Take One

Chapter 14

The hour long ride to Salem was brutal. Since no one could pick us up from Portland, we had to take a cab. Kennedy was never fussy, so I wasn't worried about him being uncomfortable or anything. He just didn't have driving to occupy his attention, so he was free to interrogate me. I had no way of escaping. I had half a mind to jump out of the car about ten minutes into the journey.

"I just want to know, so I can evaluate how severely he has to be punished." Kenny was beside me in the back seat. He stared up front; seeming to have a staring contest with the cab driver through the rearview mirror. "I know a guy."

The cab driver cleared his throat uncomfortably. He obviously thought we were freaks. I hit Kenny's shoulder on impulse. "Dude, cut the crap. I live here."

He gave me an easy smirk in return; gesturing to himself. "Look at me, cous. Do I look like I'm can beat anyone up?"

I had to at least grin at that. He was right. He had the same polished look the rest of my cousins had; like he never washed dishes before. Regardless of the house chores he was capable of doing, between his powder blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair, Kennedy appeared about as threatening as a marshmallow.

The cab driver seemed to relax a little as he processed this information and perceived it to be true; at least until Kennedy added, "That's why I have other people do it for me."

I hit his shoulder again; this time turning to address the driver directly. "Please ignore him, he doesn't have a lot of friends."

Kennedy ignored my remark. "Are you going to keep diverting? What happened to that Archer guy? I liked him."

I stared out the window and counted all the establishments that included 'store' in their name. "What genre is your secret project?"

Kennedy sighed; realizing he wasn't going to get an answer. "Romance."

I bit my lip. I knew his interest was piqued after his conversation with Archer. I wagered they had the same view of romance; all sad and tortured, which frankly, was exactly how things turned out for us. "I liked him too." I said before I could stop myself.

"Then why go back to Oregon earlier?"

"I didn't like him that much." I lied through my teeth. "It was totally casual."

"Mm-hmm. Okay, sure... because you're totally a casual kind of girl." The sarcasm was evident in his voice.

I leaned back and closed my eyes; fully intending to ignore him for the rest of the way. I mean, what was I supposed to say? The real reason wasn't something that could be explained out loud. This whole situation was completely senseless.

The tutting began not five minutes later; digging into my nerves. I could have strangled him, but I knew it wouldn't help with the migraine he was giving me. "Turns out he didn't actually like me that much okay? He just wanted to feel something." It was technically true. It seemed despicable to speak about Archer this way though. I knew the situation was more complex.

"Did he cheat on you? Oh I'm going to break both his--"

"He didn't. Keep your pants on. Don't make a big deal out of it. It's done, it would be great if we could all just move on."

He made a noise that made me think he was trying to give birth. "Fine... but say the word and he's gone okay?" Kennedy thankfully let it go after that. The journey was almost peaceful; not that I had any chance of sleeping, ever.

Whizzing past downtown Salem improved my mood a little, at least. Being home and far from New York felt final in a way. Summer was done and all that happened would stay there. Here, I could focus on school. I had Kenny to keep me company and I could go back to my routine.