woods on some back roads, to try again.
“Where are we going?” I’m trying to sound completely unfazed. I don’t want to scare him again, not when he’s driving, or whatever you want to call what we’re doing. There’s a reason people have to take tests to operate cars. I haven’t even taken the test for my permit yet.
“I don’t know.” He takes one hand off the wheel and scratches the back of his neck. “Gray’s on the other side of Canada, so I was thinking my aunt’s?”
“Where does she live?”
“Michigan.”
Okay, so that’s not as close as Jayla’s basement, but not as bad as driving to the other side of Canada. But still, I feel it settling over me, this feeling of doom, like it’s all going off the rails and there’s no way to stop it. I have to try, though.
“Have you talked to Gray about everything that’s going on?”
“Uh, no, Peak, this was pretty spur of the moment. I came to you first.”
I turn to face him, pulling one leg up on the seat. It’s now or never. “Don’t freak out, please. But this feels like a bad idea. I really think we should go back now.”
He slams his head against his seat and looks at me, so hurt, so lost, and I wish I never said anything. “I told you not to come. And I gave you the chance to get out when we got the car. I can’t stay. I thought you got that.”
And he’s so worked up, I need to adjust the timeline of my plan. I can’t wait for him to calm down; cooler heads need to prevail now.
“I’m not asking you to go back to your dad’s. We’ll go to my house. I know my parents will let you spend the night.” He makes a face like he doesn’t believe me. “Just the night, and probably on the couch, but tomorrow we’ll tell them everything. You’ve wanted to all along; you were right. Okay?”
“It’s too late. I can’t fix this. They’ll hate me, especially now.”
“They won’t. They’ll understand. Trust me, tragic origin stories are kind of their thing. Do you even read Vera’s comics? And here I thought you were a superfan,” I tease. I’m trying to break the tension; it doesn’t work. “Fine, they’ll be mad. But even if they’re furious, they’ll still help. I promise.”
“You trust them way too much.”
And oh, that breaks my heart. “You’re supposed to be able to,” I say. “Like, in a perfect world, everybody could trust their parents.”
“Yeah, well.”
“Bats.” He looks at me quick and goes back to driving. “Please believe me. They might be pissed—they’re definitely going to be pissed—but they’ll help us. Tomorrow we’ll call your aunt and your sister and figure everything out from there.”
“I can’t go back with my parents,” he says, his eyes shining in the dashboard lights. He’s slowed to twenty miles per hour, and if I can just keep talking to him, maybe I can get him to stop.
“You won’t have to. I won’t let that happen.” He looks at me again, probably surprised by how intensely I said that. “Look, my mom will know what to do. Maybe she and Vera can even talk to your parents for you.”
“They’re mortal enemies,” he deadpans, like this night hasn’t been dramatic enough.
“Fine.” I try to laugh, but it comes out more like a huff. “Then they’ll call your aunt, and she can talk to your parents. Maybe you can even stay with her until you finish school?”
“You’re here, though.” He says it like it’s the most important thing. And I thought it was too, I did, but this feels so much bigger than anything I’ve ever had to deal with. Somehow, I don’t think grand theft auto with a boyfriend in crisis is what Mrs. Garavuso meant when she said I needed to live a little.
I tip my head toward him. “Michigan is a lot closer to Connecticut than Washington is.”
The car slows to ten miles per hour, and then five, and then stops. “Why are you like this?”