“I completely forgot that we had talked about going to Mountain Jam together a while back. We said we would go after we all turned sixteen,” Andi explained. “So when I told them I was going with you, they felt like I had abandoned the plans we’d made.”
Bex nodded and twirled one of the little silver charms hanging off her black leather choker. “Well, maybe you should stick to that plan and wait until you’re sixteen….”
Andi narrowed her eyes at Bex. Was she trying to get out of taking Andi? Was she still worried about something going wrong—and if so, why wasn’t she being honest with Andi about that? Then again, why hadn’t Andi been honest with Buffy and Cyrus earlier?
“The thing is,” Andi continued, “it’s not just that I forgot we had those plans, but I kind of lied about forgetting—like I said maybe I wasn’t there when they made that plan.”
“Oh.” Bex continued to play with her necklace as she considered what sort of advice to offer. “Well, there’s only one way to fix that: you have to tell them the truth and apologize for lying.”
“Then how about if you tell me the truth about Mountain Jam?” Andi replied. “Why have you been reluctant to take me? Are you worried about the same stuff as CeCe? Do you think I’m going to get hurt and wind up in the first aid tent or something?”
Bex tossed aside the purple pillow, got up from the couch, and began pacing. “Truth?” she finally said, looking into Andi’s eyes.
“Truth!”
“I am a little worried about taking you there.”
“But why?”
“It’s a whole new level of responsibility,” Bex explained. “All the other times I’ve been to music festivals like this, I’ve only had to worry about taking care of myself. Now I need—and I desperately want—to take care of you, too. I don’t know what I would do if anything bad ever happened to you!”
“But what do you think is going to happen?”
“Hopefully nothing—but just in case, I’ve been putting together a safety-first kit!”
“Um. Okay…?” Andi raised an eyebrow.
Bex grabbed a red bag from the corner of the room and started unpacking it, describing each item as she set it down on the couch: “Plenty of sunscreen and a huge hat, so you don’t get burned. A refillable water bottle, so you don’t get dehydrated. Tons of baby wipes, to keep the festival dirt, sweat, and grime to a minimum. A rain poncho, in case the weather takes a turn for the wet. Bug spray, so we don’t get bitten. Bandannas, to protect our mouths and noses from mountain dust…”
Andi smiled. It was pretty sweet that Bex had already put so much thought into keeping her safe—plus, the floppy yellow hat was super cute.
“Also,” Bex continued, “I’m putting a photocopy of my driver’s license in here.”
“Why?”
“I once read that it’s always good to have a backup copy when you go on road trips, in case you lose the real one,” Bex explained.
“Couldn’t you just store a photo of it in your phone?”
“That’s a great idea. I’ll do that, too!” Bex smiled and quickly snapped a shot of her license, then put it back in her wallet.
“What about the VIP passes?” Andi asked. “Where are you keeping those?”
“They’re right here,” Bex said, opening her wallet again and letting two laminates dangle from purple lanyard strings. “I connected the strings to the key ring in my wallet, so they can’t possibly fall out or get lost.”
“Wow. You’re pretty good at this whole responsible-mom thing.”
“Thank you!” Bex grinned but then immediately frowned. “But a responsible mom doesn’t mean a boring mom…right?”
“Right!” Andi agreed. “Just so you know, though, I’m already pretty responsible. I mean, I’m not going to leave my brain at home just because it’s my first music festival ever.”
Bex laughed. “Yeah. I know that.”
“However,” Andi added with a sly smile, “I am thinking about entering the pizza-eating contest.”
“Who told you about that?” Bex’s eyes grew wide.
“Jonah,” Andi replied. “He said it gets totally out of control—but I’m thinking, how out of control can it really be? To me, it just sounds…intriguing? Awesome? Delicious?”
“Andi.” Bex got super serious. “I know it sounds awesome at first—but I swear, I didn’t eat any pizza for an entire year after the competition.”
“Wait…you entered the pizza-eating contest at Mountain Jam?”
“Um…have you met me?”
