A Beginner's Guide to the American West ✓

chapter eighteen

c h a p t e r  e i g h t e e n

*

The rest of the drive is spent trying to surreptitiously scrutinise the twins, now that I know the cheeky one is Klara, and she seems to enjoy a bit of drama. Klara is the one who would happily kill Taylor Swift, while the real Kristin has several of her songs on a playlist that she plays when she switched places with Brannan. The real Kristin also has the faintest scar on her nose, like a healed hole from a piercing. It's hardly distinguishable, but it marks them apart.

I don't know whether or not to tell Arjun. His confidence in telling them apart tickles me, though maybe they've been messing with him too. Maybe he was messing with me, and he and Klara were in on it.

He slept through the last quick pit stop, and he is slowly sliding into a horizontal position, until his seatbelt is at its full reach, and his head is on my shoulder. I don't know what to do with myself. He's quietly snuffling and muttering, right by my ear, totally unaware, and I manage to get my phone out of my pocket without waking him. I take a selfie, pulling an awkward face with my hand over my heart, and write he is torturing me before I send it to Flo.

Except I don't. I mean to send it to Flo, but her name is right next to the family chat in my recent conversations and I let out an involuntary gasp when I realise what I've done. I'm hoping there's a way to undo it but it's sent and delivered, and a moment later, Dad's online. Before he can reply – god knows what he'll say – I send off a follow up. But I can't think of an excuse, so I just tell the truth.

ME: sorry, that was meant for Flo!

Dad reads that message too. He sends back a laughing face.

DAD: I take it the trip is going well?! Do you mean to tell me you share more with your sister than your old man??? You're killing me scoobs

It's my turn to send a laughing face, and then Flo appears in the chat.

FLO: lmao you are so smooth march. P.s. it doesn't look like he is torturing you. It looks like he is sleeping. Very cutely.

ME: on my shoulder. It's torture

The message is sent before I realise that, for fuck's sake, I'm still in the family chat, and I have to suppress a weary laugh. I guess there's no point in secrecy anymore, so I take a deep breath and roll my eyes at myself, and I check that Arjun's still sleeping before I type up a message.

ME: ok clearly technology hates me so now you all know that I clearly have a huge crush on the guy I'm sharing a tent with, even though I've only known him for like five days. Advice much needed.

I clutch my phone in my palm, hoping I didn't just cross a line somehow. We're a pretty open family though, and I feel I owe them something after two years of secrets, which didn't help me at all. It isn't long before Dad replies, and then Flo.

DAD: idk what to tell you scoobs. By the time I'd known your mum for five days ... I'm pretty sure we'd made a baby

FLO: DAD!!!!! Inappropriate!

DAD: and look at that! now the baby can text! How time flies!

FLO: omg. Ugh. I'm going to bed. Catch your fish, march. He's cute

I laugh at their exchange and angle my phone away from Arjun, even though his eyes are definitely closed and he's definitely snoring.

ME: pretty sure there's no risk of a baby. More worried about the fact that I am disarmed by a painfully huge crush & should probably still be mourning the catastrophic end of my last relationship, nevermind the fact that Arjun is probably straight Nyway