The Kissing Booth: New Love

Chapter 19

Noah

I try to suppress my laughter as I receive another text Elle sent to try to cheer me up. She's been sending funny messages all morning. Neither of us is happy about having to be apart for almost a week, especially so soon after making up.  We're half an hour into our almost three-hour drive on this year's Flynn family vacation.  Mom made a big deal about going on vacation as a family this year for Spring Break, since I was graduating soon, and we may not all be able to go on another family vacation all together.  Unfortunately, this was one trip Elle wasn't taking with us. After all the years I put up with those two driving me crazy everywhere we went, now that I finally want her around, she didn't come along.

Elle and I had started talking about the best way to give Lee our news.  We thought up some ideas, but then we mutually decided to wait just a little bit longer.  When I started to think about the fact that we would be leaving for our family vacation in less than a week, I thought it would be better to wait until we get back.  If things go as bad as Elle thinks they will, I'm not sure I want to be stuck sharing a hotel room with Lee for a week after he finds out, with no escape from him.  I'm not overly worried about Lee's attitude, since we don't really get along that well anyway, but I'm not about to ruin our family vacation for my Mom, since she's so excited about it.  Elle and I are already planning to talk again when I get back and get it all figured out.

We're only going a few hours away from home, to a resort near San Diego, but Mom has been thrilled about it for weeks.  Even my Dad seemed to be happy to get out of town.  I know he has plans for a couple rounds of golf with me and Lee.  I've never been a big fan of no contact sports, but he's always trying to get us to play with him.  Mom says she's just excited to be going somewhere where she doesn't have to cook or clean up after us.  I know my Mom, though, and she never once complains about any of that.  I think she's really looking forward to having all of us around her pretty much non-stop for a few days without us being able to head out at all hours to be with friends and girlfriends, as has been the case for both of us lately.  Even my Dad won't be able to get away with working or business travel.

In between all the funny texts Elle's been sending, we've been talking back and forth about random stuff, with some of that lovey dovey crap we've started doing in between it all. I would absolutely deny that if anyone were to ever see it. It makes her happy, though, so I do it.

We don't always get to spend a lot of time together, but we do almost always get a chance to see each other every day, even if it is only on the drive to school or a family lunch.  I was not looking forward to being out of town for almost a week without Elle.  Plus, I'm not even sure if we were going to be able to call or FaceTime with me staying in the same room with Lee.  I'd been complaining since Mom came up with the idea for this vacation but more so since I knew it would take me away from Elle.  Elle tried to convince me it wouldn't be that bad.  She said I should give Lee a chance.  She liked him pretty well and thought I might too if I spent time with him without giving him shit all the time.  She might be right.  I was leaving for college soon maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to try to become friends with my little bro before I go.

While we were riding in the car in the way there, my Mom started trying to get Lee and I off our phones.  Dad didn't seem to care what the two of us were doing.  I think he was just happy we were quiet, unlike our younger days of nonstop arguing during long car rides.  She wanted Lee and I to talk.  To each other.  I don't know what we were supposed to talk about.  Other than being brothers the only thing we had in common was Elle and Lee had no idea about that.  Since we were obviously not going to start talking to each other on purpose, Mom decided it was her job to get us talking.  After asking Lee about Rachel, she turned her attention to me. "So, tell me what's going on with you, Noah.  You seem to be doing well as you're getting close to the end of your senior year.  You've seemed happy lately."