The Mathematics of Love ✔

Chapter 6

“This could be considered kidnap, you know,” I said half an hour later.

Kevin turned around to face me from the front of Vanessa’s car, an exasperated look on his face. “What kidnap? You’re the one making us do this.”

“I told you to let me know what’s going on, not take me along with you!” I snapped. “How am I supposed to study for my math competition now?”

“Oh, don’t give me that.” Kevin glared at me. “You wouldn’t believe me about this if I didn’t take you along.”

“Believe you about what?” I gasped in realization and slapped my hand across my mouth. “You guys…you guys aren’t involved in anything illegal, are you?”

Kevin choked on his own spit and didn’t recover for a full two minutes. “No!” he managed to wheeze unconvincingly. “What made you think that?”

I groaned and sunk back into the leather cushioning of the seat. “Oh, my god. I’m in the company of criminals.”

“Who’s a criminal?”

“Oh, shut up, both of you,” Vanessa snapped. The car nearly swerved off the road as she smacked Kevin lightly on the head. “And you,” she chided. “You should know better than to pick a fight with your kid sister.”

“I’m almost eighteen,” I said flatly, but nobody paid me any attention.

“Weren’t you listening?” Kevin said heatedly. “She picked the fight with me! She said I was kidnapping her. Are we kidnapping her, Vanessa?”

“Will just listen to yourself? How old are you again?”

“Twenty-three—”

Vanessa smacked Kevin’s arm this time. “Oh, very witty!”

They went back and forth the rest of the way to…wherever it was they were taking me. I mainly stared out the window, trying to interest myself in the farm scenery and lakes that flew by, but I wasn’t much of a nature girl. It didn’t help that my subconscious kept nagging me for not at least bringing some extra material to review for the Junior Mathematics Tournament.

At this rate, Alexander Lin was going to beat me blindfolded with two hands tied behind his back. Not that it would make a difference one way or another. He basically did that every year anyway.

Vanessa and Kevin didn’t stop their bickering until we pulled up to a lone building and Vanessa cut the engine. Even then, they were so fired up about something completely stupid—something about the best first-person shooter game—that they refused to even look at each other when they got out of the car.

This made it a little awkward when they both reached for the guitar at the same time and their hands bumped together.

“Ack!” Vanessa yelled.

“Furb!” Kevin grunted as he pulled his hand back like Vanessa had shocked him. They both stood there for a moment, suddenly looking uncertain.

I broke the weird tension in the air by saying, “You know, you two act just like an old married couple.”

“Nancy, that’s disgusting,” Vanessa said immediately.

“Yeah, please spare me. I don’t know any guys desperate enough to marry this old—”

Vanessa jabbed her finger into Kevin’s chest. “Oh, yeah? Wanna finish that sentence, punk?”

“Are you sure you want me to?”

I sighed. While they resumed their arguing, I took the time to eye the derelict-looking building. There were vines crawling all over it. The building’s mahogany bricks were saturated with dust and a musky scent. My first thought was that someone had better call Stephen King, because I was pretty sure he was missing a vital part of a setting for his horror novels.