Only the crunch of the gravel under the van tires punctuated the silence.
Deena jerked the van into park at the first campsite we came to.
We sat there for a long moment.
“This is as good a place as any to take a break for a few minutes. Somewhere to sit out of the sun, at least. I need to call the office and check the address. And you, well” —Deena’s assessing gaze swept across my face— “pretty sure your stomach needs time to settle.”
I gave a nod.
“But just so you know…” Deena pulled the keys out of the ignition, held them up in the air, and curled her fingers around them one by one.
I clenched my jaw, but quickly remembered that hurt. Instead, I rolled my eyes, grabbed my soda, and pushed open the door.
The campground was full of dirt, lots of evergreens, and a few scattered clearings with old picnic tables and stone-rimmed fire pits.
I walked over twigs and dirt until I reached a table where a large, random oak tree blocked the early afternoon sun.
“I’m going to see if I get better reception out of these trees,” Deena called over to me, already headed back toward the road.
I shrugged and leaned on the picnic table. That was a bad move—the weathered wood porcupined me with a splinter. I snatched my hand back, muttering a curse.
For the next few minutes, I tried to shove my stubby fingernails in far enough to squeeze a little sliver out. I only managed to push it further in.
I blew a strand of hair out of my face and scowled.
First, the gut-heaving dirt road paved by death himself. Then, the botched escape attempt. And now? I was losing a battle with a splinter the size of an ant.
Well, I’d lost a lot of things in the last week. My lunch and a war with a splinter weren’t so bad.
Be good and get your grades up. Don’t run or you won’t get to see Caleb. Deena had told me all of that right before we left the hospital. And what did I do? Try to turn Deena’s green slug into a getaway vehicle.
Genius.
I blew another strand of hair out of my face, squinting down at my palm.
I’d followed my gut like always, but it didn’t turn out so great this time. What I needed to do was wait—or at least come up with a plan. So what if I’d escaped with Deena’s van and raced all the way back to Denver—what then? It wasn’t like I could have stayed with Caleb. Even if he got out of the hospital, I’d still be a minor for another seven months, and he had to be at least twenty-one to become my guardian.
Not that I wanted that anyway. Caleb already took the whole ‘protective older brother’ thing to heart. Adding a legally-recognized title would make him unbearable. Especially if I got myself into another scrape like this.
And what the heck was wrong with my gut? How was making off with my caseworker’s van so I could drive back to Caleb a good idea? What was I going to do, ditch it on the side of the road like some wannabe gangbanger and stroll into Caleb’s hospital like nothing was wrong? If Caleb were conscious—
I shook my head. I didn’t want to think about what he’d say once—no, if—he found out.
Last thing Caleb needed was my stupid decisions stressing him out. Especially since the last one ended up with him in the hospital. I needed to get smart. Get…Well, if I were honest with myself, what I really needed to do was get my life back on track. With everything Caleb had going on—college, a job, a scholarship he couldn’t afford to lose—a broke sister showing up on his doorstep as soon as he got out of the hospital would be cruel.
At least in foster care I’d be able to get a job and save up. I wouldn’t be able to do that if I was on my own. And I’d just jeopardized that. Pretty sure residential kids didn’t get jobs on the outside.
I winced at my own stupidity.
It was one thing if I took my dad’s mustang out for a joyride—some part of him knew he deserved worse, so he never reported me—but a caseworker’s car?
But it was hard thinking straight when my gut screamed that Caleb needed me, so when I’d seen an opportunity, I’d taken it.
My gut was an idiot; listening to it only got me a pissed off caseworker who’d dump me in residential if I messed up one more time.
Hopefully this Ms. Reid person was decent. I could put up with ‘decent’ until Caleb was better. And if I had enough money saved up by then, I’d run. My old job would take me back no problem.
I took a sip of root beer, swishing it around to get rid of the sour taste in my mouth, and spat it out before setting my cup on the prickly picnic table.
When I glanced up, I did a double take. Three guys in their late teens, maybe early twenties, were several campsites away and walking in my direction. With how the day was going, I already knew they were the next pit stop on my week-long stretch of suckiness.
I popped in a mint as I leaned into the oak beside the picnic table. The bark dug through my thin, navy-blue tee, scratching my back.
As I kept peering at them, something in my chest fluttered wildly, as if this was the most exciting thing since cocoa puffs.
But as I watched them draw closer, puzzled by my own reaction, a nervous apprehension threaded through the odd sense of anticipation.
Something about them...Something was wrong.
Chapter 2
As they neared, I rubbed my eyes an
