CHAPTER TWENTY
heat energy
Despite the fact that summer had finally reached as far as Forks, the wind was cool and brisk, whipping at Violet's loose hair, threatening to tangle it. She tried to ignore the tickle of the breeze, the dancing of her strawberry locks, to instead focus on the opened doors of the garage and the Jeep that sat waiting to roll out onto the road. But it was Rosalie that distracted her, despite the gleam of the green paint and the flash of the new tyres.
The conversation between Rosalie and her dad was a light one, but Violet stressed nonetheless. Robbie knew what not to say, but that didn't stop her from fearing. They stood similarly: Rosalie with her hands on her hips, her dad with his arms crossed over his chest, both with widened shoulders and firmed legs, facing the newly finished truck. It was as if Violet wasn't even there, and she wished they'd never been introduced.
"Are we going to test drive this or what?" Violet shouted, finally deciding to stride toward the driver's seat, blocking their view. "I didn't call you both here just to admire my hard work."
Robbie rolled his eyes but stepped forward to place his hands on her shoulders. "I'm proud of you, kid," he said, and Violet glared at the pet name, cheeks flaring red. "Now go try it. I want to know it won't fail above fifty."
"We've got this. Old faithful isn't going to fail under a bit of speed," Violet said. Rosalie followed her to the truck, hopping into the passenger seat. Violet smiled as her dad leaned down to give her a kiss on the head, and she made her way to the front seat, almost buzzing with excitement.
Pulling her hair back from her face, Violet tied it back against her head. Rosalie watched her as she did it, amber eyes unreadable but clouded with something noticeable. Something had changed since last she had seen her. It was undeniable, with the sizzle in the air that threatened to electrocute her, should she get too close.
"Ready?"
"Born ready," Rosalie said, and then Violet was rushing to push the clutch down, pulling from the garage with a jagged screech.
The air was fresh against her face, beaded with the mist of early morning rain that still lingered. With the windows wide open, the wind whipped through the truck like a tunnel, cooling the heat that had dallied on her cheeks. By her side, Rosalie was grinning as the Jeep sped down the darkened roads of the outskirts of Forks, the expression the most obvious one Violet had ever seen on her. It spoke of a glee Violet had never seen her experience, one that had her laughing happily, pressing her foot down on the accelerator, zipping past the canvas of hemlock and fir.
It was as if her wild laughs and shouts gave the truck energy. It felt right to finally be behind the wheel, driving through the remote roads of her hometown, and more than that, it felt like a buildup. Soon it would be the rest of the country that they drove through, with unfamiliar sights and sounds and people. The very thought of it felt like a breath of fresh air. And Rosalie would be with her the entire way, another piece of knowledge that would have felt too bizarre to be real only a few months ago. The very sight of her in the passenger's seat made Violet want to burst.
With the wind still howling through the windows, Rosalie's loose locks were wild around her face, gleaming like spun silk. Her eyes seemed brighter then, haloed in gold, flashing across everything from the trees, to the road, to the wheel, to Violet herself. For a moment, she was almost lost in the sight, until the feeling of the bumps of the road made her present again.
"Do you want to drive?" Violet found herself saying, remembering the times she'd been in Rosalie's own cars. They were finer, sleeker builds, worth more than Violet could imagine, but something felt comforting about the image of Rosalie Hale driving her freshened, old Jeep.
