Part 10 (1/2)
”I think Joanie has everything and then some,” Hannah says, watching Joanie struggle to zip up her bag.
”And I think Hannah has such a great sense of humor,” Joanie pants.
”Did you print out directions?” their mom asks. ”You know where you're going?”
”We'll use our phones, Mom.”
”Okay. Well, be safe. Call me when you get there. Use your manners and make sure you help Mrs. Landry with everything. And no drinking.”
”We know, Mom,” Hannah and Joanie say in unison.
”Drive carefully, Baker.”
”I will, Mrs. Eaden.”
”And if these two start fighting, just give me a call.”
”I will,” Baker laughs.
They all hug Hannah's mom goodbye, and she gives them the look and tells them to behave, and then they're in the car and on their way to meet the boys, and Hannah feels the promise of spring break growing in her belly.
”Adventure,” she says, turning to grin at Baker.
Baker keeps her eyes focused on the road, but her mouth curves into a smile. ”Adventure.”
”I think we're Destined for greatness this break,” Hannah says.
”I think you're right,” Baker says.
”I hate both of you,” Joanie says, and they all laugh.
They pick up Luke from his mom's house-she kisses him goodbye and waves at them from the porch, still wearing her bathrobe-and then drive to the Landry's to meet Clay, Wally, and Clay's parents. They park in the driveway behind Clay's dad's Audi.
”Hold on,” Baker says, grabbing Hannah's arm to stop her from getting out of the car. ”He wanted us to text him first.”
”Why?”
”He wants to stash his alcohol in here before his parents come out.”
”Genius,” Joanie says.
Clay takes forever to come outside. Hannah, Baker, Joanie, and Luke sit in the car, their windows rolled down and their legs pulled up on their seats, swapping guesses about what's taking him so long.
”He's p.o.o.ping,” Joanie says.
”Stop projecting, Joanie,” Hannah says.
”He probably lost his wallet again,” Baker says. ”But we're being rude just sitting here. We need to go in and say hi to his parents.”
”I'm texting him again,” Hannah says.
Clay walks out of the house a minute later, small duffle bag thrown over his shoulder and winning smile on his face.
”That's it?” Joanie says. ”Look at the size of that bag. There's no way he fit all the alcohol in there. What's he bringing, those d.i.n.ky little sample sizes of Firefly?”
Baker hangs her arm out the window as Clay strides up to the car. ”Feel like going to Destin?” she asks.
”Absolutely,” Clay says, his voice loud and rumbling. ”Sorry I took so long. My mom made sausages.”
”Where's the stash?” Joanie says, leaning forward from the backseat to address him.
”I have to go around to the backyard to get it. Hold on.”
He disappears around the back of the house, then returns a few minutes later with a navy blue booksack in hand, Wally at his side this time. Clay waggles his eyebrows and gestures at the bag. Wally walks with his hands in his pockets, squinting behind his gla.s.ses. Hannah, Baker, Joanie, and Luke get out of the car and meet them on the driveway.
”This better?” Clay asks, opening up the booksack for them to see. Inside, Hannah can see two handles of whiskey and a fifth of vodka.
”Much better,” Joanie says.
”We'll have to be careful,” Baker says, ”with your parents around and everything.”
”We'll keep it hidden in our room,” Clay says, gesturing to Wally and Luke. ”Don't worry.”
They stow the booksack in Baker's car, right in the middle of Luke and Joanie's seats (”It's like our baby,” Joanie says; ”Our beautiful, boozy baby,” Luke says), and then head into the house to help Clay's parents bring their things out to the car. Mrs. Landry greets them warmly, pulling each of them into a hug, and says, ”Look at this beautiful day-can it get any better?”
After the Landry's car is packed, their phones are set with the Destin address, and Clay has doubled back inside to use the bathroom, their caravan of cars reverses out of the Landry's driveway and heads toward the interstate. Hannah settles into the pa.s.senger seat, tucking her legs up underneath her, watching Clay and Wally's heads bob against the seats of Dr. Landry's car in front of them.
They cruise down I-12 East, laughing and joking and arguing over the music. Joanie convinces Baker to lower the windows so they can ”appreciate the rush of the oncoming air and how it makes our hair blow in the wind like models.” And then for a while they all sit quietly, subdued by the music and the stretch of the bright sun. Hannah picks up Baker's iPhone, connected to the stereo through the auxiliary jack, and scrolls through the playlists until she finds the one she wants-the one she discovered by accident a few months ago, and which made Baker blush and steal the phone back.
Songs han loves.
She plays Coldplay's ”Strawberry Swing” and leans back against the leather seat, letting the sound and lyrics wash over her. No one says anything-they all sink into the song with willing submission-but Baker turns the stereo volume up, and Hannah glances over at her, at the way she looks behind the steering wheel, sunlight on her neck and shoulders, dark hair spilling over her cotton tank top.
”Perfect song,” Baker says, her voice soft in the way it is when her mind is far away.
Hannah doesn't respond for a long beat. The lingering notes of the song echo in her head, until she blinks hard against the sunlight and s.h.i.+fts in her seat.
”Truth,” she says, and scrolls through the playlist to find another song.
Their rental house is four stories tall, narrow, stucco, with windows that look out over the wrap-around balcony. Baker parks on the driveway behind Dr. Landry, and the four of them step out of the car and stretch in the sunlight, mimicking Clay, Wally, and the Landry's as they stare up at the house. Hannah can smell and taste the salt.w.a.ter air all around them.
”Alright,” Clay says, with quiet satisfaction. ”This is definitely where I wanna be right now.”
”It's a beautiful house,” Baker says.
”Well come on,” Dr. Landry says, climbing the stairs to the second-story entryway. ”Let's have a look around.”
The eight of them tour the house together, Hannah and her friends trailing the Landry's through the kitchen, the hallway, the bas.e.m.e.nt bedroom, and the pool area. Clay tugs off his t-s.h.i.+rt and Sperry's and jumps into the pool right then and there, splas.h.i.+ng them all with water.
”Clay-!” his mother starts.