Page 26 of One More Made Up Love Song
“Loved them,” I say. “Daphne only tolerated them, but she put on a brave face for Carina, because she knew if she wasn’t excited, Carina might lose her nerve, and then she’d be mad at herself for chickening out.”
“Sounds like a good big sister,” Freddie says.
A dull pain stretches across my ribs. “The very best.”
Freddie holds my gaze for a long moment. “So how was it? Did Carina end up liking it?”
“That’s the thing,” I say. “We waited in line for almost an hour, but then a thunderstorm popped up and they shut it down right before we reached the front of the line.”
“No,” Freddie says.
“Carina was furious—way more upset than she should have been—but I think she’d been psyching herself up the whole time, so the disappointment just hit differently. Anyway, she totally lost it and took off running across the park.”
“By herself?”
I nod. “Dad tried to catch her, but then Daphne stopped him and was like, ‘Dad, I’ve got this,’ and she took off after her. Fifteen minutes later, the two of them came back, walking hand in hand. Carina had a frozen lemonade some park employee had given them for free, and she was totally fine. Happy. Chill. Like nothing had ever happened.”
Freddie chuckles. “What did Daphne say to her?”
I shrug. “I didn’t even think to ask. Because stuff like that happened all the time. That’s the point. Daphne always knew the right thing to say. She always knew exactly how to solve every problem.” I tilt my head to meet Freddie’s gaze. “I wish I could ask her what to do about Carina now.”
Freddie nods, his green eyes full of understanding. “It really sucks that you can’t.”
My heart squeezes as warmth spreads across my chest.
It was the exact right thing to say. I have grieved and processed and mourned the loss of my older sister over and over again, struggled and wrestled my way to a place where I can remember her with gratitude instead of sadness, feel joy for having known her instead of just the crippling weight of her loss. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck that I have to do life without her.
And it feels really good to hear someone say that out loud.
“It does suck,” I agree. “So, so much.”
Freddie is quiet for a beat before he says, “The thing is though, maybe the whole problem-solving thing is something you and Daphne had in common because I don’t know anyone who solves problems like you do.”
“Maybe,” I say. “But not when it comes to Carina.”
“No? Come on.” He leans forward and nudges my kneewith the side of his hand. “Don’t sell yourself short. You’re a great sister.”
“I appreciate the vote of confidence,” I say. “But things are more complicated this time.” I pull out my phone and find the picture I screenshotted from Carina’s Instagram account. “I’m not sure where Carina is, but I did figure out who she’s with.” I hand him the phone. “And you aren’t going to like it.”
CHAPTER SIX
Freddie
I stareat Ivy’s phone, my dinner suddenly feeling like lead in my stomach.
Margot Valemont’s plastic face smiles up at me, and I can’t help but feel responsible. I’m the reason Carina met Margot. The reason Ivy’s admittedly impulsive and sometimes stupid sister was pulled into her toxic orbit.
“Where are they?” I offer Ivy the rest of my cheese curds, and she takes them, sinking back into her chair with a sigh.
“No clue,” she says. “Carina still hasn’t responded to any of my text messages. There’s no location attached to any of the pictures on Instagram, and Mom says the tracking app she uses says Carina is offline. Margot has posted a few other photos, and it looks like they’re at the beach, but that’s all I know. I can’t even tell if it’s east or west coast.”
“Or Hawaii,” I add. “Or Jamaica or Costa Rica or anywhere else in the world. Margot loves to travel with a party.”
Ivy frowns, and I realize too late that probably isn’t a worry she needs right now. Worrying about her sister is one thing. Worrying about her sister in a foreign country with only Margot Valemont as a chaperone is something else altogether.
“Kevin probably has her number,” I say, but Ivy only groans.
“Oh, gross,” she says. “I’m definitely not calling Kevin.”
