Awry

40

Laura had another “late meeting,” so the Baxter family had invited Scarlet over to spend the night.

Scarlet and Heather stood in the kitchen, scooping bowls of chocolate ice cream for themselves.

“So, you just, like, broke up with Gabriel?” Heather put two scoops of ice cream into her bowl and handed the scooper to Scarlet.

“Yep.” Scarlet shoveled a scoop of ice cream into her own bowl.

“Did you cry?”

“No.” Scarlet added another scoop to the first.

“Did he cry?”

Scarlet glared at Heather. “No.”

Heather shook her head. “You’re insane.”

Three scoops. Scarlet lifted a brow. “For not crying?”

“No. For dumping a hot, immortal boy.” Heather eyed Scarlet’s tower of ice cream.

Scarlet sank the ice cream scooper into the tub of frozen goodness before her again.

“You were right.” Scarlet dropped a fourth scoop into her bowl and put the ice cream scooper down. “My relationship with Gabriel couldn’t be real with the curse hanging over us and I don’t want to date someone whose heart isn’t completely their own.” Scarlet shrugged. “So Gabriel and I aren’t dating. We’re going to be friends. It will be better this way.”

Heather picked the scooper back up and removed two scoops from Scarlet’s bowl, plopping them back into the ice cream tub.

“What are you doing?” Scarlet asked.

Heather licked ice cream off her finger. “If you keep eating ice cream by the quart, you’re going to die of heart failure unrelated to any curse.”

Keeping her eyes on Heather, Scarlet found the ice cream scooper again and re-scooped the cold deliciousness back into her bowl.

Heather raised a brow before grabbing a spoon and sinking into her treat. “I still think you’re crazy for breaking up with him. Now, every girl at school is going to be all over him and you’re going to be super jealous.”

Scarlet put the ice cream away and thought about other girls hitting on Gabriel. Kristy Stevens came to mind.

“No. I’m going to be mature about this whole thing,” Scarlet said. “I’m going to be Gabriel’s mature and not-jealous ex-girlfriend.”

“Right.” Heather nodded sarcastically.

Scarlet could be mature about her breakup with Gabriel.

She would be mature.

Sunday morning Gabriel waited as everyone met at the cabin per Nate’s instructions. Scarlet and Heather stood by the couch in silence, while Gabriel stood by the fireplace waiting for Nate.

Heather was tapping her nails on the back of the couch and Scarlet was keeping her eyes fixed on the floor.

Breakups were awkward.

Gabriel could feel the tension in the room and he hated it. He didn’t want Scarlet to feel uncomfortable around him, but he didn’t want to walk over and give her a makeup hug, either.

Nate finally came down stairs, holding the map in his hand. He was wearing earmuffs. The replacement window still had not come, and Gabriel was starting to think it never would.

Carefully setting the map on the living room coffee table, Nate said, “We have a problem.”

Everyone stared at the map.

Gabriel asked, “What’s wrong?”

Nate ran both hands through his hair. “We have no starting point. I’ve studied this thing for days and I still can’t figure out where the map begins.” He tugged on the Superman sweatshirt he wore. “It could be that we’re missing a piece of the map.” He pointed to the ripped edge of the drawing. “Or maybe not. I don’t know. But without a starting place, the map is useless.”

Gabriel stared at the map on the coffee table, looking for something that could tell them where to begin.

Maybe an ‘X’. Or a door. Or an arrow with the words START HERE on it.

But no such luck.

Nate said, “It would help if we had a really old map of Avalon and the outer forest. Maybe an old hiking map or a map of the first city plans. We need something that we can compare to the geographical clues on Scarlet’s map.” He paused and looked at Heather. “I think we should go back to Mr. Brooks’ cellar.”

Heather nodded. “Okay. I’ll talk to Mr. Brooks and see when we can come back. If at all.” She glared at Scarlet and whispered, “Thief.”

Scarlet rolled her eyes.

And her eyes accidentally landed on Gabriel.

They stared at each other for an awkward moment.

Yep. Breakups sucked.