Page 4 (1/2)
And then suddenly the car was quiet Horribly quiet All except for the windshield wipers, which chose this exact moment to become sentient This su water across theIan’s knee slowed, and I felt his stare, heavy on my face Tell Moe just as insistent I a Mom
"Fine Don’t tellwheel and we all flinched "If Dad were here, you know you’d be on the first flight back to Seattle"
Ian and I sio to Italy I have to go see Lina!" I shouted
Ian’s ot to think this through"
She threw her hand up, deflecting our ea"
"Geez, chill, Addie," Walter whispered "You aled back intoabout Aunt Mel’s wedding--besides the gorgeous location--was that it had gotten me to Europe, the continent that had stolenof the su tour of Ireland that was supposed to include all of us, but I’de for a few days in Italy with Lina I hadn’t seen her since she o to live with her father, Howard, and every single one of those days had felt like a lifeti her was not an option Especially nohen it was very likely she was the only friend I had left
Ian slu the back of his hair into a tight corkscrew I swore he’d grown his hair out just to give hi,"you both back, but we spent way too much on those tickets to Florence, and if I don’t have so, I’er hit my syste with me to Italy?"
"Addie," my mom snapped Ian shot lared back, our stares connecting Despite the fact that I definitely should have been Shutting up NOW, it was an extremely valid question Why did he want to come on a trip with me when, by all accounts, he couldn’t standherself into the , Archie, Walter, and I will leave on the tour, and the two of you will continue on to Florence" She spoke slowly, her words lining up like a row of do for her to topple the first one
Butshe didn’t
After ales ofto send the as incredulous as I felt "Aren’t you going to, like, punish them?"
"Walter!" Ian and I both yelled
Myfirst onseaood use "You’re going to Italy It will force you two to spend so the word "quality" "But there’s a catch"
Of course there was "What?" I asked i a particularly stabby bobby pin out fro updo If it wouldn’t coet soo," Ian h forback and forth between us "Are you both listening?"
"We’re listening," I assured her, and Ian’s knee bounced receptively Couldn’t he ever just hold still?
"This is your chance to prove tobad froht, if you yell, if you so much as look at each other cross-eyed while you’re there--both of you are off your teams"