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Jase: I’ll make sure I will!

Jase: Oh btw lots of creepers on buses. Got to stay safe

Me: Good point, much rather ride with a cute guitarist ;)

Jase: And a long car ride is only fun with a cute photographer ;)

Joy bubbles in my chest as I head back, the stairs spiraling me down as I devise my riskiest plan yet.

If there’s anything I’ve learned this summer, it’s that I make my best decisions whenever I follow my passion.

Chapter Forty

The wind hits me with a freezing gust, the sun painting the sky with an orange flare, as I run over to Jase’s grey Tacoma, my Converse pounding the concrete ground. I notice someone in a grey sweatshirt running as fast as I am.

Jase unlocks his car as soon as he sees me. Upon stepping inside, he welcomes me with a kiss.

“How do you look so beautiful this early in the morning?” Jase says.

I shrug innocently. “I woke up like this.”

I buckle my seatbelt, its strap tattered at the edges, and in the side mirror catch a glimpse of the runner who’s now slowing down to a stop. My eyes are groggy, and I can’t tell if the black swoop across the person’s forehead is hair or a beanie. Why I’m paying attention to this figure, I have no clue. Guess noticing stuff is a side effect for waking up early.

“You ready?” Jase asks.

“More than ever,” I reply. I notice a familiar box sitting on his center console, and a squeal pops out of me once I see the name.

“Polvorón?”

“Of course, need a snack to get us through this trip.”

“You picked the best one!” I thank him with a kiss on the cheek.

As Jase starts his engine, I text Aprilette.

Me: Nora is in SF. I’m hanging out with her today! I’ll let you know when we’re on our way!

I text Nora with some instructions. She replies: Ofc! I got you ;)

Jase turns out of the neighborhood, driving past a sidewalk lined with palm trees and cars parked at the curb. My eyes dip down to see a Sunlight College brochure lying crookedly beside his gearshift.

“You want to go to SC?” I ask, surprised.

He shrugs and slows down at a yellow light, stopping when it ascends to red. “Maybe. I checked out the campus with Jordan and my mom.” Jase nods at the brochure. “The classes and teachers seem cool.”

“Your mom took you there?”

The light drops to green, and Jase drives forward. “I asked her to. I was looking at your picture of us, and I saw how happy she looked. So we talked things out, and I asked her to show me around SC.”

Hearing this, that my photo made an impact I wasn’t expecting, I feel warmth snuggling around my heart. “That’s great! So, you’re going to college?”

He shrugs again, eyes narrowed to the road ahead. “I might. Still figuring things out, I guess.” At another stoplight, Jase taps on his phone, and a familiar upbeat pop song bounces through his car.

My mouth falls open—he’s playing UR Mine!—just as Jase cringes. “Have you converted into being an IM URs?”

“A what?”

“That’s the fandom name!”