Winter's Tide by Lisa Williams Kline Page A

was ignoring them and trying to hide it from me. Like I cared!
    â€œI don’t care if you text with that guy,” I said. “I just don’t really like him, that’s all.”
    â€œWhy don’t you like him?”
    â€œHe asked me about being called ‘animal,’ and said I should punch Carla.”
    Stephanie cocked her head thoughtfully. “You can’t blame him for what you did yourself.”
    â€œWhatever.” I looked out the window. I was never going to tell her that at first I kind of thought he liked me, but now it was obvious he liked her.
    â€œCome on, buddy! While we’re young!” Norm snapped at the driver in front of us. He was driving faster than usual and had twice blown the horn at someone.
    â€œCalm down, Norm,” Mom said. “We’ll get there when we get there.”
    I was checking my phone every few minutes, but Dad hadn’t called me back. Was he still mad? My eyes still throbbed from crying so much last night. It was his fault. He’d called me a hothead first.
    Maybe there was an airport near Grammy’s house, and Mom and Norm could take me to catch a flight to Florida once we got there. But I could tell Norm was in a bad mood. I’d have to talk to Mom about it. Later.
    â€œSo what kind of dog is Jelly?” I asked Stephanie, poking her with the toe of my sock. We’d both taken off our shoes in the car.
    â€œHe’s part Chihuahua and part dachshund,” she said. “Grammy calls him a Chiweenie. He looks likea Chihuahua with a long body and short legs. And Grammy talks about how sweet he is, but he is the grumpiest dog ever. He growls when you try to pet him. And he stinks even though Grammy is always giving him baths.”
    â€œDoesn’t he sound fabulous?” Norm interjected with a laugh, looking at us in the rearview mirror. “How could a person live without such a dog?”
    â€œAh, yes, the lovable Jelly,” Mom said, laughing.
    â€œI’ll get him to like me,” I said. “That’s one of my talents, getting animals to like me. Do you have a picture of him?” I asked Stephanie.
    â€œNo, but Grammy has about a million around her apartment.”
    â€œMaybe he’ll sleep on my bed,” I said. “I’m calling dibs!”
    â€œHe’ll never sleep on your bed!” Stephanie said. “He’s too grumpy!”
    â€œHow much do you want to bet?” I asked.
    We were able to drive most of the way to Grammy’s house on the interstate, but then we exited onto a two-lane highway with fields and farms on either side. The land flattened out. We passed white farmhouses that were in the middle of the fields and shaded by one or two giant trees. As the sun began to set, the winter sky turned pink with wispy indigo clouds, and the shadowsgrew longer. Norm slowed the car as we drove through a small town, past rows of clapboard houses, a school, a gas station, a church, and a small brick library. Darkness fell, and front porch lights and street lights winked on. We drove through the town and back out into the country, with only darkness outside the car window. Our headlights revealed empty fields ahead.
    Norm and Mom, still talking about Grammy and the hospital, were ignoring us. Stephanie and I wedged our pillows into opposite window corners and put our feet up on the seat.
    â€œI get the inside!” I said, pushing Stephanie’s feet to the outside.
    â€œHey, I want the inside!” Laughing, Stephanie squeezed her feet in and pushed mine out.
    â€œInside!” I moved my feet inside hers and pushed hers out. I started laughing too.
    â€œGirls! Quiet down!” Norm said, sounding irritated.
    Mom glanced at Norm, then turned to us and held her finger to her lips. “They’re just fooling around, Norm.”
    â€œThey don’t need to be horsing around in the car.”
    Dad’s ringtone sounded from my phone. He was calling