[ the second book in the drops of sunshine series ]
As much as she ended up loving her first one, AJ Hood never wanted to go on another quest. But somehow, she ended up on one anyway. And this time, it's not going to have a pretty ending... but at...
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~ ☼ ~
The open road had never felt so glorious. Probably because I was never behind the wheel. Now I understood why all those old guys, like the Beach Boys and Bruce Springsteen, had talked so highly about cars and motorcycles; I felt like I was on fire, indeed.
Could I drive? No. Well... not well. I could drive a little, having, like I said, gotten my permit and began my practice hours. And I also loved a good game of Mario Kart 64; I was the only person in my grade, last time I'd been invited to a birthday party, that could win at Banshee Boardwalk.
That had been in 4th grade, but still.
We drove and drove and drove, onwards out of Ohio, through to the border of Illinois. I'd set the mood with my courage, for once in my short life; Aria and Kiera were chattering away, and we'd even turned the radio on for real, blasting whatever song came on. Lucas was the only one who was quiet; while he talked with us, sure, he didn't have the same energy. He kept looking at Tityos' knife.
Finally, when we were about an hour outside of Illinois, Aria asked, "Hey, can we stop?" I need to stretch my legs."
"Yepperdoodles," I said, which is how you know I'd lost my mind.
I found the quickest rest stop, this one busy and hopefully free of ancient gods, and pulled into a parking space. As Aria reached for the door, Kiera stopped her, her good mood suddenly gone.
"Hey, wait," she said. "We've been driving non-stop for, like, 5 hours, right? And once we get to Chi-town, we'll have to go get the sword. Maybe we should slow down. Relax a little."
I wasn't against it, but I was curious why Kiera wanted it. She was the one who'd said we were gonna get back super quick. Aria must've been, too, because she quirked an eyebrow.
Kiera noticed; she shrugged.
"I don't know," she said. "I just... once the quest is over, things will change. Let's appreciate it while we can."
The words hit me in the heart; she said it with such unusual sincerity that I almost teared up. She was right, of course. Even with Alec and Riley, our friendship had changed a little once it wasn't just the three of us. And while i wanted to believe this new foursome of ours would stick together, as much as we could in the cabin system of CHB, I knew there was a chance that... despite our best attempts, we might become the Breakfast Club.
I looked between the four of us, feeling emotional. Lucas and his planning; Aria and her courage; Kiera and her sass; and me and my cleverness. I smiled softly at Ki.
"Sure," I said. "Let's all get out and take an hour or so."
