by Maya William
Zach smiles at our interaction while Abigail gives me an approving nod. Oliver crosses his arms and scrutinizes me as if he’s thinking something over.
With Samuel out for the night, there’s no family meeting. Most of them return to their rooms to work on their homework or on business pertaining to their bullying investigation. When I notice Archie stays behind to wash the dishes, an idea pops into my head. I run up the stairs, fetch my phone from my backpack, and return to the kitchen with it.
“Archie, I was wondering if you can help me with something?” I ask while he dries his hands.
He glances at me, and with shaky hands, I bring my phone out. His eyes widen, and his jaw drops. He extends his dried hand, where I deposit the damaged device.
“Did you decide to Riverdance on top of it?” Archie moves it from one side to the other, studying the cracks that cover the screen.
In all honesty, I wonder how it still works.
Thank the Big Guy that it appears the damage remained in the screen area.
Hopefully, Archie can help me put a new screen on it so I can avoid going to Zach or Abigail to replace a whole phone.
I suck in air and blurt out the half-truth. “It hit the floor, and a girl stepped on it.”
Please don’t ask for any details regarding how the phone ended up on the floor in the first place.
He presses the button in the center and sighs in relief when the phone lights up. “Well, I may know a girl who can help us and won’t charge us for the repair.” He turns my phone off. “But there’s a catch.” He cocks his head to one side and raises an eyebrow. “You’ll drive us to where she wants to meet us.”
Not a problem.
“Prioritizing ballet and shooting lessons while neglecting your driving lessons. Need I remind you about the bet?” He purses his lips and shakes his head as if this is something bad. “Give me a couple minutes to check if my friend can help us tonight.”
He pulls his phone from his back pocket. When the screen lights up, I’m a tad envious not to find a single scratch on it. He quickly moves through his contacts and types a message.
“Thank you, thank you, and thank you!” I throw my arms around him.
“Hold your horses, Twinkle Toes. She still needs to reply.” He chuckles. “In the meantime, we need to come up with a plan to get you out of the house. Your grounding shouldn’t be taken lightly. Abigail really pushed the limits of your grounding by going against Miranda’s wishes.”
Shoot! I forgot about that small detail.
“Isn’t driving something Oliver wanted you to teach me?” I bounce on my toes. “Abigail didn’t stop my shooting lesson with Lyra because I’m grounded. How is this any different?”
Archie’s smile spreads across his lips, and his eyes shine.
“You’re proposing to use her rules to our advantage. I like the way you think.” He points a finger at me. “You may look innocent on the outside, but on the inside, there’s a rebel waiting to come out.”
Hey, there’s no rebel in here! Just Samantha and the Big Guy.
A chime takes his attention from me to his phone. He raises an eyebrow and smiles widely. “She’ll meet us at Starbucks in an hour. And she’ll bring all the parts she needs.”
Thank you, Big Guy!
“Woohoo!” I throw my hands in the air.
Before I realize what I’m doing, my arms wrap around his waist. It takes him by surprise, and the force of my weight pushes him backward. He puts one arm around my waist while the other grabs the kitchen counter to keep us balanced.
“Remind me to crack your phone more often”—he brings me closer to him—“since I like the attention I’m getting.”
Oops. Maybe this was quite forward of me. I should keep my enthusiasm more to myself.
Color rushes to my face, and I step backward.
His hand releases my waist but traps my hand. “You know what this means if we can pull it off?”
I shake my head.
“You’ll owe me a favor, and I count this as a separate one from the one you’ll owe me once you learn how to drive.” He grins widely.
I picture the gears in his brain moving.
“And I have the perfect favor to ask you.” He chuckles.
Should I be afraid? Perhaps asking for his help might not have been the best idea.
“You know what, let’s not call it a favor. It’s rather unfair from my side to take advantage of the situation, and I don’t want to pressure you to say yes to me,” Archie corrects himself. His beautiful blue eyes look at his hand, which holds mine. He rubs the back of his head with his free hand, and pink stains his cheeks, making him look quite adorable. “Homecoming is in three weeks, and I wanted to ask if you’d like to be my date for it.”
