And She Made the Shape of My Heart With Her Hands

The next two days were spent within the familiar depths and cramped spaces of the dingy van. It was rather disgusting and gross inside by now, but it still maintained its same charm and appeal that it contained the first car ride a long time ago now. It really was more like a big ugly pet to us nowadays.

Anyway, nothing too eventful happened. We rode in the van, slept, ate, stopped for breaks, and then the overly familiar process repeated all the way through the country until we were just entering Arizona, our beloved home. That’s when we started to get excited and talkative.

“I never thought that I’d say this, but I seriously cannot wait to see my freaking family. It’s crazy,” said Kennedy, glancing out the window at the homey Arizonian scenery.

“I know,” added Jared. “And I can’t wait to sleep in my bed and not these crappy seats or the mysterious beds at the Holiday Inn.”

I giggled. “That’s nasty, Jared. I already try my hardest to forget about what could have happened in the same bed that I’ll be sleeping in. Just stop right there.” I held my hand up.

He chuckled and smiled while muttering, “Sorry, Cara.”

“I want to see my dog and my parents, too. Especially my mom,” Pat replied with a small smile. I smiled back at him.

“Aw,” cooed Tim. “Little Patty is excited to see his mommy and his puppy. How cute.”

“Uh, she’s your mommy, too,” he responded. “And you’re just jealous that Mom probably missed me more than you.” I chuckled, but quickly stopped when I noticed Tim’s eyes flash towards my face.

“You’re absolutely right, young brother. You know why?” Tim didn’t give Pat any chance to answer the rhetorical question. “Because she worries about her little-wittle baby. She knows her eldest son can take care of himself.”

My faced scrunched up a little. “You’re, uh… You’re a little full of yourself there, aren’t you, Tim?” I laughed lightly.

“You know it, baby.” I rolled my eyes. I really did hate it when people called me baby. “Anyway, Mom’s probably going to shower you with hugs and kisses and then she’ll most likely give me one of each and be done,” Tim explained with a teasing smile on his face. “Mom always did need to tend after you a lot more than me. Baby.” A couple of the others laughed softly.

“Aw,” I replied, my arms sliding around Pat’s frame from the side, for I was sitting next to him in the back of the van. “Stop making fun of him and trying to embarrass him.”

“I’m just speaking the truth, sister,” Tim said lowly while giving a nonchalant wave of his hand.

“And don’t call me sister,” I added with darkness, but eventually breaking out into a strong smile towards the end. I couldn’t help it. Tim’s relationship with his brother was funny. It was like Garrett’s and mine, minus the weird moments of uncommonly kindness and concern. “Hey, John?” I called out to our driver of the moment, much like most of the others.

His eyes smoothly switched their gaze to the mirror, his eyes finding mine immediately. “Yes?”

I blinked. “Are we there yet?” My brother groaned at my childish question, but the others obviously thought it was humorous and amusing.

John’s perfect mouth cracked a small celestial smile that made my heart beat harder just once. “Do you see us pulling into a parking lot at the moment?”

“Um,” I took a quick look around outside of the moving van. We were still on a highway… “No,” I responded with a little morose.

His smile increased in size. “Than we aren’t there yet,” he answered, his eyes connecting with the road once again.

I groaned and crossed my arms like a little kid throwing a temper tantrum. “I’m so bored.”

“Let’s play that question game!” Kennedy suggested with a smile.

I grinned like a maniac, as did Pat. “Yeah! Who wants to play, too?” Pat’s hand shot up quicker than a bullet coming from a machine gun. Kennedy raised his arm not soon after his. We all looked over at Garrett with expectant eyes. With one dramatic roll of his eyes, my brother lazily raised his hand somewhat and to the side a bit. “Yay! Who wants to go first?”

“Me!” Wow. Kennedy was very keen on this game, apparently. “Okay… I pick Garrett,” he stated, eyes on my brother.

My brother’s eyes flickered over to Kennedy’s face. “Oh joy,” he muttered sarcastically, readjusting himself in his seat.

“What celebrity would you want to date?”

“Wow! Dumbest question ever! Taylor Swift, of course,” my brother answered as if everybody in the world should know that answer. I rolled my eyes. Of course Garrett goes for the blonde, blue-eyed, ex-Abercrombie model, country singer…

Kennedy had a small smile grace his face. “Nice,” he said approvingly with a nod of his head.

“You know it,” he answered. “Uh… Trevor, you sure you don’t want to play?”

“Huh? Oh, nah. I’m good,” Trevor answered with a grin.

“Damn,” my brother muttered. “I was going to ask you how much money it would take to make you shave your fro off.” I snorted, as did John, Jared, and Tim. Pat and Kennedy laughed. “But, uh, anyway… Pat. If you could only take three things to an island with you, what would those things be?”

Pat blinked once as he started to smile. “My phone, a comb, and a big bowl of fruit.” He turned towards me and then said, “Sorry, Cara. I was going to say you, but then you might get hurt or something and I don’t want you to be stranded on an island.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet,” I mumbled before quickly kissing him on the cheek and smiling back at him brightly.

“Oh my God,” my brother groaned, lolling his head back against the window. “Yak.” Pat and I chuckled, as did Kennedy and Trevor. I even think that Jared, who was somewhat listening in while playing with the radio, laughed softly. As for Tim, well he was another one that rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. And John… Well he stayed silent while keeping his eyes overly focused while driving, of course.

“Okay! Ready, Cara?” Pat asked me energetically. I nodded my head quickly. “Alright! If you could play any instrument in the world, what would it be? Oh! And then, what instrument would you want to play within the ones we use?”

“Hey, that’s two questions!”

“Shut up,” I hissed to Garrett and Tim’s annoying voices in unison. “Um… Within the band, I’m not sure. Singing’s out the question. The drums seem too hard and it looks like it takes too much energy, so not the drums. Sorry, Pat,” I apologized with a small smile, which Pat also returned. “And I’m not picking bass, because freaking Garrett over here already took that. And I wouldn’t pick it because if I started learning bass, our whole family would think how cute it was that I was learning the same instrument that he knows,” I explained within somewhat of a rush towards the last part of my detailed explanation.

“So… guitar?”

“Sure,” I answered Kennedy with a shrug. “But if I could learn anything, it might be the piano. It’s pretty.” I finished my words with a dreamy smile.

“Wow. You would want to learn the damn piano,” Garrett said sarcastically. “You’d probably quit it within a year of lessons consisting of once a week. Just like the violin.”

I gaped at my brother. “G-Garrett!” A smirk spread across his face as Kennedy laughed. “I-I-”

“Quit the violin within a year like Mom had perfectly guessed? Yeah. I know.”

“It hurt my freaking fingers! My arms would hurt, too! You have no idea, Garrett,” I responded as I crossed my arms and pouted. “You’re stupid.”

“Yep.”

All who was listening laughed at our little show. Well I was glad that somebody was amused, because I, for one, was not at all.