“And you didn’t eat pizza for a whole year?” Andi wasn’t sure which part was more shocking.
“Yeah, even though I only took home the third-place ribbon.” Bex puffed out her lower lip in an exaggerated pout. “It’s stuck somewhere near the bottom of my memory box.”
“You sure are full of surprises, aren’t you?” Andi laughed.
“See?” Bex smiled. “Responsible and unpredictable, all in one best-mom-ever package!”
For the rest of the week, Andi struggled to balance her excitement about Mountain Jam with her guilt about the situation with Buffy and Cyrus. She had tried to talk to both of them—first via text, then on the phone, then at their lockers before school, then in the cafeteria, then after school in the quad. But each time Andi reached out, they shut her down, ignored her, or simply weren’t available. Even Cyrus had mastered a certain aloofness Andi had never seen in him before.
So Andi shifted her focus to getting all her schoolwork out of the way and, of course, planning for the road trip and festival. Fortunately, Bex seemed to have finally let go of most of her concerns about taking Andi—especially when they started figuring out their wardrobe for the weekend. To start, Bex made sure that Andi had a solid pair of motorcycle boots, and she also found an awesome red leather moto jacket for her at Nine Lives, their favorite vintage shop in town. Then it was time to put together the perfect festival wear. That would require a full-on fashion show, Bex insisted, so that they could test-drive each option and rate it for both comfort and cuteness.
“What do you think?” Bex asked, strutting around the living room while Andi sat on the couch eating animal crackers.
“I love it!” Andi clapped, giving especially high marks to the crocheted white fringe top, which Bex had paired with denim cutoffs and suede booties. But it was the accessories—particularly the heavy silver-and-turquoise neckpiece—that really took the look to the next level. “Show me another one!”
“Okay!” Bex ducked into Andi’s bedroom to change and emerged a few minutes later looking like a bohemian goddess in a jeweled tank top, leather vest, and tie-dyed maxi skirt.
“It’s perfect,” Andi gasped, scanning her mother from head to toe and then back up to the top of her head again before squinting and reconsidering. “Just one minor adjustment…”
Andi got up and took one of the thicker silver chains from around Bex’s neck. Then she went to grab some elastic, along with a handful of crystal beads and flowers, from the craft box in her bedroom. Moments later, she placed the newly fashioned headpiece on top of Bex’s dark wavy hair. “Now it’s perfect.”
Bex went to look at herself in the mirror and nodded approvingly. “It really is. It’s like a crown! Now you go.”
Andi returned to her room and considered the various options strewn across her purple paisley comforter. First she grabbed a green off-the-shoulder peasant top with white embroidery, along with a pair of white denim jeans. She checked herself in the mirror and frowned. Just like with Bex’s last outfit, she felt like something was missing—but what? She looked around her room until her eyes landed on the collection of scarves hanging on the white wicker headboard. Yes! She grabbed the one Bex had sent her from Mountain Jam a few years earlier and quickly fashioned it into a headband, checking herself in the mirror again. Now it was working.
“Gorgeous!” Bex proclaimed when Andi sashayed through the living room, swinging a strappy white satchel over her shoulder a
nd striking different poses. “The scarf looks awesome!”
“Thank you.” Andi bowed her head and then raced back into the bedroom to change into her next outfit: a gauzy yellow tunic decorated with red henna suns, moons, and Sanskrit lettering. It was just long enough to work as a minidress. For accessories, she traded the scarf in her hair for a headband with feathers and beads, which she had made from a gold dream catcher.
Bex’s jaw dropped when Andi returned to the living room and spun around a few times. “Seriously? You’re so good at this!” Then she narrowed her eyes and shot a sideways glance at Andi. “Are you sure you never snuck out and went to Mountain Jam without CeCe knowing?”
“Ha!” Andi shook her head. “I don’t think I would have been able to sneak out to do something like that even if I were sixteen!”
The moment she said that, Andi’s thoughts returned to Buffy and Cyrus and the plans they’d made, and her heart sank.
