“So, was Aunt Lilly harsh on you?” Logan asked from the driver’s seat.
He sneaked a glance towards Alex. She slouched in her seat, her right ankle on top of her left knee. She gazed out of the windshield. She hadn’t said more than a ‘hi’ to him since he picked her up. The trip from yesterday was a risky and dangerous one. It wouldn’t surprise him at all if Alex got grounded or received a worse punishment.
“Ugh” Alex craned her head, closing her eyes. Her honey brown fringes brushed her eyelids, “It was a long lecture. Something I don’t want to relive.”
It wasn’t an exaggeration. If it had been another time, she might have joked to her aunt to date Atty. Peyton. Alex was positive that it would have been a lot worse if he hadn’t been there. She would have also been tempted to tease what they did in the house all day. It would all happen in good time.
Maybe after they passed over this hurdle.
“Well, you really shouldn’t just drive all the way to the city!” Logan pointed out with a shake of his head. He pulled the steering wheel to the left, making a turn on a corner, “That was really reckless of you guys. I expected it from Jae but you? How could we not be worried?”
“I know…” Alex whined, “I’m sorry. I was also worried for my cousin, okay? Isn’t that natural?”
She opened her eyes and sighed. The back of her head hit the chair. She glanced out the window, “It’s not like I flew halfway across the country and got lost. We were also not out late so there were less possibilities of danger.”
“Accidents can happen at any time of the day.”
“They can also happen anywhere!” Alex groaned. She couldn’t believe that she was now having this argument with Logan, “It’s a constant risk that you can’t really get rid of. We drove as safely as we possibly can. Except for pit stops on gas and food, we went straight there and back. No detours. We did everything responsibly.”
Alex felt like she just spilled out everything she wanted to say last night. It liberated her. Since she generally got to do what she wanted, she figured it was better to stay silent and let Aunt Lilly have the moment. Atty. Peyton simply smiled at her while her aunt dragged on about the dangers of what they did.
Even when she explains that things were pretty mild, Aunt Lilly had none of it. She said that they had only been lucky that nothing wrong happened.
Logan snorted. He checked the side mirror, mumbling, “Everything but keep in touch that is.”
“I already apologized,” Alex exclaimed. She snapped her head towards him, the back of it still touching the chair, “What more do you want from me?”
“I am still waiting on that kiss.”
“How about I buy some Himhey’s kisses then?” She rolled her eyes. She pulled her hands out of her pockets and crossed her arms over her chest, “I thought I already made it up to you yesterday? I thought you liked that surprise?”
“A kiss wouldn’t be half bad either” Logan chuckled. He peeked at her from the corner of his eye, smiling lopsidedly, “What do you think?”
How did they go back to talking about kisses? Alex wondered. The pillow to his face should have been enough to close the lid on the topic and move on. Shouldn’t a kiss be special anyway? He should save the request to someone appropriate.
“Why not get yourself a girlfriend and ask her instead?” She retorted. Did males have their hormones go rampant like the way females’s moods do when it’s almost that time of the month? And did some of them have hormonal imbalance so they became playboys?
“Aren’t you my girl friend?”
Alex froze in her seat. Then, she scowled in his direction, speaking sharply, “I thought you said I was your best friend?”
Logan smirked.
He kept his eyes on the road, “You’re my best girl friend while Colin is my best boy friend.”
“I meant ‘girlfriend’ without a space in it,” she explained. A deadpan expression painted her face. It was clear Logan only mentioned it to rile her up. Since he was in the middle of driving, she also couldn’t hit him. It gave him a free ticket to tease her.
She didn’t appreciate it.
The look on her face had no effect on his energy. Instead, it pumped him even more. The grin of Logan’s face held a new meaning as he said, “Well, maybe if you scoot closer, there won’t be space anymore.”
“Since when did you start speaking like this?!” Alex gawked at him in disbelief. Before, it seemed like Logan ate a block of cheese. What did he eat this time? Where was this coming from?
“Since you were out of reach for almost an entire day” Logan answered without hesitation, “I know I was somewhat overthinking but… you kind of realize how easy it is for someone to be here for a second and gone after another. I already learned this before but I forgot it. Now, I just want to seize moments without pushing it too far. I don’t want to regret it.”
Alex bit her tongue. She didn’t expect it to be that way. Her eyes fell on the car floor. She took back all the doubts she previously had with Emily’s words. There was no mistaking the sincerity in Logan’s voice.
At least, he acted less harsh than her aunt.
Her brows knitted together. The tone also reminded her of something. She reached into the back of her mind and pulled it out. Slowly, the memory became clear to her. It only lasted for a second but she recalled it well.
