The Bright Side of Darkness

Fifteen

Travis keeps glancing at his phone, which worries me because he's driving. Messages keep coming in, but every time he reaches to check them, I slap his hand away. I'm not about to let him get us into a wreck. Everyone in Norton Valley has already seen the repercussions of bad decisions leading to wrecks.

"What's wrong, Travis?" I peer over the seat to glance at his phone, but it shuts off. I don't want to overstep by turning it back on, but my curiosity has reached its limit.

He shakes his head, reaching over to turn it to silent. "It's nothing, Em. Just Tay."

At the mention of his name, my curiosity vanishes. According to Jackson and Travis, the last time they spoke, it didn't go well. I don't know the details, but there's an inkling feeling that it might be about me. But I don't want to be that girl. The one that plants herself in a group of friends and rips them apart from the inside. That girl is cheap and vicious. The exact opposite of me.

Travis must have seen the look on my face because he sighs and runs a hand over his face. "He wants to apologize to Jackson and me. He told me to come over after practice, but I didn't want to. Besides, I already had plans with you. And I know he's trying to do better, but I can't deal with him right now. I love the guy, but..."

"It's too much at once?" I offer, glancing at my smudged makeup in the mirror before using a napkin to fix it. I know what that's like. Returning to school after a huge change isn't exactly a walk in the park. And maybe it's wrong to equate losing weight to losing your brother and your sight, but at least I knew a little. Travis only sees it from the outside.

He hesitates for a moment. "Yeah. That sounds about right."

He doesn't talk for the rest of the ride to his mom's house, but he never keeps his eyes off his phone for more than a few seconds. I contemplate asking him to tell me the way so I could drive, but he's probably too proud to admit he needs me to take over. It doesn't help that Tay's messages are relentless. Will the guy ever let up?

Come to think of it, probably not.

I sigh and lean my head against the window. We've reached the more expensive-looking area of town, Pine Hills. It's covered in large, fancy houses surrounded by a ring of pine trees. Houses that are vastly different than mine. Many are large. Much larger than the three-bedroom one my mom and dad bought when I was young. It's hard to believe that this many people live in Norton Valley and have enough money for such expensive housing.

By the time we get to the Blake residence, I'm not sure how much longer I can handle the silence. Thankfully, the view of Travis's house occupies me. It's normal. So out of place with the surrounding houses.

"Your house isn't..." Travis will probably think I'm ignorant for thinking he has a large house. Of course, he doesn't. Mayor Blake, if I remember right, said in her campaign that she enjoys the small luxuries of life. Apparently, a normal house qualifies as a small luxury.