.
A few minutes later, I get a text from my brother asking where I am exactly. He’s going to be so pissed. When I see his little blue truck pull up, I dash over.
“Call Mom and tell her I’m here,” he says through the open window. He has Dad’s blue eyes like I do and the same dirty blond hair, but he has 20/20 vision which I’ve always been jealous of.
“Come on, Ro. Can’t you do it?”
He rolls up the window and locks the door just as I try to open it.
I sigh and kick his tire. Mom picks up on the first ring. “Roland is here,” I say.
“Get in the truck and come home.” She hangs up. Oh man, I’m so in for it.
I hear the door locks click when I press end on my phone, and I jump in. He doesn’t say a word. He just glowers at the road ahead, not even acknowledging my presence. Considering he’s been off getting a bunch of psychology degrees, I expected a bit more of an interrogation.
“Thanks,” I say as we hit the on-ramp to I-49.
Again, silence. This is getting old.
“Look, I didn’t ask Mom to call you, she just did. I was fine—”
“Yeah, you look fine. And by fine I mean warmed-over cat crap.”
“Well, thank you very much. I really appreciate that.” I cross my arms, sinking farther down into my seat.
He laughs a little. “You can’t pull that wounded bird routine with me.” True. He’s never let me get away with being a “poor little girl.” On one hand it’s great because he always treats me like we’re on the same level. On the other hand, it sucks because I can never get anything by him. “What the hell were you doing there? Mom said you were supposed to be at a concert. How did you end up across town?”
“I took a cab.”
“Why?”
Now he wants to talk. “I don’t want to talk about it. Just drive, please?”
“If you don’t tell me what’s going on right now, I will pull this truck over.”
“Stop treating me like I’m a five-year-old!” I kick one of the empty fast food cups lying on the floorboard.
“Then stop acting like one!”
I go quiet for a few minutes, debating on what to tell him. It’s when he pushes the brakes and starts to pull over onto the shoulder do I give up trying to think of a half truth.
“Okay! I was trying to find a guy.”
He speeds up. “What guy? Eric? That’s the boyfriend’s name, right?” I’m surprised he remembers his name. I don’t usually talk to Ro about Eric.
“No, not Eric. We’re not together anymore. Logan. I was trying to find Logan.”
“Who’s Logan?” He waggles his eyebrows, trying to cheer me up, but that’s not going to help.
“He’s…” How do I explain?
In his calm, psychiatrist voice, he says, “Just start from the beginning, Maddie.”
#22
I’m finishing up my tale of woe and heartache and betrayal and nerdiness right as we pull into town.
“I don’t know why I wanted to find him. He probably would’ve just blown me off anyway.” I try to detangle my finally dry hair with my fingers.
He glances at me with this weird look. Is that respect I see in his eyes? “Man, this is so weird. You’re all grown up now.”
I let out a little laugh. “Thanks for noticing.” I should have known talking to him would ease my mind, even if it’s only slightly.
“So, what are you going to do?” he asks.
“I have no idea.” Saying those words makes me feel defeated all over again, though.
“Number one, you need to come clean with Mom and Dad. Number two, you need to work it out with Terra. And number three, forget this guy.”
“Okay, well, number one, I will be grounded for life when they realize I’ve been lying about where I’ve been going.”
“You’re grounded for life already because of this little stunt you pulled tonight. Might as well just confess everything at once. Believe me, I’ve been through this kind of stuff with them.”
“True, but number two, there is no way Terra is going to forgive me. She hates me.”