“What’s up?” Bex asked, noticing the quick change in Andi’s mood.
“I’ve been trying to apologize to Buffy and Cyrus all week, but they won’t even talk to me or return my messages.”
“Oh.” Bex frowned. “That stinks.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Maybe you need to bribe them,” Bex proposed, grabbing the box of animal crackers off the coffee table and popping a few into her mouth.
“Bribe them?” Andi grimaced.
“Well, not exactly bribe them,” Bex said between chews. “But bring them some sort of peace offering.”
Andi thought about it for a moment. “Actually, that’s a great idea!”
After school on Friday, Andi knew exactly where she would find Buffy and Cyrus—unless they were going to avoid the Spoon to avoid Andi. Thanks to her electric scooter, she was able to get there quickly and set up everything in the hopes that they would show. Once it was all ready, she checked her watch and then checked the door. Sure enough, in they walked—right on time. Maybe there were some good things about being predictable after all.
“I come bearing gifts,” Andi said as soon as Buffy and Cyrus settled in at their usual booth. With a flourish, she set down a tray piled high with baby taters along with two chocolate shakes with extra whipped cream.
Buffy looked like she was literally going to climb over the back of the booth to escape, but Andi sat down and draped an arm around her, creating a physical barrier so Buffy couldn’t leave.
“Listen,” Andi began, looking at Buffy and then across the table at Cyrus. “I know you guys don’t want to hear it, but I really am sorry that I forgot about the plans we made to go to Mountain Jam together.”
Buffy scooted toward the wall, putting as much distance as she could between her and Andi. But Andi could see that Cyrus was softening a bit. His big dark eyes peeked from under his wavy black hair, encouraging her to keep going.
“But I’m especially sorry for acting like I didn’t remember all the details when you reminded me—because I did, and I do,” Andi continued earnestly. “And honestly? It’s not going to be nearly as fun going without you guys.”
“But you’re still going, right?” Buffy muttered under her breath.
Andi mashed her lips together. “I am…and I wish I could take you with me. I even asked Bowie if he could get more tickets so that I could take you.”
“Really?” Cyrus’s face lit up.
“Yeah, but he couldn’t do it.” Andi sighed. “I’m really, really, really sorry.”
Cyrus glanced at Buffy and then reached across the table to give Andi’s hand a squeeze. “I forgive you.”
Andi’s mouth dropped open. “You do?”
“You apologized, so…of course!” Cyrus made a little clicking noise with his mouth and shot one of his trademark finger-gun-and-wink combos at Andi.
Andi smiled and turned to look at Buffy. “How about you?”
Buffy stared down at the baby taters and popped one into her mouth. Then she ate another. And another. Finally, after polishing off half the plate, along with most of her milkshake, Buffy looked at Andi. “Okay, fine. I forgive you.”
“Are you sure?” Andi batted her lashes at Buffy. “You still seem kind of mad.”
“I’m not mad in the least,” Buffy insisted. “Totally over it. No big deal. Moving on.”
Andi desperately wanted to believe her friend. But how could she, considering that Buffy’s voice was totally shaking? What had Cyrus said about the various signs that people were lying? The shaky voice never lies…or, well, the shaky voice does lie!
On the bright side, Buffy’s lie included forgiving Andi. So maybe, eventually, she really would forgive Andi. At least, Andi would try to believe as much.
“So are you girls all ready for your trip tomorrow?” Ham asked, raising his eyebrows as he looked across the dining table at Andi and Bex.
CeCe had insisted on making them “one last home-cooked meal” before they left, as if they would be heading off to live in the wilderness for the next few months instead of spending a couple of nights camping at a music festival.
“Definitely!” Andi said.
“I hope your sleeping bags are going to be warm enough,” CeCe said softly, and Andi could see tears welling up in her eyes.
“They will, Mom,” Bex insisted. “I got Andi the exact same one that saw me through countless nights of camping, even in subzero temperatures.”
CeCe frowned. “Well, that’s encouraging.”
