Page 106 of Things I Read About

Buzz

Sam: Sal are you close? We just landed!

I laugh at the selfie she sends. It’s Samantha, Skye, Emerson and Matt. Sam and Matt are smiling wide. Emerson is holding Samantha to himself and not smiling and Skye—giant noise canceling headphones still on her head—is rolling her eyes and sticking out her tongue. Matt is giving her bunny ears, like he’s five.

It’s perfection.

Samantha: Sadie and Shep are about to land, too.

Samantha: So, we’re going to wait for them here

Samantha: then head to the house! Yasssss!!!!

Skye: Sam. That could have been one message. Please, for the love, get it together.

Samantha: Nev.

Samantha: er.

Sally: LOL. We are an hour and two minutes away.

Samantha: That’s too long!!!

Samantha: I’m dying to hug your pretty face and hear all the bodyguard drama!

Skye: How exactly are you going to hug her face, weirdo.

Sally: No drama.

Skye: Liar.

Samantha: PANTS ON [fire emoji]

Sally: Lol see you soon.

I catch Nate looking over at me. My phone was vibrating constantly. It was probably a little annoying. His face does look irritated. I think.

I take out a headphone. “Nate?”

He takes a headphone out, too.

I look down at my phone. “You’ll see how great they are if you do this thing Sadie taught me.” He lifts his dark, thick eyebrows. “Watch them with each other. Not, like, scanning them when you scan the whole room, I mean really watch them when they don’t know it.”

“Okay…”

“Watch how my dad is with each of his girls. His chest puffs out like a cartoon. He gets teary eyed all the time, and thinks we don’t notice. And Shep, I know he’s arrogant but watch how he literally orbits around Sadie. He refills her drink before it can hit empty, he moves things out of her way if she’s walking and talking, that sort of thing. He stares at her, and he just melts. There’s a lot of melting really,” I ramble, filled with happiness, imagining them at their best. “Emerson, we used to call him a robot, all stiff and proper with his British accent—well, when he actually spoke—but then he looks at Sam and he just dissolves into a puddle. Adam and Susan are both such powerhouses, leaders, then one look at their kids, they’re a mess.”

“So, all your bothers-in-law are softies?”

I laugh. “Underneath. Except for Matt, he’s more of a softie on top. Skye, she’s the one who melts.”

“Canton 3?”

“Um, yeah, I guess. Look at how she guards herself, even with family, but when Matthew gets close to her? Total puddle.” I sigh at the end of my thoughts, staring out the window. “It’s so freaking swoony and romantic. All of my sisters and theirhashtag couple goals.Total main characters.”

“So. That’s where the main character thing came from? You feel like a sidekick?”

I chuckle again but it’s not as happy this time. “Iamthe sidekick. It’s not intentional, I’m just the youngest, the weirdest. Canton Five. That fits. You’ll see. You’ll see it in how they look at me.”