Splinters: Part One

Part One | 40

Chapter 40

Collie's Jealousy

"Are you sure you'll be okay driving and following us, Brayden?" Melissa asked for maybe the seventh time, clutching two large beach towels in her arms.

I nodded. "I'm sure."

"I just don't want you to get side-tracked and lose us-"

"Collie will help me."

"I'm not sure-"

"Lis," Greg laughed. "He'll be fine. He's got two eyes and I'll keep it slow."

I smiled at him. "Can I go get Collie now? She's waiting at her house."

Melissa sighed, obviously still worried. "I guess so."

I beamed, throwing my cinch-bag over my shoulder. "I'll be back in ten minutes."

"I'd rather you not hurry. Net's friends still gotta get here."

I was already walking down the hallway when she finished. "Got it!"

Opening the garage door and getting into my car, I threw my cinch-bag in the backseat and placed the key into the ignition. Starting the car, I eagerly backed out of the driveway and began driving to Collie's. My phone rang twice, and although it was tempting to take it and answer, I knew it was Collie, and she'd be very angry if she found out I answered the phone while driving.

I'm not sure why, but Collie's overly serious on not texting and driving or talking on the phone and driving. I see kids from our school do it all the time. I know how dangerous it is and all that, but Collie's extremely adamant on not using your phone while behind the wheel. Sometimes I'll call her and she won't answer, and then a couple minutes later, she'll call back and say she was in the car.

It annoyed me sometimes, but then I'd remember that I'd most definitely rather wait for her to call back than get another call claiming she got in a wreck. The very thought made me shudder.

Soon enough, I made it to Collie's house and decided to text her instead of go to her door - mostly because of how much I can't stand her father and if he opened the door, I'd probably want to scream at him. But let me be honest with myself, I would recoil in reality. I didn't even need to text her, though. She was already hopping down the porch just as I pulled up to the driveway, with a small zip bag of her own on her left shoulder and a pink polka-dot gift bag in her right hand.

When she got in, she kissed me. "Hey!"

"You're eager," I smirked.

She shook her head, buckling up her seat-belt. "There was no way I was going to make you knock on the door when both my parents are home."

I laughed. "I wasn't. I was going to text you."

"Great minds think alike!"

I smiled, putting the car into reverse. "Ready to go?"

"Yep!"

The ride home wasn't quiet like it usually is when I'm in the car with Collie. Somehow, I'm able to listen to her and concentrate on driving at the same time. Melissa would yell at me if she knew it, simply because at my driving classes, they told me not to talk to my passengers in my first months of having my license. Usually, Collie wouldn't let me talk to her if she was driving either, but it was easy for me.

I like to think it's because I talk to Collie so much, my brain can just pay attention to her even in my sleep. She basically went on and on about Tay's new infatuation and how she feels she's getting a little worried for her. I just listened, knowing Collie wouldn't take any of the advice I had, and also I didn't really have any advice.