Page 10 of Places We've Never Been

CHAPTER 3

“He most definitely was not,” I said, even though I was certain he was. That explained exactly why he was acting the way he was. “I have never had a crush on Skyler Hutton.” And that was the absolute truth.

She shrugged. “It must’ve been someone else, then.” She pushed the button on the wall and the table between the two benches dropped, folding down. “Cool!”

A loud horn sounded from outside and Paisley gasped in surprise.

“That must be the departure bell,” I said.

“Oh! Right.” She rushed toward the door and, with her hand on the handle, glanced back over her shoulder. “See you at our first stop!”

“Yep,” I said, forcing a smile. It wasn’t her fault I was mad. She was just the messenger. I pulled out my phone to angrily text Willow the latest development when Ezra, Mom, and Dad filed into the RV.

“Say goodbye to your dad,” Mom said.

“I already did.”

“Well, I’m greedy,” Dad said. “I need another goodbye.”

I hugged him tight and rested in his arms for a moment, hoping the comfort I felt there would melt away the anger burning in my chest. It worked a little.

“Have fun and good luck on your interview.”

My interview. At a school filled with people who had the same passion I had—gaming. My future couldn’t come soon enough. “Thanks, Dad. Don’t miss us too much.”

“I’ll try not to.”

“Are you sad you aren’t coming?” I had never asked him point-blank before.

“No, your mom and Olivia need this.”

“What do you mean?”

He glanced at Mom, who was stowing her purse in the compartment by the driver’s seat. “I mean, they need some time together.”

That’s what he said but it didn’t feel like the truth. I sighed. Willow was getting in my head, turning me skeptical. “I’ll send you loads of pics.”

“You better.” He squeezed Ezra’s arm. “Have fun, son.”

I snapped my fingers and pointed at my dad. “Don’t even think about it. Equal treatment.”

Dad laughed and opened his arms for Ezra. “Come get your hug, son. Blame your sister.”

“I always do,” Ezra said, letting Dad hug him. Ezra was taller and lankier than my dad and he patted him on the head before pulling away. Then Dad was through the door and standing on the front lawn, ready to wave us on our way.

“Find a seat,” Mom said, taking her place behind the big steering wheel of the RV.

Ezra claimed the passenger seat, which was fine with me. I went to the very back, lay on my mom’s bed, and twisted the blinds open.Goodbye, Fresno,I thought as we drove away.My future awaits.Like Willow had pointed out, I would only be gone for three weeks, but this felt like the first step toward discovering my life, toward finding where I really fit in.

After watching the road stretch out behind me for some time, I joined my backpack on the couch, pulled out my phone, and opened my coding app.

I had been entering strings and commands into my phone for a simple game concept the app was teaching me, when something Ezra said pulled me out of my zone.

“It just makes more sense,” he was saying. “And I’ve driven it before.”

“Not for this long.”

“Yeah, but, Mom, we’re literally on this mostly straight freeway for the next five hours. It’s not rocket science. Don’t you want all this driving time with Olivia too?”