End Note

by Sonya Loveday

  As soon as the rumble of the engine cut off, it was almost a race to see who’d get off the bus first. Retro shoved Licks back onto the couch when he shot out of his seat.

  Lars rolled his eyes with a shake of his head. “Come on, Jared. Those two idiots will be at it for a while.”

  I skirted around Retro as Licks dove off the couch and grabbed Retro in a headlock.

  “Every damn time,” Lars muttered as he walked ahead of me towards the front of the bus.

  As soon as I stepped off, a wave of heat slammed into me. It felt like I’d opened an oven door and stood over it trying to breathe. The bus driver was nowhere to be found.

  Licks and Retro came down the steps, shooting past me. When Retro came up beside Lars, he shoved him, and then sprinted to the front door of the convenience store across the parking lot from the gas pumps.

  Licks spun around, walking backwards, and said, “Hurry up. Damn, you’re slow!”

  Lars kept walking at the same pace, giving him the finger. Licks laughed, returned the gesture, and then double-timed it to get inside the store.

  “What in the hell are they so excited about?” I asked.

  Lars snorted. “Roller food.”

  There were only two other cars in the parking spaces in front of the store. As I was about to ask Lars what he meant by roller food, the driver’s side door of the SUV I’d walked a little too close to shot out and smacked into me. It was one of those perfect timing things. Pain exploded in my elbow and hip, staggering me from the force of the blow.

  All five foot, five inches of Murphy came rushing at me. “Christ, are you okay, Jared?” She wore a look of concern for a split second before she turned it into a scowl. “What kind of idiot walks so close to a car door anyway? And don’t even try to use this as an excuse to make me feel bad so I’ll be nice to you. It won’t work.” Her words tumbled together as her tone sharpened enough to do internal damage.

  “I’m fine, thanks for asking,” I said, giving her the meanest glare I could muster. I didn’t stick around to hear her reply. Both times I’d had the pleasure of interacting with Murphy, she’d gone out of her way to be a bitch to me. I wasn’t going to stick around and take any more of it.

  Inside the store, Retro and Licks were loaded down with junk food. And from the looks of the counter by the sales clerk, they were on their second trip through the store.

  “Grab whatever you want, Bama. Murphy will be in to pay for it,” Licks said when he noticed me.

  I didn’t really want anything. Well, maybe some ice and Tylenol. My arm throbbed in agreement. It felt as if I’d been mule-kicked. The thought made me chuckle. That sounded about right, Murphy, after all, was acting like a real ass to me.

  I wandered the isles, grabbing pain reliever, a bag of chips, and a soda. Murphy had come in and handed over a credit card, fuming as she stood in front of a mound of snacks and drinks.

  The guys grabbed their bags, leaving me with Murphy. When my stuff was scanned and bagged, I thanked him and went outside. Murphy’s door was still open, and I couldn’t help but scowl. She could have at least shut the damn door instead of leaving it wide-ass open for someone to rip it off its hinges when they parked beside her. I checked to make sure the keys weren’t in the ignition, and that the door was unlocked, before I slammed it shut.

  I made it halfway across the parking lot when I heard the sound of a vehicle whirring and sputtering in refusal to start. When I turned around, Murphy’s door flew open again, and she got out of the SUV. Her phone was at her ear, and she was cursing whoever she was on the phone with.

  Indecision weighed heavily on me. I knew enough about cars that I could look at it to see if I could get it running. But by the sounds of it, Murphy needed a new alternator, maybe even a battery. The problem was that there was nothing else close by. After the way she’d treated me, I should just get back on the bus and let her sort it out on her own.

  I gritted my teeth and walked back over to her, calling myself seven kinds of stupid for even wanting to help her. But just because she couldn’t act like a decent human being didn’t mean I had to be any less of one.

  She ignored me as I walked around her, popped the hood, and left the bag I’d been holding on her seat. Whoever she talked to had her full attention. For a few blissful minutes, Murphy was quiet.