His question takes me by surprise—I didn´t know there was a dance—before a cold sensation runs through my body. I don’t know how to react. After all, this is the first time somebody’s asked me out and to a dance no less.
Make that two new things, then.
I knew there would come a time when a guy would ask me out; I just didn’t expect it to be Archie. Deep down, I’d hoped it would be Samuel.
Will Samuel ask me to go with him to the dance?
For a moment, my heart fails me.
Will Samuel be here for the dance?
Hold on! If I can’t get past the idea of going with Samuel, it wouldn’t be fair to Archie to consider him my backup plan. Personally, I wouldn’t like to be a backup plan for anybody.
Ugh! Life became rather complicated when guys got added to the mix.
Archie places his finger on top of my lips, making my stomach flutter. “Don’t give me an answer immediately. How about you think it over, discuss it with Rasputin so he doesn’t get jealous, and get back to me, okay?” He winks and lets go of my hand.
Speechless from his kindness, I nod. When do I need to give him an answer? In one day? One week?
Jeez, I need to ask somebody about this. But who could I confide in? Not one of the girls from the house. Could Darcy help me?
“Now, let me work on getting us out of here so we can get your phone fixed.” He takes a few steps back, keeping his eyes on me before he reaches the garage door and disappears through it.
Fifteen minutes later, we practically steal Zach’s car from the driveway and make a run for it. We got permission to take it, but Archie decided it would be better not to inform Abigail about our driving lesson to avoid a major conflict between my siblings.
Archie walks to the driver’s side while I head to the passenger’s side.
“Your turn to drive, Twinkle Toes,” he whispers to avoid being caught by any of the girls while opening the driver-side door. “Get your cute little ass over to this side.” He points to his side of the car.
My mouth goes dry. “You should drive. I’ll take the wheel once we get to an area where there’s less traffic.”
He shakes his head and walks to the passenger’s side. “Nope. I upgraded you to the crash course after losing four days of driving practice with the whole baby drama and the photoshoot. Luckily, you got yourself grounded. Otherwise, it would have been another missed day because of the Solis dinner.”
“Archie, be reasonable. It’s been two weeks since I last drove,” I protest while he nudges me away from the passenger side door.
“A lesson well learned is never forgotten.” His hand lands on the small of my back and guides me toward the front of the car. “No more excuses, my lady. Get in the driver’s seat and drive your chariot away.”
His hand drops, and he rushes over to the passenger’s side, opens the door, and climbs in, leaving me no other option.
“You’ll see. Before Joy’s party, you’ll be driving this baby like a pro,” he claims once I sit in the driver’s seat.
He’s nuts, Big Guy. Joy’s party is in a week or so.
“Don’t I need a learner’s permit?” Internally I fist-pump my hand in the air, knowing I hit the jackpot with thi
s argument.
He grins. “All taken care of,” he explains, creating a knot inside my stomach. “I told you I have contacts inside the DMV.”
My mouth opens and closes several times. “You cheated! And I don’t cheat!”
He raises an eyebrow, looking me straight in the eye. “Are you sure? Because there’s a file with your name on it, which indicates you did.”
My mouth falls open. He chuckles and, with his index finger, pushes my jaw to close it.
I knew agreeing to learn to drive was going to come and bite me on my buttocks.
“Don’t believe everything you read,” I mumble as I turn on the engine.
He laughs while I put the car in reverse and carefully pull out of the driveway.
On our drive to Starbucks, Archie remains calm and cool, which is good because I’m not feeling it.
My arguments about the difference between driving in an empty parking lot versus a crowded street get me nowhere. He simply shrugs it off and indicates for me to keep driving and to put on a little more speed if we don’t want to be late for our meeting.
