Later that afternoon, I knocked on Emma's door, like I had so many times before, but this time she actually answered. But this time, she hadn't been crying. Her hair was clean, brushed and in a ponytail. She wore a sweater with jeans and had a bag in hand. And of course, a coffee in a to-go Starbucks mug.
"Whoa. You're ready to go." I commented.
"I just want to leave, Ethan," she said quietly. And there were the tears. They slipped out of her eyes quickly, tracking down her cheeks.
"Hey, hey, hey," I said, bringing her into a hug. "We're fine, everything's okay."
"I know, and I tried to not be a little bitch and I wasn't originally going to leave but then Tatiana and Olivia and Josie left already because I texted them to ask if they were leaving and they were already gone and they didn't even tell me and Ellie is in Arizona and Hannah is in Michigan so I didn't know-" she said all in one breath.
"Why didn't you call me?" I whispered into her hair.
"I didn't want to be clingy." she whimpered.
"Emma, that's not clingy!" I insisted. "Please, call me! Just come over, I don't care."
"Ahh." she gurgled, wiping her eyes. "Alright, I'm done being a pussy. You're here. Let's go."
And sure enough, Grayson honked the horn at us, hinting we needed to leave.
"See? Grayson wants to go, and he's the sick one." Emma insisted.
"You're not healthy either," I reminded her, as we walked to the car.
"It fuckin' reeks," Emma said comically, causing Gray and me to laugh, It distracted from her watering eyes. That's what Emma did, ever since she started YouTube. Make others laugh and use humor to divert the attention to how she actually felt. Even me. But didn't we all do that?
The drive to San Francisco was long and quiet. Grayson gave us updates on the fire every hour, and I could hear Emma's breath catch every time. With two hours left, I suggested that Grayson drive.
He looked at me in surprise. I never let him so much as touch the wheel of my Jeep. But duty calls, I guess (lol).
We stopped at a gas station, went to the bathroom, got a few snacks, and kept driving. Emma and I were in the back, leaving Grayson alone to drive. He peeked in the rearview mirror.
"You two better not be making out," he warned. Emma chuckled softly against my side. Her eyes were closed, and she already seemed to feel better. It made me feel better too, I noticed, leaning on her head, closing my eyes as well.
"I'm going to take you around my hometown," Emma whispered suddenly. I lifted my head.
"What?"
"I'll take you to Philz, the mall, Pressed, Asian Box..." she rambled happily.
"Whatever, Em," I said, leaning back and dozing off again.
When we arrived at Emma's apartment, per her directions, her mother was waiting outside, waving, holding a small terrier.
"Oh, yeah, Grayson. I have a dog. And a cat." she said nervously.
"I know, I've been taking my Claritin. I'll be good," he said. Thank god. That would be even more of a mess. Grayson had insisted he was fine, and it was simply the smoke, but I was worried he would get sick at Emma's in the middle of the night.
"Hi, mom," Emma said, going up to hug her mother. When they released, I approached her.
"Hi, Mrs. Chamberlain. I'm Ethan." I said, shaking her hand.
"Nice to meet you," she said automatically.
"Grayson," Grayson said, shaking Mrs. Chamberlain's hand after me. "Thanks for letting us stay here."
"Of course, call me Sophie," she said, waving us off, "It is so scary what's happening down in LA."
"Crazy what a drought can do," I commented. The second her mother turned around, Emma grasped my hand.
"So, I set up the master bedroom for you boys, if that's alright. You can toss your things in there." Emma's mom continued.
"Thank you so much," Grayson said, throwing our duffels on the ground.
"Mom, I think we're going to head out and grab some food. Are you coming?" Emma said quickly.
"No, you guys go out, I've got a business call anyway..." she said. Emma nodded.
"Where do you guys want to go?" she asked nonchalantly as we exited the apartment and returned to the car. I ignored her question.
"You've told your mom about us, right?" I asked her. "And she's okay with the age?"
"Yeah, yeah, of course. Why?" she asked, confused.
"Just making sure," I said casually.
"You're so paranoid." Grayson accused.
"Of what?" I retorted.
"You tell me, bro," he said, starting the car.
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