Romeo Fails (25 page)
“Do you even know what a circular saw is?” Dorsey asked, although she couldn’t help but grin too.
“You can tell me all about it on the drive to L.A.,” Sarah told her, twining her arm in Dorsey’s and turning her toward the house. “You can tell me your whole list, whatever you need: hammer, nails, wood…”
“There’s really only one thing I need, Sarah,” Dorsey said as they walked to the door.
“What’s that?”
“You. I need you, Sarah. Because I love you too.” Dorsey stopped walking and pulled Sarah in tight to look deeply in her eyes, which were dancing back up at her.
“Oh, well, you better kiss me then.”
Their lips met as everything else went away for a while.
* * *
Shaw and Dr. Melba were walking in the kitchen door just as Dorsey bounded up the basement stairs, backpack over her shoulder and jacket in her hand. Startled, they dodged out of her way as she raced past, a huge grin on her face. Over her shoulder, she called back to Shaw, “I’m going to L.A. with Sarah! Tell Good I’ll call you guys when we get there! I love you! Bye!”
“Bye!” her startled brother yelled back.
Sarah was waiting with the motor running. There was barely room in the crowded trunk for Dorsey’s backpack. She moved a few things around to make space. There was something rolling around on the floor of the trunk which kept getting in the way. Dorsey grabbed for it and came up with a can of spray paint. A moment of doubt, of panic, gripped her but faded just as quickly. It wasn’t red paint anyhow, it was a neon metallic lavender according to the label. Probably for one of Maggie’s many craft projects, she thought, smiling at herself and her foolish fear. She crammed her backpack in and closed the trunk.
“All set?” Sarah said to her with a smile as she climbed in the passenger seat.
“All set,” Dorsey agreed. “Did you already say goodbye to Mags and Mother Bigelow?”
“Of course,” Sarah said as she put the little Bug into gear and pulled away from the curb. Dorsey felt a twinge of guilt at leaving without saying goodbye to Mags herself, but she’d make it up to her somehow. Maybe Mags could come visit them in L.A. before school started. And if anyone would understand after all they’d been through, it would be Maggie, she knew. And Goodman too. Those two were perfect for each other, she decided.
“In fact,” Sarah continued, “I kind of said goodbye to the entire town.”
There was that devilish grin again. Dorsey couldn’t see Sarah’s eyes behind her mirrored sunglasses. A tingle ran up her spine. Surely, she didn’t mean…
“Uh, what exactly do you mean?” Dorsey asked her. They were just leaving the city limits. Dorsey craned her head around for one last look at her hometown. Her gaze was caught by the dark green highway sign, still defaced by red spray paint, but with some additional text now added in a quite vibrant metallic lavender shade. She glanced over at Sarah, who was grinning like a maniac. She slowed, then pulled the little VW over to the side of the road so Dorsey could get the full effect. “Population: 3,557” had been downsized to 3,556. Dorsey had to laugh at that.
“You were really so sure I’d say yes?” she said to Sarah with a smile.
“Well, I
hoped
,” Sarah said, grinning back at her.
Shaking her head in mock disbelief, Dorsey looked back over at the sign and saw that Sarah had done more than just alter the population. The sign still said ROMEO FAILS instead of FALLS. But Sarah had added a punch line:
ROMEO FAILS
BUT JULIET ROCKS!
Their laughter rose triumphantly to the blue midwestern sky as they headed due west into the sun.
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