I jumped at the noise and Luke smirked, releasing my hand and the compass with it. I packed it in my fanny pack as he grabbed his cap from the table. He started to walk out and, without looking back, he called out, "Don't pack honey." ~~~ At 8.30AM we piled into a white minivan. After Chad's dad had forbidden the driver to take us anywhere, we had to rent a car for the day. I was impressed that Chad had managed to pull that together so quickly. "Where's Bianca?" I whispered to Cearra as we were about to get in. "She's not coming," she answered, while she checked if her phone and some cash were in her bag. "What?" "Ask your boyfriend," Cearra responded, nudging me to get into the van, "He was with her in the gym this morning." "They went to the gym?!" I asked incredulously, hopping into the van and finding a free seat, "Aren't we about to exercise now? It's 8.30!" Chad took the passenger seat up front. After handing out bottles of water to everyone and, he realized he had one left over. "Where's Bianca?" Luke was in the back, checking his phone. He looked up, "We agreed that she should sit this one out. Tensions need to cool down." Chad stared at Luke for a moment and then turned back in his seat. He muttered something to the driver, and we started to roll out. I glanced at Oma who said, "It's OK. She's already done this a couple times." Oma placed her sun hat on her beach bag. The sun was already high in the sky at 8.30AM as we drove through quiet streets. We were getting a head start on this long journey, hoping to beat the midday heat. I stared out at the tall buildings, piercing into the skies. Our little car zipped through the streets and took the highway out of the city. Chad kept the music in the car on low volume so those of who wanted to sleep, could. I dozed off for a little bit, but was soon wide awake. We all were, except for Austin whose head was resting against the window as he slept. It was adorable. I glanced back at Luke. He was staring out the window, looking tired but handsome as always. I couldn't help feeling this way. He wore a blue t-shirt that rippled across his chest as the car moved over uneven ground. His cap was held loosely in the tip of his fingers and his eyes were clouded – hard to define. I pulled out my phone to take a picture. I wanted to save these memories for us, so we could look back on them one day. "So last night was rough," Chad summarized, dropping a little drama on us to discuss all over again. Cearra asked him, "Why did you bring Bianca on this trip if you knew she didn't get along with everyone?" Her tone was not confrontational, but genuinely inquisitive. I turned back in my seat to pay attention to this conversation. The car was too small to escape it. "We get along," Chad answered. "You know she's more interested in someone else?" Cearra tried to convince him, "She's using you." "Is she?" Chad asked back, and a small smirk came to his lips, "Think about it. Is she really?" That silenced Cearra. The realization dawned on us. Chad wasn't looking for a relationship or anything serious. He was using Bianca in a similar way she was using him. I guess it is a match after all. "You know what I want to know," Chad announced, now that he'd answered those questions, "What does Oma think? She's the most patient person here and I'd like to know what she thought of last night." Oma didn't rise to the bait. "I think you all made fools of yourselves." "Well that we know," Chad dismissed that point. "OK Oma," Cearra had renewed interest, "Why are you friends with Bianca? Maybe you can shed some light on this whole thing." Oma looked like there were 100 other things she'd rather be doing right now. But she graciously answered, "Bianca's going through a lot right now. Her parents are getting divorced and she feels alone. The person she used to lean on... is no longer available." I must admit I felt some type of way about that last part. I knew she was talking about Luke. She had to be. "She hasn't been kind to Millie and that's obviously not excusable. But the accusation about the store is so hard to believe. If she really did that, I'd be furious but, for now, we don't know the full story. She hasn't confessed to it," Oma reminded us, "I can't abandon a friend of ten years in one night, especially if she needs help. Why don't you ask me to help her instead of ditch her?" "Because she's evil," Cearra answered. "We've been friends in this group for over a decade," Oma told us, pointing at the guys around her, "These boys have done some real shady stuff to each other. They don't get dropped from the group. But when a girl does the same, she's got to go? Nah." ~~~ No more tall buildings were in sight and there was only open road ahead. This is the kind of moment country songs are made of. When we swerved off-road, that's when I started to get really excited. The car rocked from side to side as we drove on rougher terrain. The conversation in the car had picked up energy. Chad was still talking about last night so I asked him, "You mentioned something about soup. Are you still mad about that?" I still don't understand why he freaked out last night. At some point, he was just yelling words and I'm convinced I heard him yell at the soup. "It was cold," Chad muttered. The car stopped all of a sudden and the driver rolled down his window to talk to someone. "Are we lost?" Oma asked, concerned. "Maybe Millie can use her compass," Luke said. He hadn't said much on this road trip, but this is what he chooses to come out with. I glared at Luke who winked back. I couldn't help but smile back. I was excited we were doing this. "No," Chad answered, unclipping his seatbelt, "We're here." Quadbikes on the desert. I got out of the van and my feet landed on sand. I squinted up at the yellow landscape and bright sky. This was incredible. Luke came to stand next to me. Our dark shadows blended on the sand in front of us. I watched as he pressed his cap down over his hair, shading his blues eyes. He rested his arm casually over my shoulder and asked, "Ready for some fun, Minnie?"