Internally, I curse, not even bothering to edit for the Big Guy’s sake, especially after a couple of scares. I accept the full responsibility of saying a rosary afterward just for the sake of letting my frustration out.
When the Starbucks sign comes into sight, joy overwhelms my heart. I park the car as best I can, turn it off, and say a little thank-you to the Big Guy for allowing us to survive this terrible ordeal.
Archie laughs when he notices me making the sign of the cross. “Wait until we take the highway back home. You’ll be kissing the driveway.”
My blood goes straight to my feet. He’s kidding, right, Big Guy?
Before I can figure out whether he’s kidding or not, he climbs out of the car, walks over to my side, opens my door, and offers his hand.
I take it and hold on to it until my legs stop shaking.
As we enter the establishment, a girl notices us and stands to greet us.
She isn’t exactly what I expected.
The girl appears older than Archie. She wears a long, brown, crocheted poncho that reaches her knees. Between her looks and her clothing, it makes me imagine her as a kindly witch. I expected somebody geekier. Instead, I got a fantasy character, ready to wield the wand she hides inside her robes.
“Hi, Isla. Thank you for joining us on such short notice.” Archie extends his hand and shakes hers. “This is Samantha. Zach and Abigail’s sister.”
Her green eyes squint, and she looks at me in confusion.
I wonder if she knows Abigail.
“Nice to meet you, Isla,” I say shyly, still not used to meeting such an interesting character.
“Likewise.” Her raspy voice has a pleasant tone, and her smile lights up her face and softens her features even more. “Archie told me about a small situation with your phone.”
I nod and pull my poor, shattered phone out. “It had a little accident.” I keep my gaze down, not daring to meet her eyes, afraid she might cast a spell on me for abusing my phone like this. “Luckily it still works.”
Isla raises her eyebrows, focusing on the screen. “May I take a look at it?”
When she extends her hand, I pass her the phone, trying to keep my trembling to a minimum.
She invites us to sit with her at a table while she quickly assesses the damage. Curiously, I make note of what she does.
She explains she needs to dismantle the phone and walks me through it step-by-step, explaining in lots of detail what she does and why. Most of it sounds like she´s talking in a foreign language to me, probably because my knowledge of technology equals practically zero.
When she reaches into her purse, I’m almost afraid she’ll pull out a wand. But it’s only a small toolbox. She then retrieves a transparent box with a phone screen.
She shows me how to open the phone and removes the battery, then the SIM card, before she performs major surgery on my cellphone. Or, at least, that’s what it looks like. In no time, she replaces the cracked screen, reassembles the phone, and voila! We’re back in business.
“Problem solved!” She hands me the phone to test it.
The screen comes to life. “Wow! That was fast!” I smile, amazed at her speed and technical knowledge.
She chuckles, and Archie laughs at my expression.
“Thank you, Isla. You’re a lifesaver.” I refrain from hugging her.
She grins. “I hardly doubt I saved your life by replacing the screen.”
I look her straight in the eye. “I know Abigail wouldn’t be happy if she saw the state of my phone after I’ve only used it for three weeks.”
She moves her head from side-to-side like I’m exaggerating.
“Still not a lifesaver, but glad to know my help will save you from getting shot by Abigail,” she adds, putting away the tools.
Again, with the shooting? I really should ask somebody how truthful this whole situation with Abigail and guns really is.
“My work here is done.” She extends her hand. “It’s been a pleasure to meet you, Samantha.”
“The pleasure is all mine.” I smile while shaking her hand and quickly let go.
She puts the remains of my previous screen inside her purse, then pulls her cell phone from it and reads. Her eyes glint of mischief. “Liam wonders if you happened to bring any cookies with you?”
Liam? Liam? Oh! Mr. Cookie Monster.
I roll my eyes.
“Tell that little thief I already have my hands full trying to fight Joy over them,” Archie says defensively. “Or getting past Samantha in the kitchen.”
Isla throws her head back and laughs again. “Well, Liam and Edward say hi.”
