Sean shakes his head. “Ellie, I once drove to Canada for pancakes in the middle of the night because I didn’t like the syrup they gave me at IHOP. I love driving. It’s like playing the world’s most realistic driving video game! Besides,” he turns toward me and grins. “After this you’ll owe me.” I blush and grin back.
I guess if there’s one thing I have learned about the world, it’s this: Things can always, always, always change, and those big changes often come a lot faster than you think. No matter how many times I learn this lesson, it feels like a new one. Less than three hours ago I was standing behind the counter at Mon Coeur, about to cry, and now I’m in a car on my way to Nebraska with a cute guy that I barely know.
There’s a chirping sound, like a bunch of birds singing at once. Sean reaches behind him on the seat where his phone has fallen out of his pocket. “What’s that say?” Sean asks. “I have a phone call?” He flips his phone open and holds it to his ear. Through the back of the phone I can hear a guy’s voice calling out, “Hello? Hello? Hello?” Sean doesn’t say anything, just takes the phone away from his ear and snaps it shut. “Wrong number.”
“How did you know it was a wrong number if you didn’t say hello?”
“I get them all the time. I’m pretty sure there’s some girl out there who gives my number out as her fake, like for when she’s getting hit on by a guy who wears too much gel or has sores on his face and she doesn’t want to hurt his feelings.”
I smile. But before I can even respond, my phone starts buzzing.
“I guess she gave out your number, too?”
I check the caller ID. “It’s my friend,” I say. “The one who thinks I should give up.”
“So pick it up and tell her to fuck off,” Sean shrugs.
I laugh, even though I would never, ever do that to Amanda. I hit Ignore. Truth is, I’m worried that even hearing her voice will somehow break the spell that has made this all possible. Amanda has a way of bringing me back to earth, whether I want her to or not. The phone starts buzzing again. “It’s Amanda again,” I say. I bet she’s just going to keep calling over and over until I pick up. I can’t avoid her forever.
I flip open my phone.
“Heeelleeeeeew,” Amanda says. I can already tell she’s drunk. It’s only seven-fifteen.
“Hey,” I say. There’s loud dance music pumping in the background.
“Ellieeeeeeee? Sorry, honey, I can’t hear you, hold on one second,” and then she yells to someone in the background, “Can you turn it down please. Adam…can you? TURN IT DOWN A LITTLE PUH-LEASE!” and then into the phone, “Hey, babe! What are you doing?!!” And then she turns away from the phone for a second, “I’M TALKING TO ELLIE, MY BESTEST BESTEST BESTEST!” And then into the phone again, “Adam wants to know why you’re not here.”
“Who’s Adam?” I hear a loud “woo-hoo” in the background.
“Adam is this total asshole.” Amanda’s laughing. “Eric never showed up but I DON’T EVEN CARE!”
And then I hear a shuffling noise and a guy says into the phone “Hey, Ellie,” and in the background I hear Amanda yelling, “GIVE THE PHONE BACK!!!” and then her hysterical laughter, like having her phone taken away is the funniest thing that’s ever happened to her.
“Hello,” I say.
“What are you up to, how come you’re not over here?” the guy says.
And then more shuffling. “Sorry.” Amanda’s back. “He is such an asshole.” More laughter. And then Amanda yells into the background, “YES! OF COURSE SHE’S HOT!” And then back to me, “How’d you get home from Mon Coeur?”
“Got a ride.”
“From Brad?” She sounds confused, like she can’t imagine anyone else other than her being willing to drive me home. “Brad’s Thomas?” This is annoying.
“Sean drove me.” She’s waiting for me to explain. “No one you know,” I say.
“Oh,” she says. “Sorry, can you hold on a sec?” I hear more laughing in the background and a splash. There’s a shuffling sound and then I hear Amanda yell, “PUT ME DOWN, YOU BEHEEEEEEEEMOTH!!!” She’s laughing, and then she’s back. “Well, where are you now?”
“In a car,” I say.
“Where are you going? ”
“To Nebraska.” I glance at Sean. Our eyes meet and he grins and waggles his eyebrows.
The music in the background gets suddenly louder. “WHAT DID YOU SAY?”
“I SAID I’M GOING TO NEBRASKA,” I yell. “GUYS, TURN IT DOWN I’M ON THE PHO-WOAH-N,” Amanda yells. The noise in the background fades. “Hello? What did you say, Ellie?”
“I’m on my way to Nebraska,” I say.
“Ellie, what are you even talking about? ” Amanda sounds annoyed. “Nebraska isn’t even a real place.”
“I think it probably is, actually,” I say. “I saw it on a map once.”
“Well, not a real place anyone actually goes to,” Amanda says.
“I’m going there,” I say. “Right now.”
“Okay, fine,” Amanda says. “You’re on your way to Nebraska, yeah, sure. Whatever, Ellie. I would have thought you’d stopped being weird by now, but I guess I was wrong.”
“I’m not kidding,” I say flatly.
“You’re not kidding,” Amanda says. She suddenly sounds very serious, in a drunk sort of way. “Why?”
“Just because.”