Looking After You

(39) Ages: 21 & 18

Ages: 21 & 18 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” James questioned carefully as the four young adults sat outside the suburban, Connecticut home. They had driven nearly six hundred miles and followed directions to a house that held an eerie resemblance to Jenny’s home in North Carolina.

“I’m sure I don’t want to see my dad, much less have to beg him to give my mom back her car.” She said assuredly while turned to face James in the car. The sun was rising past the row of houses, setting a beautiful orange glow over Jenny’s curly hair. James had the sudden urge to push a strand behind her ear. So, he did. He had spent far too many years walking on eggshells when it came to his feelings for Jenny. Too many years were spent denying something that he should have been defending. The startling gesture caused Jenny to stare a moment before quickly turning from his touch, his fingertips left a trace of heat down her left cheek. “It’s the only way.” She insisted, finally finishing her thought while turned towards Rex and Keira in the backseat.

“Yes!” Rex cheered happily before grabbing his black backpack at his feet. “Rule one of conducting a foolproof heist: always be prepared.” Opening his bag, he started handing everyone a walkie-talkie along with a flashlight, ski mask, and breakfast bar. He slipped his ski mask over his head, clipped the walkie-talkie onto his belt and took a large bite of his strawberry breakfast bar before facing his friend’s stunned expressions. “Let’s do this!”

“A breakfast bar?!” James shrieked. “What the hell are we gonna do with a breakfast bar?!”

“I was hungry!” Rex argued back, a child’s wounded expression taking up his face. “If you’re going to wake T-Rex before seven, you sure as hell better have a sausage biscuit glued to your face!”

Rolling his eyes, James tossed his breakfast bar back at Rex before pulling his keys from the ignition. “You’re staying here with Keira. Jenny and I will go get the car and meet you at a restaurant somewhere down the road.” He turned back around and handed Keira the car keys. “If you see anything-“

“We’ll let you know.” Rex wiggled his eyebrows while lifting the walkie-talkie from his belt.

“It’s the 21st century, you know, we do have cell phones.” James pointed out casually.

Rex rolled his eyes at his friends attempt to be cool. “Whatever, act like a mature, boring adult all you want but I know better. After all, you are the one who insisted we had code names when Mrs. Darenger’s cat went missing three weeks ago and she asked us to ‘investigate’ the crime. Your inner child is practically skipping for joy right now and you know it.”

James kept a good, solid stare on Rex for about three seconds before surrendering with a childlike grin. “Fine. We can use the walkies.” He rolled his eyes in another feeble attempt to play cool before swinging open his door and stepping out onto the pavement.

Jenny reached out for the door handle, but Keira stopped her suddenly by placing a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, you need to find some way to let him know it was you who took the car. I know you don’t want to speak to him, but he might call the cops if he thinks someone stole it.”

Jenny nodded once in understanding. “I got it covered.” She forced a fragile smile and stepped out of the car, shutting the door behind her.

“What if the car’s not here? He could have sold it by now.” James pointed out logically as they made their way across the street to the two story suburban home.

“Something that probably should have been considered 600 miles ago.” Jenny responded with a slight twinge of irritation to her voice. “Look, I’m not exactly thrilled to be attempting a carjacking either but we came all this way so I’m at least going to check the garage.”