Page 28 of Places We've Never Been

“What about her?” he said.

“Did you tell her you were moving out again or something?” I whispered.

“No. Why?”

“I don’t know, yesterday she was super sentimental, talking about how awesome I was and today she’s…” My eyes drifted to the closed door again.

“Tired? She’s always tired after the first night sleeping in theRV.”

“I know.” I really did know that. “But she also seems…faraway?”

“What does that mean?”

“Like in her head.”

“I haven’t noticed that. And if you have, it’s probably because with Olivia around she’s having all these long-lost memories of college life.”

“Nostalgia,” I said wistfully. He was right. I was the one far away and annoyed. I was projecting. Everyone else was perfectly fine.

“You going to move?” he asked, and I realized I was blocking the door.

“You going to ask nice?”

“Probably not,” he said.

I fake punched him in the chest. He pretended it hurt.

“And for the record,” he said as he stepped by me, “you’re the one moving out. Isn’t that one of the reasons for this trip?”

“Oh.” He was right. Was that why my mom was getting sentimental? Because she was thinking about me going away to college?

“Austin!” Ezra called the second he saw him across the way. “Ghost town today.”

“Yes,” Austin said back. “Like that one dude’s eighth-grade graduation party.”

“Oh, yeah, I’d forgotten about that,” he said. “The flamingo in the pool the only guest.”

“It obviously wasn’t if you two showed up,” I said.

“Don’t ruin it, Nor,” Ezra said.

Olivia shook out a garbage sack and hung it on a hook on the side of the RV. “Miranda and I decided instead of driving these gas guzzlers all around Death Valley that we’ll do one ofthose pink van tours. Then we’ll come back here, eat, and hit the ghost town on the way out.”

“Norah!” Paisley flew out of the RV. “I’m sitting by you. Did you finish your drawing last night?”

“No, not quite.”

“I started a drawing, too, of a lizard, but it’s really bad.”

“Everyone starts off bad. It’s the law.”

“I didn’t start off bad,” Skyler said, stepping down from the RV, his hair wet from his shower.

“Yes, you did and if you need proof, I’ll dig it up,” I said. If I could just let go of all expectations about what Skyler and I were supposed to be and just accept what we were, I was positive it would help. That was really hard to do, though.

“Good morning,” Mom said, joining the group. Her eyes were red with dark circles beneath them and my worry flared up again. “The pink van is going to be here in about forty-five minutes, so plan accordingly.”

“I think what she means to say is eat fast,” I said.