  Under the hood, I jiggled the battery cables and checked the fluids. Everything looked okay—no busted belts or hoses—so I tried starting it again. The same whirring noise happened, but the truck wouldn’t roll over.

  I pulled the keys from the ignition, and then closed the hood. She wouldn’t be driving it again until she had a new alternator, of that I was sure. Grabbing my bag off the seat, I opened the bottle of pain reliever, shook two out in my hand, and washed them down with my soda as Murphy strode back over to where I stood.

  “She’s dead, isn’t she?” Her hand shot out, gesturing for the bottle in my hands. When I gave it to her, she dumped three into her palm and reached for my soda.

  I handed that over wordlessly too, and I couldn’t help but smirk at how she’d gone from one extreme to another with me. Girls were something I feared I’d never understand.

  “I guess it’s just gonna be one of those kinda days,” she said, sighing when she handed my soda back to me.

  “You just need an alternator. No big deal.” I shrugged and handed her the keys.

  “Yeah, just an alternator. Not to mention that the driver we’re supposed to have for this next stretch didn’t show. I have a migraine the size of Texas, no one to drive the bus, and no way of getting my truck repaired before we have to get back on the road.” She hung her head, rubbing at her temples.

  “Where’s the driver that drove us here?” I asked, putting my hand on her elbow, leading her under the awning of the building to get her out of the sun.

  She halfheartedly laughed. “As soon as he was off the bus, someone was waiting here to pick him up. I don’t understand why Woody keeps putting us in these situations.”

  “Can any of the guys drive the bus?” There had to be a way around it. Hell, I could drive the damn thing. I’d driven just about everything from tractors to heavy equipment when the Hole was being dug. I’d even driven a school bus once on a dare.

  She squinted up at me, pegging me with a worried look. “There is no way in hell I’d let those guys drive us around. You’ve seen how Licks and Retro act. Lars would tell me to jump in a lake. Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.”

  “Fine, then I’ll drive the damn thing. Come on; let’s go see if the clerk can get us in touch with a towing company to pick up your truck. You’ll have to leave it here and come back for it later.” The minute the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them, until I saw a flicker of appreciation in her eyes. Did no one step in and help her from time to time?

  THANKFULLY, THE ROAD WE’D BEEN on was a less-traveled highway. Murphy made sure to route it out that way to keep me from having to drive on busy ones. D.O.T. would’ve had my ass if they stopped me. While I navigated Big Bertha—her new official name—down the road, Murphy stayed close. She spent the first half hour on the road, making phone calls to ensure our driver would be at the designated meeting point, which happened to be another gas station. I eyed the gages wearily, hoping we’d have enough fuel to get us there. Half a tank should be okay. I hoped.

  Sitting behind the wheel, I could see Murphy out of the corner of my eye, sitting on the very edge of the dinette bench. Every move she made seemed jerky and forced, as if someone were pulling her strings. The stress of the day was wearing on her. I could tell by the pinched expression on her face as she rubbed almost non-stop at her temples.

  When she’d put her phone down for more than a minute, I decided it was safe to talk to her. “Murphy, why don’t you crash for a little bit? It sounds like we’re all set with our driver, and I’m set with the GPS.”

  Her hand dropped from her head and fluttered in front of her as she struggled to make an excuse. R
iley always did the same thing when she was at a loss for something to say and her thoughts were colliding around in her mind. At least I’d learned something over the years from having a girl for a best friend.

  “Seriously, just go get some rest. If I need you, I’ll holler.” I didn’t give her a chance to start doling out excuses.

  She gave me a weak smile as she grabbed her phone and stood. “I know I’ve been a real shit to you, Jared. Thanks for helping me today. This schedule we’re on is crazy enough as it is. Having to deal with all the other bullshit on top of it…” Shrugging, she let her hands fall down to her sides. She looked a little defeated.

  “Well, now you don’t have to worry about this stretch at least. I got this, no worries.” I focused back on the road, giving her the chance to slip away. She stood behind me for a few seconds, and then she was gone.

