part of me | e.d

twenty-three

we get to kara's house within twenty minutes. it's pouring out, so we have to drive a little slower than usual.

ethan parks outside her house behind amy's SUV and honks the horn. after waiting a few seconds, he honks again.

about two minutes later kara finally comes running out holding two bags and a suitcase. 

does she not know we're only going for three days?

grayson gets out of the car with an umbrella running to meet her halfway. ethan presses a button and unlocks the trunk, and i see grayson open it with kara under the umbrella with him through the side mirror on the car. 

ethan tilts his head back against the headrest. i reach over and grab his hand, giving it a squeeze.

"eth, don't worry. maybe it won't be that bad." 

his head turns towards me. "won't be that bad? it's going to be hell."

i couldn't disagree.

the trunk slams closed and grayson opens the car door, letting kara in. he then closes the umbrella and gets in, too, sitting in the seat farthest away from her so the middle seat was acting as a buffer.

"hey guys!" kara's high pitched voice pierces my ears.

i turn my head slightly, giving her a small grin. ethan just nods through the rearview mirror.

"you know, i actually can't sit back here. i get very car sick so i should probably be in the passenger seat. it gets worse back here." kara's peeking her head in between ethan and i, her hands holding onto our seats.

ethan reaches over me and opens the glove compartment, pulling out a ziploc bag. he throws it at kara. "here."

she takes the bag and rolls her eyes, an angry expression cemented on her face. i try to hold back a laugh.

grayson hits ethan's shoulder, leaning in so only we can hear him. "you're really going to leave her back here with me sick?"

ethan sighs, gripping the steering wheel. i know he was getting fed up with this trip already.

"kara, if you're really feeling sick, we'll pull over. alright?" ethan's voice is loud and tired.

she nods, winking at him through the rearview mirror. "thanks, eth."

i can feel my chest tighten when she calls him eth. she doesn't have that right anymore. 

ethan rolls down the window on his side, waving at amy. she sees and starts her car, driving onto the main road. we follow her.

grayson shuffles around, trying to get comfortable. i can hear him sigh, giving up. i lean down and grab the neck pillow i brought, handing it to him.

"here, gray." he opens his eyes, giving me a warm smile.

"thank you." he wraps it around his neck, leaning his head against the seat. 

i turn back around and lean my seat back a little. ethan places a hand on my thigh, his thumb moving back and forth on my skin. 

i look at him and smile. i know he's trying.

- 

we've been driving for one straight hour. we decided to take a pitstop after amy called saying they were all uncomfortable already.

amy turns into some random gas station along the side of the road, ethan doing the same. we park and all start getting out of the car.

it feels so damn good to stretch my legs.