Page 43 of Bending Under Pressure

The first flutter of anxiety crosses her features as her hands tighten on the steering wheel. “Already?”

I laugh. “Yeah, already. You have the hang of it. I think you’re ready. Just turn around up here and head back to the road.”

“Okay.” She nods to herself and then we’re on our way. “Where are we going?” she asks once we’re at the road.

“Turn left. We’re going to Elsie’s for a banana split.”

It’s not until we’re behind a car at the first stop sign where she had to downshift, that she speaks again. “I can’t believe I’ve done it. I was kind of worried it would be difficult because you made it look so easy I didn’t think it actually was.” She pulls into Elsie’s, parks, and angles toward me. “Thanks, Keelan.” Haley leans over and kisses me quickly on the lips, a faint blush lighting her cheeks.

“You’re welcome.”

She turns to get out, so I do the same. Mrs. Elsie greets us two seconds after we walk through the door with a hug.

“Oh, if it isn’t my two favorite customers. Come sit.” She leads us to a booth.

“You say that to all your customers,” I tease her.

“Only to the ones who are cute and sweet,” she replies with a wink. “What can I get for you, dear?”

“We’d like a banana split,” I reply.

“One to share,” Haley adds to my surprise.

“Y’all are just like your parents,” she tells me. “So adorable. One banana split coming right up.”

When she walks away, I tilt my head at Haley and she explains. “I was here for lunch not too long ago. I’m not sure I could finish one all by myself.”

I nod in understanding. “So, tonight, I’ll pick you up around midnight

, okay? Will that work?”

“Yep. What are we going to do after this? We still have three hours before I have to be home.”

“We can go to my house, watch a movie or something.”

“That sounds like fun,” she agrees.

Mrs. Elsie drops off our banana split and we both lean forward to dig in; I aim for the strawberry smothered side first and Haley the pineapple side. Banana splits are the best creation on earth. It’s just perfect all the time. We’re quiet for a bit before I think about tomorrow and Seth’s party. I’m still a bit surprised that Seth invited her, not so much that he did, but because it was after she turned him down in front of all of us. He has guts to invite her after that.

“We’re riding together to Seth’s tomorrow if you want us to pick you up on the way.”

“I would like that, thanks. Does he have a big party like this every year?”

I nod. “He invites most of the people in our class, which isn’t hard to do because it’s not like it’s a huge school. When’s your birthday?”

“May 11th. When’s yours?”

“January 24th.”

“Sorry,” she mumbles, pulling out her phone, which seems to be vibrating as it rings with an incoming call. Haley swipes her finger to ignore it. Her mouth opens to speak, but it rings again. She squeezes her eyes closed, some of her strength seems to leave her, and she answers. “What do you want?” her voice asks softly. She holds up a finger to me and slides out of the booth to walk outside.

I watch her go, wondering who called her and why her demeanor changed so suddenly. Then it hits me as clear as day. Her dad. I watch her pace in front of the windows of the diner, her back rigid. She pulls the phone away like she’s about to hang up, but then presses it to her ear again. She stands still, turned to the side, so I know she’s listening to whatever he’s saying.

The ice cream begins to melt as I mindlessly eat spoonful after spoonful while I watch her. She nods and then speaks. I’ve finished and paid for our banana split by the time she finishes. She stands there staring at her phone, so I make my way outside.

“Everything okay, Hales?” I ask quietly.

She spins around to face me. “I don’t know,” she answers, her voice and frown indicating her confusion. “Can we go to your house now?”

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