Chapter 4
Joe’s POV:
“Well these cuts aren’t that bad, but we should take her to a hospital and notify the authorities.” My mom said in a calm voice.
I knew that it wasn’t because she wasn’t concerned, it was just that after dealing with the numerous broken bones and trips to the ER that accompanied raising four boys, she knew that the best strategy in situations like this was to keep a level head.
While my mom put away the first aid kit and Rob called 911, I sat by the girl to make sure nothing happened to her. She was covered in dust and scratches, and a thick layer of gauze had been wrapped around her hands where the bleeding was worst.
“Joe?”
I turned around to see Kevin, his messy curls going every direction, as his eyes went from me to the girl on the counter.
“Umm…What is that?” he said while pointing a finger in our general direction.
I glanced over at the girl and stifled the urge to make a joke about the situation.
“Remember that news report about the kidnapping?”
Kevin nodded a bit, then his eyes widened in realization.
“Wait do you mean…”
I nodded in response.
At that moment I felt a hand gently brush against my arm, and turned in time to see a quick flutter of eyelashes.
My breath caught in my throat when I saw her eyes. They were a bright green color, but what really caught my attention was how hollow they looked- as if there was a shield between them and the rest of the world.
“Who are you?”
I stopped for a moment to realize she was talking to me, and I was definitely blushing. I had been so caught up in those eyes that I hadn’t noticed her mouth forming a question, and now she had a puzzled expression as she peered nervously at Kevin and then around the room.
“Well,” I said softly, “I’m Joe, and this is my brother Kevin. We’re taking you to a hospital right now, er…” I stumbled a bit. What was her name again? Cassie? Catherine?
“Caitlin.”
“Right…thanks.” I replied
For a while no one said anything and she just continued looking around the bus.
“So…where are you from?” Kevin asked, breaking the awkward silence.
“Colorado. I live near Ft. Collins with my grandmother.”
“What’s it like there?” I asked, desperate to keep the strained conversation flowing.
She was quiet for a minute before answering me. “It’s very outdoorsy, lots of bike trails and places to hike or swim. And it’s a pretty small town- kind of old fashioned, but they just put in a new movie theater and a bowling alley.”
“Is that the kind of stuff you do for fun?”
She raised an eyebrow. “What is this? 20 questions?”
Ouch. She definitely seemed annoyed and I didn’t really blame her. I just hated silence, and there was something that made me want to know more.
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Emily’s POV:
“No. You just seem like the kind of person worth knowing more about.” He said thoughtfully.
“Oh.” I replied lamely, feeling a little bad about my snappy response.
“You can ask us some questions if you want…” Joe said softly.
We talked for a while in this way, the three of us asking each other questions- some of them normal (“Where are we?”- Me. “Somewhere in Nevada, I think just outside of Reno.”- Kevin), and some questions were completely random (“If you could choose to be stuck on a deserted island with either Johnny Depp or Bear Grylls, who would you pick?”- Kevin. “What’s your favorite piece of furniture?”-Joe.) Both of them were sweet, but Joe was definitely more of a comedian. I noticed when he flashed a charming grin that the smile would light up his warm brown eyes, and the way that his dark shaggy hair somehow fell perfectly around his face.
He definitely made it hard to concentrate on whatever we were talking about.
After a while Kevin left to answer some texts from his girlfriend, and Joe showed me a collection of DVD’s.
“The Notebook?”
“Too sad.”
“Home Alone?”
“Too Christmas-ish.”
He listed a dozen other DVD’s before we agreed on “Ten Things I Hate About You”, my all time favorite. Curled up on the couch with a warm blanket, the movie and Joe’s commentary momentarily made all my thoughts about the previous day disappear.
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Kevin’s POV:
Can’t wait to see you at the concert tomorrow
<3 Em
I smiled as I read the text message again for the fifth time that night, thinking about my plan for the next day. Emily and Katie, Garbo’s girlfriend, had been planning on driving a couple hours to see our concert that night, but when I found out that we would be stopping at a hospital 30 minutes away from her hometown, I asked for permission to visit her that morning, so that we could pick up her and Katie and they could ride with us to the venue.
And the best part is that she doesn’t know about it yet, I thought to myself as I texted her back.
Sorry about the lack of Nick- He will most definitely have a part in the next chapter <3