“It is encouraging,” Ham interjected, placing a hand gently on top of CeCe’s. “Bex has been taking care of herself for a long time now, and she’s done a pretty phenomenal job of it.”
“This is different,” CeCe said under her breath. “She’s not just going to have to take care of herself this time—she’s going to have to keep Andi safe, too. Aren’t you the least bit worried about how she’s going to do that?”
“I’m right here,” Bex said through gritted teeth. Even though CeCe was basically echoing the exact concerns Bex had expressed to Andi, it still annoyed her. “I can hear every word you’re saying—and though I wouldn’t normally say this out loud, because I have something known as humility, I’m great at keeping Andi safe. I’ve actually been doing a pretty phenomenal job of it for several months now, if I do say so myself.”
“I agree,” Andi chimed in.
“Me too,” Ham added.
“Thanks, you guys,” Bex said before turning back to CeCe. “Look, I know where this is coming from. I know that you’re worried—and to be completely honest, I’ve been a little worried, too. I know it’s a huge responsibility, taking Andi with me on her first road trip to her first music festival. But please trust me. I’m going to make sure she’s safe and protected and very, very warm. I need you to believe that.”
CeCe nodded and wiped away the tears that had settled into the fine lines around her eyes. “I’m trying to, Rebecca. I really am.”
“Well, that’s something, I guess.” Bex tried to smile.
“Would you please reconsider taking the car, though?” CeCe implored. “I would feel so much better if you would borrow it. I can’t stand the idea of Andi riding on the back of that…that… thing.”
Bex laughed. “It’s called a motorcycle, Mom—and, again, it’s seen me through a lot. In fact, I think it would be more dangerous if I tried to drive a car at this point. I’m way more comfortable riding a bike.”
CeCe sighed and put up her hands. “Okay, fine. Let’s just try to enjoy our last meal together, then.”
Andi and Bex exchanged amused looks. CeCe was really going for full melodramatic effect.
“You’re going to see us again!” Andi jumped up and went to wrap her arms around CeCe. “We’ll be back on Monday, and we’ll have a lot more meals together!”
“I know.” CeCe blinked back a few more tears and grabbed Andi’s hands, squeezing them tight. “At least, I hope so.”
Andi laughed and shook her head. “Oh, CeCe.”
After dinner, Andi went
into the kitchen to help Ham finish cleaning up.
“Can I ask you something?” Andi said as she took a plate to the sink and started rinsing it.
“Anything!” Ham smiled.
“Why aren’t you worried about me and Bex going on this trip in the same way that CeCe is worried?”
“That’s a good question. I guess I just see the world in a slightly different way than your mom…er, CeCe does. She has this sort of sixth sense sometimes—or at least she likes to think she does, you know? She’s a troubleshooter, and so she tries to anticipate things that might go wrong, so she can fix them before they even happen.”
Andi nodded. “How come you’re not that way?”
Ham shrugged. “I can be, sometimes, but usually I’m more of a wait-and-see guy. That’s not always good, either. It means I’m not always prepared for problems that might come up.”
“Because you’re so focused on everything that could go right?”
“Yeah, that’s a good way to look at it. Of course, sometimes that means I get disappointed, but I also get to enjoy each moment as it happens. CeCe, on the other hand, expects the worst and then gets to be pleasantly surprised!”
“So which should I be?” Andi wondered.
“Well, I would hate for you to worry your way through this trip. I think Bex is a lot more responsible than CeCe sometimes realizes, and I know you’ll be in good hands with her.”
Andi grinned as she handed a plate to Ham. “Me too.”
“Also,” Ham added, his blue eyes lighting up, “I think CeCe tends to forget how much fun she used to have at these kinds of festivals.”
Andi’s jaw dropped. “Wait…has she been to Mountain Jam before?”
“No, not Mountain Jam,” Ham said. “But we did go to our share of outdoor concerts and festivals and on camping trips—all that good stuff—back in the day.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Ham chuckled.
“Did anything go wrong? Is that why CeCe’s so worried?”
Rockin' Road Trip Page 4