The Bad Boy Is My Legal Guardian?

Chapter 17

Once Roman, Theo, and I have finished our food, Roman stands suddenly. 

"Let's get out of here." 

Theo and I look up at him quizzically. 

"Um...and go where, exactly?" asks Theo doubtfully. 

"I dunno. Birdie, where do you wanna go?" 

I stare. Slowly, I tilt my head to the side in thought. 

After a beat of silence, I answer. 

"Why not everywhere?" I say. "Let's see the world. Road trip?"

Roman smiles; I notice how nice his teeth are. Is that a weird thing to notice?

"Road trip it is, little Birdie. Let's start planning."

The next day the dining room table is covered in maps. I've skipped school to stay home and plot. Theo is out for pizza while Roman and I sit with Sharpies in hand, scanning the maps of America for the best routes. 

"Look at this!" I say, pointing at a little museum in the middle of nowhere that is only a banana toy sitting on a lawn chair. "We gotta stop at this." 

Roman knits his eyebrows together.  "Um...sure...," he agrees, obviously concerned at my excitement towards such a strange attraction. 

I smile. 

"But if we stop at your little banana thing we're stopping at this too," says Roman, then shows me an aquarium that's supposed to be world-famous. 

"I didn't know you liked fish, Ro," I say, a hint of teasing in my voice. 

Roman's cheek flush imperceptibly - or is it imagined? I raise an eyebrow. I'd never pin the quintessential bad boy Roman as an aquarium fan. 

Then the front door opens loudly and Theo bustles in, pizza boxes in his arms. 

"Pizza delivery for Roman and Birdie and also Theo!" he calls. 

He enters the dining room and plops the boxes down right on top of our maps. 

"Theo!" Roman says. "You're gonna get pizza grease on our maps, bro."

"Oops. My b." 

Then Theo opens up a box and grabs two slices of pepperoni. 

"Sho," he says through a mouthful.  "Where're we goin'?"