"I'm going inside," Tolliver said. "You need anything?"
"No, thank you." I waved him off, plopped into the backseat, and rested my head against the window. The coolness felt nice against my skin. I closed my eyes, trying to drink in the feeling.
Within minutes, my cousins and Tolliver piled back inside, and we were off again.
This time Viola was driving; Lottie sat up front with her; and Tolliver somehow ended up next to me. I'd never thought my car was small. But with Tolliver's big body taking up much of thebackseat, I started to reassess. My head throbbed, and even the cool glass and his calming presence didn't soothe me.
As if to call me a liar, Tolliver spoke softly.
"Hey, Kent, I got you this," he said.
I glanced back, saw what he held, and shook my head. "I'm not hungry."
"You need to eat. You haven't had anything in hours, and I think that's part of why you're feeling bad."
"Dr. Stone to the rescue," I snarked.
"Call me whatever you want. But please eat."
He held the food up, and I took a reluctant bite. My eyes widened as the delicious flavors hit my tongue. Glancing up at him, I chewed thoughtfully then swallowed.
"You found this in a gas station?" I asked.
"It's an egg, spinach, and tomato wrap," he said. "I got it from the place next door."
"It's good."
He waited until I took another bite before saying, "I guess the Gas-n-Go on Everwood might have some competition."
"Please, this is one food item, Stone. There's no comparison."
"Mmm."
He smiled as I took a third bite, and I paused, realizing I was literally eating out of his hand, letting him feed me. For goodness sakes. I sat back, taking the wrap with me, and said, "Thanks again."
Tolliver nodded. "There's water back here too."
Pulling out another wrap, he ate his with gusto. I drank my water and didn't argue when he held out two ibuprofen. The food had taken the edge off. My head felt a bit better, but it would take a while for the medicine to kick in.
"You can lean on me if you want," he said.
"Okay."
It was probably because I felt poorly that I said yes. Probably.
"See? Was that so hard?" Tolliver said.
"I hope you know I blame your singing for this."
"As you should."
"Your jokes are getting better, Stone." I nudged him with my elbow. "How was the hockey camp?"
"Tournament," he corrected. "It was hard. Fun. Challenging. A definite push, but I liked it—for the most part. They confiscated my phone early on."
"They did?" I asked.
"Yeah, after I texted you. That's why I couldn't respond."