When another ping sounds, she turns her eyes back to the screen and quickly types something on it.
Archie glances over her shoulder and raises an eyebrow. “Tell him Rapunzel still has her hair, but sooner or later she will swear,” Archie says with an evil grin on his lips.
Ugh! Why is Edward still obsessed with the length of my hair?
“Especially now that I’m teaching her the crash course on driving,” Archie jokes.
“Do you mean the course on how to crash a vehicle?” Isla’s head snaps toward him. “Or the fast course on how to drive?”
Do you mean he teaches a course on how to crash a car? Please don’t let any literal crashing be involved here, Big Guy.
Archie’s smiles disappear when he looks at me. “One step at a time, Isla. She needs to learn how to operate a vehicle first before she learns how to crash it.”
My blood rushes straight to my feet.
He puts his hands up defensively. “Well, first I need Zach and Abigail’s permission of course.”
As if that makes it any better.
Isla laughs, stands, and grabs her purse. “If the rumors are right, Abigail would rather get herself hurt than risk her family and flock’s safety.” She touches my arm. “I wouldn’t count on her allowing him to teach you the second course.”
Yeah! What you don’t know is that, according to her, blood doesn’t mean a thing.
“Thank you for your help.” Archie shakes Isla’s hand and pulls her into a hug.
My eyes widen at the gesture, but a weight lifts from my shoulders when she gives him a chop on the head, making him laugh while releasing her.
“Sure thing.” She punches his arm. “Bye, Samantha.”
Isla walks away, waving to us.
“Bye, Isla.”
On our drive home, my stomach lurches straight to my throat when Archie directs me toward the highway.
“Speed up, Samantha. We need to comply with the minimum speed limit.”
Big Guy, can you take the wheel?
Yeah, I don’t think that’s how it works.
Can you keep us safe at least?
Following Archie’s instructions, I press the accelerator a little more, and the car gains speed. I glance at the speedometer and stop accelerating
when the needle nears the speed limit.
I got this. I got this. I got this.
Nervous, I still manage to follow Archie’s instructions while driving on the highway.
Oxygen returns to my lungs when we return to the safety of the back streets.
When we reach the house, a sense of achievement overcomes me as I park in the driveway. We made it home without an accident.
I’m surprised I’m actually disappointed the ride is over.
“You did great, my lady.” Archie high-fives me.
“Thanks.” I giggle. “I had fun.”
“Glad to know it, Twinkle Toes, but we still need to practice. I hereby bestow upon you the honor of becoming the family’s official driver. Remember, practice makes perfect.” He steps out of the car and shuts the door behind him.
The time it takes him to reach my side of the car allows his words to sink in.
“Like, take you all to school?” I ask in alarm when he opens my door. “Let’s not get hasty. It’s one thing to have you in the car, but I don’t want witnesses.”
Or any casualties.
He laughs. “You’ll do fine.”
I picture myself in the driver’s seat with Abigail next to me, her hands on the dashboard as she yells for me to drive slower or to stop.
“How about baby steps, Archie? Let me adjust to the idea of me actually driving before involving more victims.” I put my hands together, pleading for him to reconsider.
He taps a finger on his chin, eyes narrowed as he studies me. “All right, I’ll be your co-pilot and only passenger until Monday, but afterward, no more excuses.”
So much for getting him to renegotiate.
Once I’m out of the car, he closes the driver’s side door.
“Oh, by the way.” Archie steps closer and removes a piece of paper from the pocket of his jacket. “Please visit this URL, learn all the driving rules, and take the practice test. On Sunday, we’ll go to the DMV where you’ll take the test and make it official.”
I take the small pamphlet, read the title, and my legs suddenly weaken. “Is the DMV open on Sunday?”
“No, but my friends are willing to make an exception for us,” he replies happily.
So again, my weekend will be full of activities. Between homework, studying for a physics test, learning to shoot, training with Samuel, the exercise Oliver scheduled, and the driving test on Sunday, I’ll be swamped.