Uh-huh. Like I didn’t already know that. And if Zack hated me so much, why would he take the time to talk philosophy regarding the guy who’d just cheated on me?
I made myself ignore the sexy dimple in his chin and glared at him. “Make up your mind, Zack.”
He gave me a blank face. “About what?”
“About me. Either be all judgy without ever allowing me to defend myself — in which case you don’t get to be my friend. Or be nice to me. You can’t have both.”
His eyes narrowed, then the bell rang and he slipped behind his desk.
I didn’t want to give him or Daniel any more thought. They’d already wasted enough of my time. Instead, I concentrated on what I’d do once I dropped my parents off at the airport, just hours away.
Freedom.
With them gone, I could scrap the Internet research and go straight to experimenting. I couldn’t wait to see what else I was capable of.
† † †
When my mom drove me home at the end of the day, I didn’t see the Taurus anywhere. “Where’s my car?” I asked as she pulled into the driveway.
“We had it towed to the mechanic. You need something to drive since we won’t be around to chauffer you.” My mom closed the car door and hit the clicker.
“I thought I could use yours while you’re gone,” I said hopefully.
“Not likely.” She laughed. “Yours will be ready later today. We’ll pick it up, so you can do your homework and still have time to drive us to the airport later.”
“Fine,” I said half-heartedly.
True to their word, my parents retrieved my junk-heap just before dinner. They did their run early and when I came downstairs from wrapping up my homework, their luggage met me at the door.
“Oh, good. You’re ready.” My mom grinned as she bustled and threw things into her suitcase. “I wouldn’t want to miss our flight.”
She seemed a little too excited about it. “Really? Or are you joking?”
My dad chuckled. “As crazy as it sounds, we’re looking forward to it. Ever crazier, we’re not afraid to leave you.”
“Oh.” I blinked. Wow, what a one-eighty.
Mom shrugged. “You’ve shown some real maturity lately. You’ll be eighteen in a few days and legally, well, you’ll be an adult. It’s time we got used to you not being our little girl anymore.”
“Oh,” I echoed, too stunned to say more.
“Let’s go.” My dad nudged me lightly with his elbow.
On the way to the airport, my mom reminded me to do my homework every day, warned me not to throw any parties at the house, then took a moment to stress that they were trusting me and not to let them down. She just had to go one step further by reminding me that the school principal still had her cell number.
They hadn’t changed as much as I’d hoped.
While Dad parked at the airport and went in search of a cart, Mom trapped me in a bear hug. Slowly, she released me, then handed me her keys. “Drive home and put these away. Use the Taurus the entire time we’re gone unless it’s an emergency. Okay?”
Dad collected a cart and began stacking their luggage. “Not having gas money does not constitute an emergency.”
“Got it,” I said, following them into the building.
Once at the security stop, Dad hugged me fiercely, kissing the top of my head. “We’ll miss you, sweetheart. Check your email often, huh?”
“I will.”
“Just because we’ve grown as parents these past twenty-four hours doesn’t mean we’ll never worry again.” Mom hugged me, this time even harder. “We love you more than anything. You know that, right?”
I nodded, my throat tightening.
“Time to go.” My dad wrapped his hand around Mom’s and walked away, glancing back at me periodically, until I couldn’t see them anymore.
I drove their car home and directly into the garage. The house was quiet and dark. Lonely. I decided stuffing my face with sweets might take my mind off the emptiness of the house, so I headed to the fridge where my mom always kept goodies. Prepared meals in plastic containers lined the shelves. She’d been busy.
Starting off with a fizzy juice, I twisted off the cap, mindful how much pressure I put on the bottle. I took a sip, enjoying the bubbles forming on my tongue.
Why had I gotten rid of my parents?
Oh, man, I need to stay focused and push away second thoughts. A mere few days wouldn’t be adequate to explore my potential. And since it wasn’t even nine yet, I could get started on that straight away.
I sprinted out the back door, dying to learn what else I could do. Turning around and backing up, I studied the roof, wondering how high I could leap. If I missed and fell, any injuries would heal quickly. But what if I miscalculated and couldn’t jump high at all? I’d end up destroying the gutters or taking out a section of the roof. How would I explain that to my parents?