Part 16 (1/2)

She pulls out with a screech as he's still putting a seat belt across him.

I turn around. ”Are you being chased by the cops or something?”

”No.” He doesn't smile or expand but he presses his mouth tight, so I turn around.

”Should we be concerned about our safety?” Amy calls.

”No. It's fine,” Adam answers.

Amy raises her eyebrows and shrugs, not seemingly having any problem with whatever is going on with Adam. ”So how old is Jake?” she asks me.

99.

sixteenthings.indd 99 9/9/13 2:21 PM.

J a n e t G u r t l e r ”Forty,” I tell her, sneaking a peek back at Adam. He's frowning.

”And he still lives at home with his mom.” I turn back to her profile as she squishes up her nose and her forehead wrinkles up.

”He's not forty,” she says, not playing along. ”And he is pulchritudinous.”

”Pulcra- whatinous?” I ask.

”Delightful to the senses. Beautiful,” she clarifies.

”You're talking about Jake?” I pretend to stick my finger down my throat and gag.

Oh G.o.d, I think, if Jake falls for Amy, they'll probably marry right after she finishes high school. She'll get pregnant and stall my imagined climb for him up the corporate ladder. I imagine her babbling at family dinners. ”And what are you, a walking dictionary?”

There's a grunt from the backseat. ”You mean you didn't know what pulchritudinous means?” Adam asks.

I glance over my shoulder. He looks less stressed out. ”You did?”

”No.” He laughs. ”Sorry 'bout earlier. My dad and I had an argu- ment and I wanted to get away before he ran outside to have the last word,” he says.

”Her mom ran outside in her bathrobe,” Amy says.

”Amy's sitting on a cus.h.i.+on so she can reach the pedals,” I say.

”Okay,” Adam says. ”Weird parents behind us, cus.h.i.+ons under- neath us. Road trip- ahead!”

All I can think about is the weird parent ahead of me, the one who left me behind.

100.

sixteenthings.indd 100 9/9/13 2:21 PM.

chapter nine.

A my reaches over and pats my leg briefly again before returning it to the wheel. ”I'm sure your dad isn't that weird.”

I pull my phone from my hoodie pocket and check my followers. Ten more since this morning. People have been RT'ing my call for followers.

#Road trip! I tweet.

There are immediate tweet backs from my friends.

@Morgantor Send us your road trip playlist #roadtrip #envy I want to go on a road trip with my twitter best buds. #roadtrip #buck-etlist, I tweet back.

”Are you going to be on that thing the whole time?” Adam asks.

”Maybe.” I punch out another message. Essential item for road- trip? Earbuds.

”No way,” Amy calls. ”Front seat rule number one: you must keep the driver entertained. You're responsible for changing CDs and navigating. My dad programmed the Lynden border crossing and ferry into the GPS already so that part won't be hard.” She comes to a stop at a red light.

”The Lynden crossing?” Adam calls from the backseat.

sixteenthings.indd 101 9/9/13 2:21 PM.

J A N E T G U R T L E R.

”My dad said it takes a little longer to get there, but the wait times are shorter.”

@5alive Your dad is rad, I type.

Th e light changes and Amy drives forward, turns her signal on, and takes the ramp to the freeway. My heart skips as we leave Tadita behind. My text alarm rings and I glance at the text.

Morgan? Text me, k? I need to tell you something.

It's from my mom.

Instead of answering, I send a text to Jake.

Is mom okay? Health- wise?

A moment later, he texts back.

She's fine. Worried about you meeting your dad, but fine. Don't stress.

Let me know if she's not feeling well. I really don't want to talk to her, but I am worried, I text him.