The Flynn Effect

52 | first real date

Jo

"ARE YOU SURE you have everything you need? You didn't leave anything behind, like tampons or a hairdryer?"

I smile a little and take a look at the activity going on, hoping no one can actually hear my mum drilling me over the phone. "I don't get any more periods until next year."

"Oh," she says, her voice lowering a little. "Okay? How about other forgettable things? Like shampoo or something?"

"Mum, I'm fine. Plus, it's only one night and even if I do need anything, I'm pretty sure I can get it here. Appleton's a pretty big city."

"A mother's allowed to be worried, plus it sounds noisy out there."

I smile, diverting my attention back to Cass and Ellie in front of a booth while they shoot darts at the balloons. "Yes, that's because I'm at a carnival. It is pretty loud."

"Isn't it a little bit cold for a carnival? Outdoor?"

"Mum."

"Fine, alright then." She sighs, reluctantly. "You should go have some fun. Oh and your brother wants to say hi."

Not up to a second later, I hear Drew's gravelly voice taking over hers. "I'm partly convinced mum believes you might try to elope with him after the show."

I laugh at his statement, my breaths coming out in small white puffs. "It's just one night away from town. What's going to happen when I leave for college?"

"She's just being a mum." Drew says. "Plus, you've never exactly had a boyfriend that she knows about so yeah, she's excited but also a little worried."

"She doesn't need to be, though. Besides, it's not bad here."

"Better than the view from Rosie's?"

I nod even though I know he can't see me. "Oh, much better. Way better, in fact. Apparently, the view from Rosie's doesn't do enough justice."

When Flynn showed up with those tickets in his hands, I'd even been more excited than Ellie because I've been dying to see any of the four members of Rage Nation in real life, talk less of having an opportunity to see them perform privately with a few other people. The tickets were mad expensive, but apparently 'mad expensive' doesn't exactly stop Flynn from getting what he wants especially when it relates to his sister. The last few days have gone by so quick and Ellie's time keeps drawing closer, much to our dismay so when the date of the show drew closer, we'd all decided to spend a night at Appleton before attending the show the next day. Fortunately for us, Otis' Uncle has a small cabin by the lake here which he generously offered for us to stay after Otis told him we'd be needing a place to stay instead of booking ridiculously expensive hotels. Especially at this time of the year.

Appleton is a truly beautiful city. The homely infrastructure, the people, the food, the decorations, everything looks so good and I can't stop myself from imagining this, as one of the reasons why my dad left. It does seem like a place for better opportunities but when I'd conveyed my thoughts to Flynn when we got out of the train, he made me understand, in his words, that 'Nothing is worth leaving your family behind for' and I shook the excuses I'd started to make up for him away.