Free Nocturnal by Chelsea M. Cameron Page B

three slices covered in them. Don't rock the boat, I say. 
    “Don't worry about it. Ava and I will take care of it. You can plan out our hikes and make the menu.” Dad kisses her on the nose, making her giggle. My smile is almost painful, my cheeks cracking under the pressure.
    “This trip is just for you to relax.” She holds her spare arm out and I climb under it.
    “You guys spoil me.” 
    “You deserve to be spoiled,” Dad says, putting his arm around both of us. Two family hugs in one day. Not since I was little have we hugged so much. Dad and I aren't huggers by nature. It's natural for her. Like calling me by silly nicknames and being so good with children. 
    Tex interrupts the Kodak moment via my new phone, causing Dad to give me another glare as I answer it. How dare I spoil the perfect moment?
    “Hey, you've been MIA. What's up with you?”
    “Nothing, just busy,” I say, mouthing her name to tell them who I'm on the phone with. My mother nods and makes a shooing motion with her hands. Dad keeps his glare on. I follow her and ignore him.
    “Doing what?”
    “Homework.” It was true that I had a ton of reading for my AP English class, but I'd done it already. She didn't need to know that, though. I stub my toe on one of the steps and bite back a curse.
    “You are such a dork.”
    “Yeah, says the girl who's in AP history.” Using my foot to shut the door, I breathe a sigh of relief that I can talk without having Dad glare at me. Which he's probably doing through the floor. 
    “It's not my fault I have a freakish memory for dates.”
    “D-Day,” I fire at her.
    “June 6, 1944.” She says it through a mouthful of something without even thinking about it. “Give me something that's a challenge.” At least I think that's what she says. It's hard to tell.
    “I can't believe you got out of working this week,” she says with more crunching. 
    “It helps to know people.” 
    “Yeah, right. So, I am totally making a pilgrimage to Portland next weekend to go shopping. I thought we could make a day of it.” My heart sinks as she says it. I would love to go shopping with Tex. Spend an afternoon just walking around the mall and talking and eating giant pretzels and staring at cute boys. Like we used to do. I miss it. How could I not have realized I missed it?
    “I can't. I have to go camping with my parents.” 
    “Uh, okay. What are you, five?” The slurping sound is probably her licking whatever it is she's eating off her fingers. I really hope.
    “It's my Dad's idea. Family bonding and all that. What are you eating?”
    “Salt and vinegar chips mixed with cheese doodles.” Uh, excuse me while I hurl. Tex loved to mix her snacks. I hear her licking her fingers.
    “Ugh, I hate family bonding. My parents keep trying to do that, but it always ends up with Coby sulking in the corner and me getting yelled at for trying to cheer everyone up.” Of course she forces all the blame on her younger brother. Like she's all innocent.
    “That's because you make a scene.”
    “I do not make a scene!” The crumply sound must be her rooting around in the bottom of the bag for crumbs.
    “Um, do you remember Applebee's?”
    “What was I supposed to do? That drunk guy dared me.” What an understatement. She'd hopped on top of the bar, and suffice it to say, she was banned for life from Applebee's.
    “My point exactly.”
    “You're such a pain in the ass.”
    “Takes one to know one.”
    “Well okay, if you can't come shopping, can you at least visit me at work tomorrow? I can't stand talking to Toby all day. He's going to ComicCon, and if I hear one more word about his hobbit costume, I'm going to scream.” The thought of it makes me shudder, but I'd really be a horrible friend if I leave her to deal with it.
    “Fine, fine. I'll see you tomorrow.”
    “Thanks, bitch.”
    “See you later, ho.” My mother is going to die. The words try to struggle their way out, like I've got that disease that