"Not sure. Depends on if you annoy me that day."
"That's a given. So I guess I need to find a ride."
"You need to get your license."
"That'll take over a year. I don't even have my permit."
Talking about driving reminds me of the road trip I want to take. Jackson can't take me, but would Trystan? He'll tell me no but I have to ask.
"What are you doing this weekend?" I ask.
"Going to the gym. Some parties. Catching up on sleep. Why?"
"If I offered to pay you to drive me somewhere, would you do it?"
"Where are we talking about? The mall?"
"No. Out of town. Like two hours from here."
"Two hours?" He looks at me like I'm crazy. "What the hell? I'm not driving you two hours. What's two hours from here?"
"El Centro. It's in California. Right next to Mexico."
"Why do you want to go to a border town? If you're planning to flee the country, I can get you there a lot quicker. In about a half hour we'd be in Tijuana. An hour with traffic."
"I need to go to El Centro, not Tijuana. And I'm not fleeing the country."
"Then what are you doing?"
"I need to talk to someone."
"Who?"
"I'm not telling you until you agree to do it. And when I tell you, you can't tell your dad. That's the deal."
"There's no deal. I'm not doing it."
"I'll pay you. How much do you want?"
"I don't need your money. I have my own."
"Then do it as a favor. It's the only favor I'll ever ask. I swear."
He glances at me. "Who the hell would you be going to see in El Centro? You're not even from here. You don't know anyone."
"Will you just think about it?"
"No. I'm not taking you."
"Trystan, I wouldn't be asking unless it was really important."
He pulls up to the school parking lot, taking the space next to Braden's. As his brother, Trystan gets preferential parking.
"It's your dad," he says, shutting the car off. "Devon's in El Centro?"
"Maybe. I don't know. It's just a guess."
"You want me to drive you two hours, not knowing if he's even there?"
