Free Until the Sun Burns Out by Amber Garza Page B

home Mom would never let me run across the street like this. She’d scold me for jay walking, but it seemed to be the norm here. Maybe because most people here were on vacation. Everything felt different. As if rules didn’t apply. And for a rule follower, it was weird. Also, strangely exhilarating.
    We hopped up on the next curb, and Austin nudged me in the shoulder. “Liar.”
    “I’m not lying.” I chuckled. “Why don’t you believe me?”
    “Cause you kicked ass in there.”
    I shrugged. “I guess I just had a lot of aggression to work through.”
    “Clearly,” he agreed. “And did you work through it?”
    “I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “It felt good when I was in there, but I don’t know if I feel any better now.”
    He stopped walking and turned to face me. “Hey, why don’t you come over for dinner? My family’s been nagging me about meeting you, and it’ll give you a break from your dad for a bit.”
    “That sounds great,” I answered without hesitation. My chest expanded at the mere thought of delaying the inevitable. “Let me just text Dad.” Yanking my phone out of my pocket, I shot off a quick message. As I shoved the phone back into my pocket, I prayed he wouldn’t text back, demanding me to come home. However, that was the nice thing about texts. I always had the option to pretend I didn’t see it right away.
    When I glanced up, Austin was on his phone. “My parents are cool with it,” he said.
    “Great.” Until he’d said that I hadn’t thought much about meeting his family. I was too consumed with relief about avoiding my dad tonight. But now that the thought had surfaced, it caused panic to overtake me.
    Austin put away his phone and started walking. I followed, but it took more effort than I cared to admit.
    “You okay?” Austin’s brows furrowed.
    “Yeah,” I lied, struggling to breathe evenly.
    “Really? Cause you’re acting weird.” He paused. “Well, weirder than normal.”
    I slugged him in the shoulder. “Shut up.”
    “My family doesn’t bite,” he said, facing forward. “In case that’s what you’re worried about.”
    His comment made my lips tug at the corners. “I’m not worried that they’re going to bite me. I am worried that they won’t like me though.”
    “What’s not to like?” By his tone it was hard to tell if he was being sarcastic or not. He bumped me with his shoulder. “Relax. My parents are a little….I don’t know…uptight. But they’re always pretty nice to guests.”
    If his comment was meant to put me at ease, it didn’t. Uptight. Pretty nice . These were not words I wanted to hear. What about words like “warm”, “talkative” or “funny”?
    I stayed silent the remainder of the walk, and the closer we got, the more I wondered if I was making a mistake. However, it seemed a little too late to back out now. When we turned onto his street, I felt a vibration in my pocket. Pulling my phone out, a part of me hoped my dad would tell me I had to come home right away. I almost laughed at the absurdity of that. Wasn’t I dreading the prospect of going home mere moments ago?
    Dad: Ok. Have fun. Call me if you need a ride home.
    “Everything okay?” Austin asked, peering over my shoulder.
    “Yeah,” I said. “Dad’s fine with it. Just said to let him know if I need a ride home.”
    “You won’t,” He responded. “My sister can give you a ride, or I can walk you back home.”
    “Too bad we can’t drive, huh?”
    “I have my permit, so I can drive with my parents in the car.” Austin winked. “It’s not as exciting as it sounds.”
    “I don’t have mine yet, but I have my permit test scheduled for when I get back.”
    “Next summer we’ll own the streets in this town.” Austin grinned.
    I giggled, warmth spreading through my body. Sometimes it felt like this was all we had. Like when I returned home it would be all over between us. And that made my stomach hurt. But Austin’s words were a