“I’d really rather not call Dad. He’d never let me hear the end of it.”

“What about your mum?” Ruby said. “When I broke the TV by doing a backflip in the living room, Mum covered for me and said my little brother did it because he was too little for anyone to be annoyed with him.”

Dimly I took stock of the fact that Ruby had a little brother. I hadn’t realized. Was he on holiday with her parents too? What was wrong with them? There was something really weird about their family. Although right now the more pressing issue was Ruby had hit on my number-one thing I didn’t want to talk about.

“Mum can’t help,” I said firmly.

My mind went blank when I tried to think of a good reason why. I didn’t want to make up some elaborate lie I’d have to keep track of so I hoped she’d drop it at that.

“Why?” Ruby asked. “Are you being sexist? She’s a grown woman. I’m sure she’s had a dead battery before.”

“Trust me, she’d be no good in this situation.” I felt my irritation grow. It was like she knew what she was doing. She couldn’t, though, right? Oliver said he wouldn’t mention it.

“Well, maybe she can tell us what to—”

“Jesus Christ, Ruby, give it a rest,” I snapped. “She can’t help.”

Ruby blinked. Her eyebrows furrowed and her lips parted slightly. Guilt washed over me immediately.

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I shouldn’t have snapped, I’m just stressed about the car. Dad will kill me.”

He wouldn’t. He’d be annoying about it, but he wouldn’t really get too worked up.

“We better figure out what to do, then,” she said, but her tone was cool and she didn’t look at me.

Shit. Shit shit shit.

I dialed a contact on my phone. It was the only person I could think of who might be able to help. That said a lot about my total lack of friends, but that was something to worry about another day.

Oliver drove up in his stupid fancy Jeep twenty minutes later. Twenty long minutes where the air around us cooled down literally and figuratively. Ruby spent most of it on her phone. After the first ten minutes, I couldn’t take it anymore so I got out of the car and sat on the hood. What was I supposed to do? I’d apologized. It wasn’t that bad, was it? I’d been a bit snappish, but I hadn’t run over a cat or anything. I realized I’d been stupid. If Ruby had known about my mum, she would have just come out with it; that’s what she was like. I was paranoid.