Not Like You

Chapter Thirty-Six

"Rose, we gotta go, come on," Harlow pushed me again and I groaned. When I figured about we were leaving today, I didn't know it required me to wake up at four in the morning. I wouldn't have stayed up until midnight rereading "The Fault In Our Stars" if I knew.

I wanted to keep what I was wearing on, but Harlow forced me to at least change into jeans and a sweater. I decided not to fight it. It was her family after all.

We crept down the hall to the elevator and waited in the commons until Max's truck pulled up. I crawled into the back and Harlow got in the front. Max groaned and I laughed.

"Hey, I thought you loved me," Harlow said, punching him in the shoulder.

"I do, just not at four in the morning," he mumbled. I laughed and we pulled away, onto the highway.

I forgot my jacket in the rush, and the heat wasn't reaching the back.

"Hey, Harlow, do you have a jacket I can borrow? I forgot mine," She nodded, but before she could slip it off, Max interrupted her.

"I have one on the floor back there. it's clean and for emergencies. You can wear it," Harlow rolled her eyes playfully, but I slid my arms in the jacket and zipped it up. Like the rest of his stuff, it smelled like him, so I pulled the hood up and laid on the door, plugging my earbuds in.

************

I ended up napping for a while, but when I woke up, the sky was blue, and we weren't in Michigan anymore.

"Did you tell Mom we left yet?" Harlow asked. Her feet were on the dash and she was chewing gum loudly.

"No, can you?" she nodded, "oh, and tell her Rose is coming," Harlow groaned.

"You didn't tell her? She's gonna beat you," I laughed groggily and Harlow turned back to face m.

"You don't understand. I'll be in trouble too," I laughed harder and pulled my earbuds out.

Harlow grabbed her phone and dialed a number, her fake nails tapping against the glass screen protector.

"Hey, Mama. Before I tell you what I need to tell you, it was Max's fault," I heard rapid speaking on the other side and smiled biting my lip.

"Well, we're bringing someone else with us," more mumbling.

"Yes, it's a-" she was interrupted by rapid Spanish so loud I could recognize some words. Max was on the verge of laughter and I covered my slime with my hand.

"No, wait,"

"Mama, talk to Max. Here," she thrust her phone at Max and he caught it with one hand, the other on the wheel.

"Hola, Mama," there was a long string of Spanish on the other side, but Max was stone-faced as ever, taking it all.

"¿Has terminado?" he asked. I was lost after he started to speak to her in Spanish. 

The conversation went on for a few minutes before Max placed the phone back in Harlow's hand.

"You're in deep shit, Maximus," she teased. I laughed and Max pulled over.

"I need to sleep. You both dozed. Harlow, take over," He got out and Harlow climbed over.

"You've only been driving three hours, Max. You will be driving more, I promise," she mumbled as he climbed into the back with me.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't crash is all I ask," 

With Max in the back, I had significantly less space. It was alright with me, though, because Max leaned on me and I messed with his hair as his breathing steadied.