Truth be Told ✔️

Chapter 29

"No!" I screeched. "Absolutely not!"

Seth tilted his head as though he was confused, but the smirk on his face said it all. He was the con man, and I was the most helpless victim one could prey upon. "What's wrong, sister mine?"

"Don't shit with me, Baker. You know exactly what's wrong."

He shrugged. "So what if I do?"

I threw my hands up in the air. "Then fix it!"

"Alexa," he chastised tauntingly, "I cannot just snap my fingers and have the bus turn into a squad of Ferraris."

I shot the large, deteriorating school bus the dirtiest look I could manage. And no one around me could day anything to make me feel better. The stupid thing already looked like it would break down the minute it hit 40. And if it did manage to hit the speed limit, it would basically be like skating on ice.

And, oh, the smells.

"Seth, there's gotta be someone on this trip taking a car," I pleaded. "Seriously. If you are going to make me come on this stupid camping bonding thing, then you can at least be merciful and not make me ride the bus with you."

"What's wrong with me?"

"I'm sorry. I meant 'not make me ride the bus with y'all."

Seth grinned. "It's just us. No grownups are coming to protect you, sis. So unless you wanna go and get your drivers license to drive yourself, then the bus is leaving in five minutes."

"Five minutes?" I exclaimed.

He shrugged. "Better hurry. Soon there won't be room for your four different suitcases."

"It's only essentials," I hissed.

He smirked. "Did you pack Hopper?"

Hopper was my stuffed bunny that I had since I was seven years old. My mother had bought it for me on our one mother-daughter trip we took to Palm Springs. I adored that bunny, but not even Graham knew about it.

"Essentials," I repeated, but the red tint on my cheeks forced a crack in my stern expression.

I had forgotten Hopper was just one of the many things my brother held over my head to keep me in line for the rest of my high school career at Baylor. I had dirt on him too, some really good stuff, actually, but not good enough to keep him from revealing the worst of all my secrets.

Seth snorted. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Alexa. Oh wait..."

"Oh haha laugh it up," I snapped. I glanced at the dreadful bus one more time. "I want an entire row of seats to myself. And if there is a sophomore within four seas of my area, then I want them hazed pronto."

"You don't get to call the shots."

"Oh yeah? Two words. Tramp. Stamp."

His eyes widened. He whipped his head around to make sure nobody was in ear shot of us, and then leaned in with the most uncertain expression I had ever seen on him. "How do you know about that?" He whispered.

"The question is how do none of your whores, or Taylor, not?" I snickered. "Who had you been with that night? Juli-"

"Hey!" He exclaimed. "Stop that. Right now, Alexa."

"Hey's for horses," I replied cheekily.

"Hey's for go screw yourself," Seth snapped. "Stop talking. That girl's gone. She moved to Argentina, and I'm this close to getting out of the house without mom and dad finding out."