“You aren’t sending me home.”
I draw back, finally able to catch my breath. “Well, I don’t love the fact that you took an Uber without asking anyone. That’s not safe.”
She shrugs, her eyes shifting to my outfit. Judgment is heavy, but she wisely keeps it to herself. “Fine, I won’t.”
“You’re going to nail your driver’s test. I know it.” I grab my ceramic to-go cup and hold up the coffee pot. “Want any?”
“No thanks.”
She spots the pizza box. “Have any leftovers?”
“Not much, but we can grab breakfast while we’re out. You know where the keys are.”
Riley plucks them out of the seashell on the table beside the front door. “Let’s hope I don’t crash.”
“Yeah.” I laugh. “Let’s hope.”
“Ohmygod, we’re going to die!” my sister screams, clutching the steering wheel as the car sputters.
“No, we’re good. Pull over to the side.”
We might die, actually.
“The side, Riley. Side of the road!”
My sister takes her hands off the steering wheel and covers her face, hysterical.
I lunge for the wheel. Mildred jerks again, then shudders. A grinding whine rips through the cab of the Saab.
“Nope, can’t take your hands off the wheel. Never a good idea. Riley, you can do hard things. You need to keep your hands on the wheel now and drive us to the?—”
“Someone is going to hit us!”
I whack the hazard lights button on, then stick my arm out the window, flagging drivers by. I make the mistake of peeking upin the rearview as another SUV barrels toward us on the narrow, scenic highway.
“We can’t switch seats right now. You need to bring the car to the side of the road.” I grip the worn gray leather passenger seat.
“We’re going to die. I’m going to die, and I haven’t even been kissed yet.”
“What?” My head spins. “We don’t need to confess things. We’re not dying.”
Mildred has other plans. Smoke starts pouring out of the hood.
Shit, shit, shit.I can’t afford a new car. Can barely afford to fix this one.
“Riley, two hands. You’ve got this. Right here. Nudge her to the side of the road.”
Thankfully, she guides the car to a small sandy pull-off beside three large boulders. Just over the side, the ocean is eating up the beach. Almost high tide.
I open my door, climb out, and gesture for her to follow me. “Grab the keys. Crawl out this side.”
She bounces out and bends down, clutching her knees. She drags in a deep breath, heaves, then screams.
“Okay?” I ask.
Riley shoots up and tosses her arms in the air, her face red and puffy from crying. “I killed Mildred!”
I peek up at the sky, inhaling a deep drag of ocean air, before a laugh erupts from me. “It’ll be fine.”
