From Within 16.7

The number of people we were heading back with had necessitated a second vehicle. Tattletale took one car, and because Syndicate was being punished, Syndicate rode with Tattletale in that car while Chicken Little rode in the other.

I wasn’t positive that this was the time to be dropping the hammer, going for the obvious sore spot, driving in any wedges, or making the kid’s mood worse, but I wasn’t positive about anything, and if something went wrong here, I could at least have the satisfaction of blaming Tattletale.

Still, it made for a much quieter car ride. Tattletale was free to give Darlene a talking-to in the other car, while five of us were crammed into Natalie’s car, which wasn’t the most spacious on its own.

Kenzie was in the corner opposite mine, knees up against her chest, head turned away, her eyes out the window. Candy sat sideways, and fussed with Kenzie’s hair as best as she was able. Natalie and I had combs, but they weren’t suited for Kenzie’s hair type, and Candy was using fingernails instead.

Chicken Little, quiet and aromatic in a slightly bird, slightly dog way, sat just behind my seat.

“I was secretly hoping we could make up, and you could show me around. Ever since you all told me about Rachel’s place, I’ve wanted to see the swimming hole—”

“It’s too cold to swim,” Chicken said.

“I know! I know, but I wanted to see it. I wanted to see the puppy pit, and the horseback riding, and the den where you have big sleepovers. You guys don’t have video footage or cameras around your place and the internet doesn’t reach there, so I couldn’t really find footage to fill out my mental pictures.”

Combing with fingernails, Candy murmured, “That’s how you reach across the gaps, hm?”

“Yeah.”

“There are some kids who live in the area who join in for some swimming and den sleepovers,” Chicken Little said. “You can’t tell them to go away because if you’re bad or rude you don’t get to participate and you’ll get kicked out, but they’re kind of outsiders and it’s really awkward.”

“You’re more an outsider than they are,” Candy said.

“You know what I mean, don’t you? They don’t know about all the cape stuff, or they’re really snotty. Some are okay, like Mason and Kathy, but a lot of the others are such a pain.”

“They live there. They have more right to the swimming hole and den than any of us. Some of them have horses of their own, and they work and do chores with the animals for the whole year to get special privileges,” Candy said.

“But—the Heartbroken always complain about them.” Aiden protested.

“The Heartbroken, in case you missed it, can be the absolute worst, Chicken. Man, I’m so mad at them right now.”

“Ow,” Kenzie said, as Candy tugged too hard.

“Sorry.”

“Am—am I the annoying snooty outsider that’s butting my head into things at Aunt Rachel’s?” Chicken Little asked.