When I sit down, my teeth are chattering.
“Okay Kel, you and Ernesto go next.”
They open the doors and I hand the sweatshirt and scarf to Emerson. She starts pulling it over her head. Finn reaches over and rubs my arms with his hands.
“You’re a Popsicle.”
“I-kn-know. It’s s-s-so cold. How d-did you ever s-s-survive N-N-New York?”
He grins and it melts my cold heart. “It’s a little different when you grow up with it.” He helps me with my sweaters and I help Emerson with her scarf.
The door opens and Ernesto climbs back inside, wearing a hoodie with a blazer over it. Then Kel climbs in and I gawk at him. He’s got my red bra around his head like ear muffs.
“No way!” I shout as I reach for him.
Finn bursts out in laughter.
“I don’t have a sweatshirt with a hood. Do you want me to freeze?” he asks. “I wish you had bigger tits. Thirty-eight B barely covers my ears.”
I reach for him again, practically throwing myself over the seat and Finn pulls me back.
“And people say I’m the one with the temper,” Kel laughs.
Ernesto motions to him with his thumb. “I told him you’d be pissed, but he didn’t care. It’s actually pretty damn creative when you think about it.”
“Thanks, man,” Kel responds.
“You’re welcome, man,” Ernesto replies.
“Oh, so now you have opinions to share? Now you’ll open your mouth and side with Kelly?”
“Kelly?” Finn asks.
Emerson gawks as she takes deep breaths.
“Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you. I found out Kel is short for Kelly. Kel has agirl’sname. Now it makes sense why you’re so intimidated by women. It’s because you’re named after one. Kelly Williams,” I say, waving in a grand gesture.
Kel grits his teeth and scowls at me. “You bitch.”
“Ooh, are you trying to intimidate me? Because it’s not working. It’s hard to be scared of a man with a bra on his head,” I say, folding my arms.
“Can we focus here?” Emerson asks through a breath. “There will be plenty of time to make fun of Kelly later.”
“If you weren’t preggo, I’d—”
“You’d what, tough guy with a girl’s name?”
“Okay, settle down. Let me get some clothes and we’ll take off. No fighting. No talking, actually,” Finn says as he closes his door.
I face forward and mumble under my breath, “What an asshole.”
“I hear you, Lizard. Is that why Finn can’t stand you anymore? Did you prick him with one of your spikes?”
“Kel, really…” Ernesto whispers.
“Calm your boyfriend down, Ernie,” I respond. I’m suddenly angry that Ernesto misled us for so long. “You know I always liked you best because I thought you were the quiet one. The one whowasn’tjudging me. It turns out you were judging us all in silence. We must be some kind of joke to you.”
Finn reenters the car and we’re all speechless. “Okay then,” he says, falsely impressed that we listened.
“Emerson, are you ready?”
“As ready as I can be.” She turns to Ernesto. “Do you think you can lift me?”
“I bench press two hundred pounds. I think I can carry you,” he says with a smile.
And so we ditch the car and start back up the road, seeking salvation from the cold, and each other.
