The Troubles of Growing Up

Chapter 7

"The drive shaft broke off." I said from under the car.
"So what does that mean?" Paige asked.
"It means the car can't physically go because there's no link between the engine and the wheels."
"Can you fix that?" she asked.
"You are asking me for a lot there. But I think it may have just been the bolt holding it in place."
"So you can fix it?"
"Temporarily. Maybe long enough for us to get to a repair shop. But they might take a while."
"How long?" she asked. She seemed worried.
"Maybe a day or two, if we're lucky." I said
"A DAY OR TWO?!?" she shouted. "We don't have a day or two." she seemed like she was ready to kill me.
"Well can your temporary fix get us to Florida?" my mom asked.
"I don't think it will but we could try. But if we break down again the drive shaft disconnecting will be the least of our worries." I said
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"It disconnected in the front so if it breaks again it will fall. If it falls it will try to dig into anything it can." I told her.
"I can deal with that." Paige said firmly.
"Yeah you say that but then how will you feel when it falls right before we go over a deep pothole and the car launches forward into the air." I said with a sarcastic smile.
"Thanks for the image Josh." Haylee scolded.
"I'm sorry it's just not working with me." I said sadly.

"Got it!" I shouted from under the car.
"Did you fix it?" Paige asked hopefully.
"Probably not but I tried. Hey mom! Put it in gear and release the brake." I said as I came out from under the car. My mom put it in gear and released the brake. The rear tires started to move forward. Paige hugged me and was so impatient she got straight into the car. I looked at my mom with a confused look on my face. She shrugged. I told them both to get out of the car. They did.
"Sorry." Paige said, excited. I let the car down slowly. We all got back in.
"Ok now mom, do Not, push the gas. Just let it roll. Then lightly push the gas pedal down slowly. We don't want it to break after twenty feet of driving." I told her. Thankfully she listened to me. We started off slow. Then we got up to speed and merged into traffic. We drove for a few more hours. I fell asleep again. When I woke up Haylee was a little bit closer to me then I was expecting.she was resting her head on my shoulder. That was expected. But what I didn't expect was her to have her arms around me. One across my shoulders behind my head, and the other holding my hand. I also didn't expect to have my left arm around her shoulders. She was cuddling me. I didn't know what to do so I just sat there. It was becoming day, and we had been driving for about twenty two hours. It was seven o'clock in the morning. Paige was driving. We made eye contact in the rear view mirror. "How did you sleep?" she asked.
"Fine." I replied.
"She really likes you, you know. I can tell." she giggled.
"I can too." I chuckled back.
"We're almost there. We have about an hour left of driving before we get to the hotel. Then we're going to the aquarium tomorrow." she boasted.
"Can I just stay at the hotel?" I asked her.
"They have dolphins Josh. you will love it trust me." she was smiling so wide.
"What city are we staying in?" I asked.
"First we are gonna stay in Clearwater, then we're going to stay somewhere special." she replied. I sighed.
"Do you like her?" Paige asked me.
"Who?" I was confused.
"I don't know maybe the girl cuddling you right now?" she said with a chuckle.
"Oh. yeah." I regrettably replied.
"You should date her. Ask her to go out to dinner with you. Just you." she seemed like she was commanding me.
"Is that an order major?" I asked with a laugh. I stopped. She was sure going to yell at me.
"Yup, now drop and give me fifty." she laughed back, smiling. I had never seen her smile before. Her smile looked very kind. It was not what I had expected. Anyways, we kept driving for another few minutes before we took an exit. Paige stopped at a service station. She got gas and asked me what I wanted to eat for breakfast as she woke up our mom. She gestured me to wake up Haylee but I didn't want to. I wanted to let her sleep. I felt it would be rude to wake her, and I was happy with the way she was. Then she moved. She started holding me tighter. She let go of me and sat up. She looked at all of us staring at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Have fun cuddling your boyfriend?" she said laughing.
"I don't have one." she said, looking confused.
"Oh I was under the impression that Josh was your boyfriend. With the way you were holding him you look in love." Paige said smiling at her. Hayl's expression changed quickly from confused to embarrassed as she looked at me. Paige just laughed.
"What would you like to eat for breakfast?" she asked Haylee.
"I'm fine with anything." she said to Paige. Then she looked back at me.
"What happened?" she asked me.
"Come here." I gestured her to lean against me. She leaned towards me but not against me. I grabbed her and positioned her the way she slept.
"Why are you putting me like this?" she asked with a concerned tone.
"This is how you slept." I told her.
"Oh. i'm sorry. I didn't think anyone would mind and you were really warm. I was cold." She seemed worried that I was unhappy with her.
"It's fine. I always like to be held. It makes me feel wanted." I smiled at her. She looked back at me with a weird smile.
"Ok then." she said. Paige was frustrated now.
"Do you guys want anything or not?"
"Anything's fine." me and Hayl said simultaneously. We looked at each other and all four of us laughed. Paige went inside of the convenience store and came out with a few drinks and some egg sandwiches. We ate and then I drove for a bit.