GUN IN MY HAND

CHAPTER 31: SWEET TRAP

Yes, I know it's again a Jonas Brothers song, but I'm a fan, and it just fits perfectly the chapter 😍

'So turn right (turn right)

Into my arms

Turn right (turn right)

You won't be alone

You might

Fall off this track sometimes

Hope to see you at the finish line'

"Are we soon there?" I sighed, my forehead falling against the window as we outran another intersection sign.

"Soon," my mom replied confidently, glancing at the paper stuck between her left hand and the steering wheel like a spellbook that held all the answers of the universe.

Well, knowing her, I had no doubt she had written carefully all the directions to reach our destination. Yet it didn't give me more clue about when we would arrive.

"And stop playing with your hair. You'll mess it all." Her hand let go of the wheel to tap my fingers in a swift movement, and if I straightened myself, it was only because of her careful gaze, as the car didn't sway one inch from its path.

I resigned myself to twiddle my thumbs over my laps, though it did nothing to ease the itch in my nerves or even distract my mind. I would have needed my special fidget toy for this. However, I didn't try to pull it out with my mom's attentive gaze so close. I was keeping it in my pocket like a secret treasure, and I was already back to twirl one of my curls mindlessly, at least until my mom reminded me with one of her 'Dorothea'.

For my defense, I was a little on edge, as I hadn't slept enough; I had sneaked out last night, and I'd come back too late, or too early. Yet I couldn't tell my mom that, and I wouldn't try either to complain about her waking me up too early on a Saturday morning and asking me to prepare myself and ride for hours with no breakfast in my stomach because all of this was for Daisy.

So I could only sit on my hands and let my stomach do all the twists.

The good thing was that I knew there would be food when we would arrive because we were going to one of the famous cooking lessons Daisy had preached so much. At least, that was where we were supposed to go, but I started to doubt it when my mom took an abrupt turn to the left after reading her paper.

"Are you sure we're on the right road?" I lifted my eyebrows at the tall trees I glimpsed through the windshield, the side windows, and basically everywhere except for the narrow road.

"Yes, Daisy said it would be in the open air."

My eyebrows fell down in a frown. It didn't sound like something Daisy would praise. But seeing that my mom's eyes, focused on the bumpy tarmac, wouldn't give me more clue, I let my gaze wander around, enjoying the dancing leaves, flowers, and shadows passing through the window. This was the kind of place I liked, and strangely, it felt familiar.

Woods could be anywhere, and I didn't know any of the city's names we'd crossed. Yet it was more than what I was seeing, and if I closed my eyes, it recalled a buried emotion in my guts. I could almost place it when the car slowed down.

"We're here."

I took in with wide eyes the side of the road where my mom had pulled in and the surroundings that hadn't changed: green, green, and green, maybe even thicker – oh, and a dirt road leading further into the greenery, where some dark gray rocks were peeking out behind a path of tall birch trees.