Page 76 of Don't Let Go

Rory pointed her fork at Carmen, and her forehead crinkled as her anger grew. “That’s enough,” she said with an edge to her voice. She turned to Lizzy and her face became soft, more friendly. “Why don’t you like riding with Carmen? Define crazy.” Her tone became sweeter than honey. The look Rory gave Lizzy was so protective. I think she’d beat anyone’s ass, even if they accidentally pushed Lizzy while walking down the street.

Lizzy cleared her throat, thrilled to have the floor. “She stops too fast and has bad taste in music. She won’t play my Disney princess playlist.”

Rory nodded, trying to remain serious, but there was a crack of a smile on her lips. “Oh. Her horrible music gave you a headache?”

Carmen blew a piece of black hair out of her face. She looked better with the darker hair. It wasn’t as jarring as the orange wannabe blonde hair. “Please. I put on some rap music. My friend Alisha swears by it. She loves old-school rap. Tupac is her absolute fav.”

Rory nodded, seeming to think about each side as if the kitchen table had turned into a courtroom and she was the judge.

“So other than her poor music taste and quick stops,” Carmen shot Rory an evil glare, dissing her new appreciation for rap. “Was there any other reason you don’t want to ride with Carmen?” Rory leaned forward on her elbows. Her face was blank as she looked at her baby sister.

Lizzy thought for a moment, tapping her finger on her chin. This girl was a ham. “No. I got mad because she said my playlist sucked, and she tossed my phone into the backseat.”

Rory raised her eyebrow. “Were you in the front seat?”

Carmen stared at her plate. She focused too hard on a piece of bacon. Lizzy smiled. “Yeah. I was! I liked it!”

Rory sucked in her lips and slowly let them go. The crease in her forehead deepened, and it took a lot of strength not to reach over and smooth her skin with my thumb. “I see. Well, I guess Lizzy is riding with us.” She looked at me as if seeing if it was alright.

Carmen puffed up. “I’m sorry, but I… wait… what?”

Rory stood, clearing her side of the table. “You can drive yourself to school, but Ty and I will drop Lizzy off.” She turned and walked into the kitchen.

Carmen appeared taken aback. She gathered her dishes before joining Rory in the kitchen. They continued to talk about the matter, but I couldn’t make out anything they said.

Lizzy bounced up and down in her seat. “Cool! Your car is awesome.” She beamed at me with her cute little smile that was missing a front tooth.

“Thanks. It can go really fast,” I said quietly, winking.

“Can we play my princess playlist?” She grew serious all of a sudden. What was on this playlist? It was like her anthem.

I grabbed my coffee mug, cupping the bottom and feeling the heat absorb into my hand. “Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Yes!” She jumped down from her chair. “I’m going to go get my stuff,” she said, leaving with her bunny wedged under her arm.

Rory leaned against the kitchen doorway. She cleared her throat. “Did you forget something?”

Lizzy swiveled her whole body around. “Oh, yeah. Sorry, Rory.” She grabbed her plate and glass, taking them into the kitchen.

Rory roughed up her baby sister’s hair as she walked by. “Hey!” Lizzy cried.

Rory looked at me with those gorgeous eyes of hers and shrugged. “I couldn’t resist.”

I leaned back in my chair, stretching my arms over my head. “You run a tight ship.”

She pointed at me. “You need to get a move on, too,” she joked. She attempted to look intimidating, but her thin grin curling on her lips ruined it.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course. I don’t want to be in trouble.”

Carmen walked by, making a gagging noise as she put a finger down her throat. “Gross. You two need to get a room already. Yuck.”

Crimson crept up Rory’s neck, and she flicked her hair in front of her face to hide her blush. “I’m going to finish getting ready.” She went upstairs without a second look behind her.

About ten minutes later, we were all ready to go. Lizzy struggled with a giant white poster board as she climbed down the stairs.

“You need help?” I asked, grabbing it for her so she could finish going down the steps without tripping.

“Thanks. That’s my science project. Look at it!” She sounded so proud of herself.

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