“Is that…” Alex began to say. She cleared her throat, glancing at him, “Is that the reason why you were about to say something before Jae came in?”
Logan blinked. He didn’t think she’d remember that moment. His twin’s loud voice overlapped with his. He figured Jae drowned it out.
“Part of it” He admitted with a shrug. He rolled through the school gates and headed for his normal parking spot. The front of the school building appeared different from other days. A dark violet banner had been hung over the entrance. A cartoon photo of a chipmunk stood at the edge with a megaphone in its hand.
The sound waves pointed towards the yellow words next to it.
It said, ’Chipmunks, unite! Support our basketball team at the championship! Go nuts!”
A note had been written at the bottom. The letters had a smaller size compared to the chipmunk’s speech. It was also inside a parenthesis.
(Pun intended.)
At the sight of the banner, a lightbulb popped out on top of Logan’s head. His emerald eyes gleamed in amusement. He passed by the other cars nearby while saying, “Hey, want to make a bet?”
“No.”
Alex’s response was firm. It didn’t take her any time to think about it. She could smell trouble in the air already. It had a bit of detergent mixed to it. That was enough to convince her not to even listen to what it was about.
“Aw, come on,” he wailed, enthusiasm in every syllable, “The championship game is next week. If my team wins, can I get something from you?”
Logan curled his bottom lip inwards and bit it. The idea delighted him. It showed on his face openly. He didn’t want to be too excited or Alex would be even more stubborn. He needed to persuade her.
“That’s far too simple,” Alex snorted. The gears in her brain spun around their axles. She wasn’t an idiot to fall for something like that, ” How about… If you get the winning shot—the last shot that happens in those movies and turns the score around then, maybe.”
“Maybe?” Logan scoffed. His eyes widened at the injustice, “Girl, that’s almost impossible. There is no way it can be staged. What if we already had the lead even before I made the shot?”
“Then, you lose the bet.”
“Which is why it shouldn’t be a ‘maybe’” he protested again, “Your answer should be a ‘sure’. If you’re wondering what would you get if I don’t get that shot, you also can demand something. Whoever loses the bet can’t reject when the winner wants. How about that?”
The car stopped moving when its back tires hit the bumper block. Logan undid his seatbelt and faced Alex fully. She looked away from him, staring out the window. He couldn’t tell what went through her head but he needed to persuade her somehow.
He didn’t even turn down her condition. She could give in to his compromise, right?
…
…
…
“What happened to that reckless Alex who skipped school for one day?” Logan brought up, breaking the silence. He hoped it would hit the right button, “Besides, the possibility of that shot is slim to none. What do you have to lose? I’m just saying that if I make it, I should definitely get something. It balances the stakes here. We’re all about fairness. Deal?”
…
…
…
He sighed gravelly. He should try another angle. Mabe even add something that benefited her… but what? His mind worked at double its speed. He tried to think of their past conversations—what he could remember from them, at least.
…
…
…
Logan suddenly snapped his fingers, “Agree with me on this and I’ll do your Math homework for the rest of the year.”
Alex whirled her head towards him. She didn’t bother to hide her emotions about the new agreement. She wrinkled her nose and stretched out her arm, “Deal.”
Free homework wasn’t something to be passed up. His statements were also true. Either way, the chances were on her side. Plus less assignments on top of that? It sounded very appealing.
“Deal” Logan grinned, shaking her hand. He cheered on the inside for this small victory. When he released her hand, he turned off the engine.
A loud cracking came out from under the hood. He frowned at it through the windshield. Alex also glanced. They expected smoke but they didn’t find it. They gave it a few more seconds and nothing came out.
Still, Logan wasn’t taking any chances.
“You go on ahead. I need to check that out” he unlocked his car door and stepped out. He focused solely on the problem. He didn’t even look back to see if Alex followed his instructions.
He walked towards the front, fingers brushing on the surface. The metal felt hot under his touch. The temperature wasn’t abnormal as far as he knew. He quickly ran through the possible spots and parts where the sound could have come from.
He lifted off the hood, his gaze darting across to search for anything that seemed out of place.
“Logan?”
His back went rigid at the familiar voice. He didn’t expect to hear it again so soon. His head turned around slowly—almost similar to a robot by how stiff the movement was. The expression on his face had the same statue-like aura from before. If anything, it hardened even more after the stunt she pulled as she left.
Skye inched out of her hiding place. She had been waiting from the side of the building. The green sweater she wore matched his eyes. She thought that the gesture would soften him up.
“Can we talk?”