  It was just the road and me for the next few hours. Not even the guys came up to check on us, well, at least, I didn’t think they did. It was hard to tell sitting in the driver’s seat. Maybe they did and when they saw Murphy crashed out, they decided to stick to the back of the bus.

  All I could hope for was to make it to our next stop without getting pulled over. With no one to talk to, I was left to my own thoughts, which led me to thinking about home.

  Aiden and Ace would be packing to head out for boot camp soon. Eli would be across the world in Haiti. I could picture him sitting in a hut on his cot with mosquito netting around him as he stuffed his face with honey buns. It made me chuckle. Mark would be packed and ready to go, probably snapping pictures at each step. With all of us leaving, Riley and Paige would be left to their own devices. At least they still had each other and the comfort of home to rely on. Ace had kept all the details of his enlistment to himself. The only thing he’d talked about was the fact that he’d be at Fort Benning. Even when I asked him exactly what he’d signed up for, he’d dodged the question by saying ‘some bad-ass stuff’. I didn’t even think Riley knew. With him being so dodgy about it, I couldn’t help but wonder just what the hell he was up to.

  About a year ago, Ace had come to the house when my parents were there. He’d met with my dad behind closed doors. When I’d asked him what it was about, he gave me a lame-ass excuse of needing some advice about what to do to ensure his mom was taken care of when he left for the military. No matter how many ways I tried tricking him into slipping up, Ace kept whatever he and Dad talked about to himself. Then again, maybe I was just reading more into the situation than necessary, and he really was just trying to make sure all his bases were covered before he left home.

  Not even twenty-four hours away from them, and it already felt like months. What would it be like next year? Would the time we spent together just become a warm memory for me to look back on as I bounced my way all over the country? My chest constricted with the thought. No, I wouldn’t let that happen. We were friends—best friends. And no matter how much time or distance separated us, I wouldn’t allow us to grow apart.

  At least they still had a little more time together before the rest of the Six were out on their own. Then life would smooth out for Riley and Paige. Well, for a little while anyway. If Mark had his say, he’d have Paige packed and moved in with him in New York. He was head over heels for that girl. Who would have thought it? Not me, that was for sure!

  The day Mark confided his feelings about Paige to me sort of became a free for all on my behavior. Seriously, you couldn’t ask me to keep a secret like that and not get the shit teased out of you. I didn’t know how Mark kept himself from taking a swing at me a time or two, because Paige was so easy to annoy.

  But when Mark all but begged me to get Paige to come out to the cabin, I knew it was my one shot at redeeming myself for all the crap I’d put him through. It was hard to corner her by herself with all the old biddies that eavesdropped on everyone’s conversation. I knew getting Paige to take some time off to come out to the cabin would require me to be honest. She’d rolled her eyes at me. A lot. So much so, that I had to pull out all the stops at that point, asking her when she was going to stop denying it, to admit the truth. How the hell was I supposed to know that the blue-haired brigade would automatically assume she was pregnant? Not all of us are running around impregnating the female population for sport, for fuck’s sake.

  Paige had been so pissed when she showed up that night. She’d been pissed at me at the hospital too. When she finally caved, I’d given myself a pat on the back.

  My biggest worry was Riley though. The sheriff’s daughter had been a pain in the ass longer than I could remember. It seemed like Samantha Sloan lived to torture Riley. And she did it every chance she could. When Riley had finally had enough, all hell had broken loose, and the sheriff had pretty much threatened to haul Riley to jail if she ‘stepped out of line’ again. Bastard. Sheriff Sloan was a bully and one of the few that thought because he had a badge that he could do whatever he wanted, using his position to make people fear him. Except for me—he’d tried a few times and almost lost his job when my parents and their attorney stepped in. Leaving Riley meant leaving her behind with no readily available back up. I could only hope she’d keep her word and let me help her pay for college when she was ready.

  THE NEEDLE ON THE GAS gauge floated dangerously close to empty. With every bump in the road, it dipped past E, and all I could do was grip the wheel and hold my breath, praying that we’d make it to the next gas station. My eyes flittered up to the GPS every few seconds. Ten more miles and I could finally leave this seat and use the bathroom.

