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She sends a text to Tucker.
Tucker:Be back soon, need to get some lady bits.
"That should get him off our case for a bit," she says with a mischievous laugh. "You'd think after over a year with me,lady bits'wouldn't surprise him, but the poor boy cringes at the mere mention of it." I laugh with her and follow her down the aisle.
***
We find a bathroom, so I can change quickly. We're just coming out when we see Tucker walk by. "You okay, baby?" he questions sheepishly, kissing Ava on the forehead.
"Yeah, everything's fine now. Let's eat. We're both starving." We sit down at the table and all order some coffee and pancakes.
"I'm going to call my Nana now to let her know I'm safe and still alive," I say to the group, getting ready to leave.
"You can make the call here if you'd like to," Ava says kindly. I smile at her, silently thanking her, and hit the green button. The call connects almost instantly.
"Nana, it's me."
"Hey, honey, are you okay? It's almost 9:30; do you want Pops to pick you up?"
"No, everything's fine, Nana. I'm out with my new friend Ava and her boyfriend, Tucker. I met them both at school yesterday."
"Oh, is that whose house you slept at last night? I was worried when I saw Riley's parents, and they said she went to a concert."
"Um yeah, Nana, I stayed at Ava's," I say nervously, but Ava gives me a thumbs up, so I continue.
"Oh, I'm so glad you have new friends, Izzy. I'm so happy for you. Are you spending the day with them again today?" she asks, sounding hopeful.
"Yes, Nana, I am. Plus, I bumped into Nathaniel as well," I say happily, trying but failing to hide my Cheshire cat grin.
"WHAT?!" she yells into the receiver, loud enough that I know the whole table heard.
"Yes, Nana, Nathaniel," I say and stand up, ready to leave, feeling my cheeks burn, but Nate gives me that big reassuring smile of his, so I sit myself back down.
"What? Little Nathaniel? Your Nathaniel? Nathaniel from the cabin?"
"Yeah, Nana, how many Nathaniel’s do you even know?" I laugh. "Except he's not so little now," I say with a smile, reaching under the table for his hand.
"Then why are you wasting your time talking to me? Go and talk to him. Give him a massive hug from me, and say hi to Ava and Tucker too. We'll talk again soon."
I'm about to say bye and hang up when she adds, "Oh, do you need money? I can try to figure out that bank-pal, or whatever it is you kids use, to send you some if you're short."
"No Nana, I'm fine, honestly. I've got my bank card. Talk to you soon, I love you."
"Bye-bye Isabella. I love you to the stars and back," Nana says before hanging up.
As soon as I’m done and place my phone down on the table, the whole group erupts in laughter. "Oh my God, she's just the cutest thing I've ever heard," coos Ava. "I've got to ask, though, what the hell is bank-pal?" Ava demands, sounding confused.
"Oh, she's a typical crazy old lady who still pays for everything with cash and confuses bank transfer and PayPal, so I'm pretty sure it's a combination of the two names. She still calls my cousin's old PlayStation a game box," I say with a smile and a shrug.
"Aww, make sure you give little itty-bitty Nate a big hug from her," Tucker says, joining in the jokes.
"There's nothing itty bitty about me, mate; don't worry about that." Nate smirks back.
"Nah, I'll leave that to Izzy to decide," Tucker shoots back.
"Guys! Must everything be some kind ofmy dick’s bigger than yourscontest with you two? You're already like bickering brothers, and it's only been 24 hours." Ava sighs, putting her hand to her forehead.
"Brothers for a day, brothers for life," Tucker says, giving Nate a fist bump. I look at Nate, and he looks so young and carefree at this moment, fooling around with Tucker. I don't think I've ever seen him look so peaceful. Even as a kid, he always seemed like he had a wall around him. Or like he had the weight of the world on his tiny little shoulders. But here and now, he really looks like a kid fighting with his sibling. It makes me wonder if he was like that with Gabe when they were growing up. I don't get much time to wonder, though, since the waitress who brings our food snaps me out of my daydream, and we all eat and chat until our plates are empty.
