Annalise Starke had known her mother was going to die eventually; she just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
At fifteen she had moved with her mother back to her home country of Australia with half a heart (metaphorically, of course) and her mo...
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We'd all climbed into Ryan's truck after lunch at the Hobbit Cafe—where I always have the best sweet potato fries of my life—when we decided what to do next.
I, being stuck in the middle, leaned forward and ripped my arms out from between Sylvie and Breck. "We could always still go down to Hilton Head like Jacks wanted?"
He turned around from the passenger seat. "I like that idea," I nearly rolled my eyes.
Ryan slumped at the wheel. "I am too tired to drive all of us all the way down there, stay engaged in the activities, and then drive us to get dinner—because you guys know you're going to want it—and then all the way back home. Nope. No can do."
Beside me, Breck pursed his lips. Sylvie spoke first. "We could do a Summerween."
I cocked a brow. "A what?"
"Okay, I guess not officially Summerween or Pages-to-Popcorn, I guess I just meant like a movie night. Or perhaps a marathon would be more interesting since it's still so early."
"I don't know," Breck started. "I don't know if I love the idea of staying inside on Spring Bre—"
I cut him off. "That's a great idea, Syl! We can each pick a movie and see how many we get through. Ryan, Jacks, what do you guys think?"
"That sounds very restful, I like it," Ryan supplied.
Jacks shrugged. "That could be fun."
I smiled pointedly at my brother. "So it's settled then. Summerween movie marathon! Everyone be thinking about your choice so we can vote when we get back."
They murmured in response as Sylvie leaned forward. "Oh, Ryan! Can you exit here? We should stop for snacks."
"But we just had lunch," he groaned.
She ignored him, pointing at the exit he needed to take. "I'm preparing for later. Obviously."
With a sigh, he took it.
As we pulled into the driveway, each of us with a bag of snacks in our laps, I noticed the driveway was empty.
Where was—
As if on cue, my phone began to ring. The caller ID said "Dad."
Curiously, I answered. "Hello?" As I spoke into the phone, everyone around me quieted.