  I knew I could have stopped a few miles back, but once Big Bertha started rolling, I didn’t want to stop. Call it stubbornness or dedication, but I was going to get us to the next stop, on time, one way or another. It was my only chance at passing Big Bertha back over to the driver who was supposedly waiting on us.

  Over the noise of the engine, I heard an alarm go off, and then the sound of Murphy moving around. She appeared beside me a few minutes later, phone in hand with fingers tapping away at the keys. She leaned in to look at the GPS and lost her footing, sending her bumping into my shoulder. My hand jerked forward, but I kept Big Bertha on the road, only swerving slightly.

  Murphy straightened herself up, gripping the back of my seat to steady herself. “Sorry, not too steady just yet.” Her phone disappeared into her pocket as she lowered herself to the step just behind me and sat down.

  I dared a peek at her as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched her arms over her head. “We’re almost there.”

  Murphy had never said where we were headed to next when she input the address into the GPS. And with taking nothing but a straight stretch of back road, I still had no idea where we were, only that we were still in Arizona. We couldn’t go that far on one tank of gas.

  Murphy stood up and leaned over my shoulder. A small sigh tickled my neck, putting my entire body at attention. “I hope we make it, even if we’re coasting in on fumes.”

  She sat back down and put her head in her hands. “This is so not how I envisioned this trip going.”

  Silently, I agreed with her. It wasn’t what I’d expected either, but I’d make the most of it.

  The robotic voice coming from the GPS brought my full attention back to the road as it announced the arrival to our destination was approaching. Only a few hundred feet left to go. The bus shuddered and jolted as the engine sputtered. We coasted our way into the parking lot, and I prayed with everything in me that it would keep rolling. I didn’t touch the brake until the very last second. We came to a jolting stop beside the pump.

  Murphy stood up so she could see out of the windshield. “I’ll be damned. We made it.” Her hand shot out, hitting the button to open the door, and she bounded down the steps.

  I unbuckled my seat belt and all but ran to the bathroom as the bus rocked, hoping I’d make it before Retro and Licks shoved each other into the hallway and cut my path off.

  After finishing up in the bathroom, I headed f
or the living room to grab my phone from my backpack. The battery had died, so I couldn’t check to see if I’d missed any calls. With a groan, I dropped it back in my bag and made my way to the front of the bus.

  Lars sat at the dinette. When he saw me, he got up. “I can’t believe you drove this damn thing. How the hell did Murphy talk you into it?”

  “I offered. After her truck broke down and the driver didn’t show up, there weren’t very many other options.”

  Lars dipped his head. “Let’s just hope Woody doesn’t hear about it.”

  I followed him down the steps and walked across the parking lot beside him. “Why? Do you think he’d get mad?”

  Lars looked over at me, his gaze scrutinizing as if he really had to think about what he’d say. “The last thing you, or any of us, need is for Woody to decide that you can drive the bus and play in the band.”

  I snorted at what he said. “That’s not likely. Besides, just because I drove it, doesn’t mean I have a license to drive it.”

  Lars slapped his hand on my back as a deep laugh erupted from him. “Do you honestly think Woody gives a shit one way or the other about you having the right license?”

  I stopped and waited for a better explanation. It wasn’t so much what he said, but how he said it. There was malice behind his words. He didn’t like Woody. I wanted to know why.

  Lars kept walking, probably realizing he’d let a little too much slip without meaning to. That put me on full alert. I’d get to the bottom of it, even if it meant picking everyone’s brains to get the full scoop on Woody.

  Across the parking lot, Murphy stood by herself, staring down the road. She lifted her phone and scowled. One hand tapped against her leg as her eyes sought the street again. I left her to it and went inside the store to grab a snack and a drink. It didn’t make much sense to go overboard; there was a kitchen on the bus, after all. It had to be stocked, yet I hadn’t seen anyone go into the cabinets or the fridge. Weird.