Straighter than Parallel Parking

≈ t h i r t y - f i v e ≈

A/N: Longer chapter since long wait. Just heads up: if any Spanish readers wouldn't mind pointing out the atrocious google translate with actual translations, please PM me :)

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{ Chapter Thirty-Five: When Each Voice Refuses to Blend Together }

TULA WAS WRAPPING UP WITH INTRODUCTIONS with the start of the festival when the crowd finally moving towards the art showcased in the room next to the stadium.

Struggling to not snore the entire hour, she eagerly took the chance to finally get up from sitting still and hurdled with Brielle, trying to calm the nervous energy in herself as she followed the two girls to where she had set up (with their help) a station to inspire her project.

While Renée and James had to leave to cover the shifts for her and Brielle, Kori, and Lexi disappeared around the first half to assist Donna with a few rowdy kids ("And they wonder why they're not adopted yet," Lexi had muttered, earning two jabs to the stomach). Janice suddenly missed their small group as she almost loses her friends in the bustling crowd of people moving left and right.

"Didn't your brother come, too?" Brielle asked, breaking Janice away from her thoughts. "Call him so I can assess him — I mean, so he can assist us."

"That's so gross, Bri," Janice groaned, dialling her brother's number.

"If your brother is as old as that thing," Brielle said, eyeing her Nokia, "he doesn't need to come."

Janice rolled her eyes, clutching her beloved phone tighter. "Stop being a gold digger and go help the volunteers drink water or something."

"Did you just... imply I was being thirsty?"

"Hey, Karlo?" Janice redirected her thoughts to her brother, even though his phone was still ringing. "¿Que pasa?"

Brielle narrowed her eyes. "Did you call me an ass? Talk about me in Spanish and I won't cover your next shift."

Janice mouthed 'I-love-you' to Brielle, blowing a kiss. "Yeah, Karlo? ¿Cuándo vendrás?"

"Not anytime soon," Karlo sighed on the other line. Janice frowned, readjusting the phone and hoping she hadn't heard right. "Aàron accidentally broke the front end of the car. Tarado."

"He did what!?" Janice sputtered, rubbing her eyes. "How're we going to get back? I'm not busing with all this equipment!"

Aside from the few paintings she'd bought for her room, Janice also had her school-rented camera and portfolios, which she didn't want to lug around on the back of a bus. Clumsy as she was, she'd probably lose everything to some jackass with sticky fingers or drop something through the emergency exit. Janice and her brother hung up for a couple minutes after exchanging graphic insults towards the second-oldest Diablo.

After, she stood in contemplation, waving off Brielle's concerned look before he rung her again.

Karlo assuaged her worries. "Look, dad's taking care of the problem. Helps that we, you know, run an auto-shop. But alls well on your part! You have a ride."

"What did you say?" Janice stuck a finger in one ear to block out some of the overwhelming noise of the area. Brielle idly twirled the camera bag with her index, taking her time before asking Janice for the details. "Who? Brielle didn't bring her own car, Donna's parents are driving her back with her brothers, and Lexi's mom already gave her bus fare. There's no room that I know of."

"Don't worry! Kory's mom is coming."

"Oh," Janice said, not connecting the dots between her brother's strange voice and the words he'd said. "Okay, that's fine. Let me tell Bri since she caught a ride with us."