Page 73 of Where Roads Lead

“I don’t need one.” She shrugged.

“And neither do I,” Ava chimed in.

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“How is this my life right now?”

When I opened my eyes, it was to see the back of Elsie’s head getting farther from view.

“Elsie, get back here or so help me—”

She laughed, pausing mid-step to look back at me. “Who uses that expression anymore?”

“Let her go,” Ava said, shocking me with her newfound solidarity with the girl we’d argued about that very night. “She’s perfectly capable of walking herself home if she wants to.”

“No,” I countered, “she’s not. One, it’s dark. Two, it’s cold, and three,” I held up a third finger as I listed off excuse after excuse of why I needed to put her in my car, “she doesn’t know the town and she’s going to get lost trying to find her way back.”

Elsie scoffed, apparently offended by the insinuation.

“I have GPS.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and held it up as proof. Then, frowning down at the dark screen, let out a frustrated huff. “It’s dead.”

“Fantastic,” I muttered sarcastically.

Because why wouldn’t it be dead?

Reluctantly, she started making her way back to us.

“Get in the truck,” I told her, opening the door.

She looked inside skeptically.

“There’s only two seats.”

“The middle’s just as fine as anywhere else.” I stared her down.

“There’s no seatbelt in the middle.”

“I’ll go slow.”

“I could go through the windshield.” She scrunched her face up as if the idea mildly disagreed with her.

I rubbed a hand over my face. “Then, I’ll use my arm to hold you against the seat until we get to your house. Is that what you want?”

“I really don’t think that’s necessary.”

“Get in the car.”

She rolled her eyes, but to my utmost relief, climbed in.

“Has anyone ever told you that you have major control issues?” she said, sliding into the middle spot.

I shook my head, turning to face my second battle.

“So, what’s the deal, Ave?” I asked, leaning against the back of the truck. “Are you really hellbent on walking home in the cold?”

She stared into where Elsie was sitting, and I knew that whatever weird, competitive streak existed inside of her wouldn’t allow her to say no.

Not if Elsie was going with me.