I snort.Untoward?It’s like he’s swallowed a Jane Austen novel.
Gavin shoots me a side-eye that could cut glass.
“I was talking to my girlfriend about our apartment. She wanted to know what to do with our bills since I had them linked to my account. But because those don’t work anymore, I had to—”
“Oh my God, Gavin. No one wants to hear about your boring-ass domesticated lifestyle,okay? Like, we get it. You’re in a committed relationship. Literally no one cares.” I internally sweat. Is Gavin that clueless? Was he really going to divulge why our accounts are under criminal investigation to a law enforcement officer (though the verdict on his official title is still TBD)?
“Jesus, Elena! Are you trying to help or not?”
Believe it or not, I was trying to help. But I can’t seem to ESP my thoughts to my brother, someone I’m supposed to share DNA with. Honestly, the more time we spend together, the more I’m convinced we don’t share anything, not even a single thought.
“Officer”—I put my sugary sweet voice on—“I was listening to music with my AirPods on. I have no idea what he was doing.”
“You said you were wearing AirPods?” The officer’s brow quirks.
I nod, though I’m less confident now that it feels like I’m being interrogated.
“I think I’ve found the issue here.” Officer Hartford flips a page on his clipboard and starts scribbling something down.
“I think there must be a misunderstanding. I was wearing AirPods. I know this is a Quiet Zone or something, so there isn’t a way I caused any noise disturbance.”
“That’s just it, though. This here is a National Radio Quiet Zone, which means we have to monitor the radio frequency waves being emitted so they don’t interfere with the radio telescope. But considering this is your first offense, I’ll only issue you a warning.” He asks us for our names, which we reluctantly give him. Then he rips off a piece of paper and hands it to us.
“Just make sure to turn off your Bluetooth option on your devices and put them on airplane mode. It’ll save me another trip here.”
“You betcha.” Gavin actually salutes the guy, like some character from an old-timey black-and-white movie.
It’s a good thing Officer Hartford didn’t seem to recognize us. I let my hair air dry, and the frizz is starting to take hold. I’m sure the tabloids would have had a field day if they knew what we’ve been reduced to.
“That was close,” I say, patting down my unusually coarse hair.
Still holding the warning in the air, Gavin remains frozen. Hedoesn’t even blink. I’m about to wave a hand between his face and the paper when I hear noises outside the door again. The sputtering of an old vehicle grows louder before shutting off completely, followed by the unmistakable thumps of footsteps up the front porch. I freeze.
Is Officer Hartford coming back? Did he just google our names and discover who we are? And now he’s hoping to snap a caught-off-guard photo of us that’ll appear in the tabloids? I can see it now in bold block letters:Caught in the Wild, the Oks Are Not Okay.
The door opens before I have a chance to hide or run a flat iron through my hair.
“Omo.” Mom puts a hand to her chest. “What are you two doing right in front of the door like that? You nearly gave me a heart attack,” Mom says, even though she’s the one who nearly gave us a heart attack.
Dad follows Mom into the house. “I saw a guy leaving in a truck. Did he leave from here?” he asks.
Gavin nods. “He’s from law enforcement. Apparently Elena was using her phone,” he divulges much too eagerly.
I cut Gavin a severe look.That Brutus.
“I wasn’t using my phone,” I clarify. “And honestly it wasn’t a big deal. Only a slight misunderstanding over AirPods.”Nothing remotely close to leading a multinational company into possible financial ruin,I think but don’t say.
“He gave us this.” Gavin’s fingers tremble, holding the ticket up. For all his arrogance, he seems rattled. It surprises me because, one, Officer Hartford wasn’t even the real police. And, two, who cares? We’re not staying here long enough for some stupid ticket to matter.
Dad takes his time reading through the fine print. “It’s just a warning, and there’s no penalty. Nothing to worry about.”
Mom reads over his shoulder. “Still, we shouldn’t be so cavalier about our stay here. It may be temporary for now, but we don’t want to do anything to jeopardize our appeal. What if someone finds out about it? The papers have a way of spinning things. They might make us look like we have a history with the law. So we must be careful not to break any more of the rules here. Don’t use your AirPods again. In fact”—she holds out her hands—“I’ll take your phones and wireless devices now.”
I gasp. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.” She pushes her hands out farther, as if to saygimme. “You can’t use them here anyway, so they’re as good as useless.”
Gavin parts with his devices much easier than I do. His level of nonchalance is as enviable as it is irritating. I guess not having a life has its perks. All I can do is watch Mom as she stows away our phones into a kitchen drawer.
