Caroline

Chapter Three

Brandon slammed the truck door shut.

“I think that’s everything.”

I shrugged, leaning against the crimson vehicle.

“Let’s check the list one more time. I’ll go get Jay, Em and Ali, and let our parents know we’re leaving.”

Brandon nodded and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper from his jean pocket. He muttered each item on the list as he found it in the truck.

I bounded into the house, brimming with excitement. We were headed over to Brooklyn’s house and leaving with her family on a day trip to Sky Lake, higher up the mountain. I found Jason in the kitchen stuffing pastries in his pockets, Emily in her bedroom packing her bag full of books and snacks. Ali was the only one waiting patiently by the door, her luggage already in the car.

Brandon had the truck started and was waiting by the time I dragged his siblings out there. Under normal circumstances, two of us would have sat in the truck bed and the other three in the small cab. But the bed was filled with our luggage, wrapped in plastic bags to protect it from the pouring rain. So, Brandon sat in the driver’s seat, with Emily calling shotgun. Jason, Ali and I squeezed into the already-tiny back of the cab, with me in the middle. We had to carry our bags on our laps and around our feet, with literally zero leg room. Jason complained the whole time, and Alicia argued with literally everything he said. When we arrived at Brook’s, I bolted out of the car and spread my arms out wide, enjoying the cold air and rain and... ya know, personal space.

We slung our bags over our shoulders and knocked on the door. While we waited for the door to open, Jason made stupid faces behind his giant swim goggles that made him look like an insect.

Cheryl, Brook’s mom, answered the door.

“Hey, guys!” she greeted us warmly. “Come on in. We’re almost ready to leave.”

We marched into the living room. Brooklyn sat on the couch, arguing with a tall, slender girl who I assumed was her older sister. I’d heard Brooklyn talk about her a lot. She rose and whirled out of the room before I could get a good look at her.

Brook jumped up as we entered.

“Hey there, you big bunch of weirdos!” she greeted us, just a little too enthusiastically. She kissed her boyfriend, punched Jason playfully, kissed Ali’s cheek, gave Emily a high five, and gave me a friendly shove before drawing me into a warm hug.

“Excuse me? We are not weird!” Jason called as she bounded up the stairs to grab her bag. His goggles wobbled and his hair stuck straight up in the back. Alicia paused to stick her tongue out at him before dashing into her room. The rest of us sat down and chatted as we waited for Brook.

She reappeared at the top of the stairs.

“MOTHERSHIP, DAD PERSON, I’M READY,” she yelled, sliding down the handrail instead of walking down.

Her parents and a young boy I guessed was her brother entered the room. Even though it was cold and rainy outside, her father was dressed in a dreadful pair of khaki shorts and flip flops. He reminded me a little bit of Ronald Weasley’s dad. Brook's older sister followed behind, head lowered. All I could see was her brilliant, tomato-red hair.

Yep, this was pretty much just an alternate universe version of the Weasley family.

We raced out to the Greene’s van, tossed our stuff inside and threw ourselves in before we could get too wet. Cheryl backed the car out of their driveway and headed down the windy mountain road that lead farther into town, and after that, the rain-soaked wilderness.