Page 19 of Next to Everything We Wanted

I could see Emma frown in my mirror. “Guess I’ll just ask Dr. Leanne next time.”

We went back to my house to get Bailey and our toys before driving to Playful Paws Dog Park. By the time we got there, it was almost six, though the spring sky remained bright. Bailey sat in the grass, looking anything but playful. What was she tired from? She wasn’t the one who’d gone to school and volunteered on three hours of sleep.

It was cloudier than usual, so I checked the radar on my phone.High chance of light rain within the next hour. What the heck? I knew it was spring and all, but Nevada was the driest state in the country. A rainy day was once in a blue moon.

“It might rain in an hour or so,” I told the twins before putting my phone in my pocket. “What are we playing?”

“The dodgeball game,” Emma said, resting her bag of sports balls on the ground. “You have to catch the balls from both of us and not drop them like last time.”

“Hey, it’s not easy.” I’d gotten pelted every time we played this game. We’d started off with volleyballs, which was a big mistake. I hadn’t remembered them beingthathard in PE class.

I braced myself as Emma and Adam grabbed their dodgeballs. I tried to focus on both directions, only for my eyes to cross over. “I’m ready.”

Adam twisted the ball in his hand. “Okay, on the count of three.”

“One,” Emma said.

I brushed the dark brown hair out of my eyes.

“Two,” Adam said.

This should be easier than last time, right?

“Three!”

I screamed and ran away from the balls, and they hit each other in the air before rolling onto the ground. Emma and Adam grunted, shooting daggers at me with their eyes. Gosh, since when could someone with a baby face look that mean?

“You weren’t supposed to run away!” Emma whined, crossing her arms over her chest. “The next school year will be our last year of recess, and we have to be total champs. You’re not helping.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Was I like this when I was ten? “Fine. I’ll try to do it right this time.”

“We’ll see,” Adam muttered.

I ignored him and braced myself. The balls came flying toward me, but my elbows were able to make them rebound and hit Adam and Emma in their faces. My hands flew to my mouth, a snicker escaping. Emma was already tearing up (they were probably fake, as most of her tears during games were), and Adam grimaced.

After a few glances at each other, the three of us burst out laughing.

“Okay, if you guys think this is so easy,” I said after our laughing fit, “then one of you needs to try it.”

“I’ll try it!” Emma smiled, her fake tears nowhere in sight. “I’m good with these things.”

“And I’ll try it after,” Adam said.

“Good.” I smirked, prepared for them to realize how hard it actually was.

And, boy, did they realize quickly. The moment Adam and I threw the balls at Emma, she screamed and ducked down. They bounced off her back and tumbled to the sandbox.

“What the heck was that?” Her brown eyes were huge. “That’s not fair!”

My smirk returned. “I told you it isn’t easy.”

“Let me try again,” she said as Adam got the balls. “Practice makes perfect.”

“Or so you tell yourself.”

She shot a glare at me as Adam handed me the ball.

“Take two!” Adam declared. “One, two, three!”