bad. What if he’s left this street and is on the busy main road? Or what if he’s been snatched? Or hurt? He’s so small. Tears spring to my eyes. This is bad.
“Jay!” I scream as loudly as I can, running up and down the street hoping I’ll see him hiding behind a car or something.
“Becca!” I hear someone call my name and turn to see Ryan at the bottom of his driveway. I rush toward him panicking.
“I can’t find my cousin. He’s only five and I don’t know where he is.” I’m wringing my hands anxiously. I don’t know what to do.
Ryan reaches out to touch my arm trying to calm me down. “Becca, relax,” he says just as Jay strolls out of Ryan’s house and heads down the driveway toward us.
“Oh my God!” Relief floods my body and I reach out to grab Jay, pulling him into a tight hug. Then I get mad and hold him away from me.
“What the hell were you thinking? You don’t just run off like that, Jay!” I scold shaking him hard.
“Becca, stop.” Ryan pulls Jay away from me. I stand up, my whole body is shaking; a mixture of adrenaline, relief and anger.
“Don’t ever do that to me again!” I shout, pacing up and down. One glance at Jay tells me he doesn’t care at all that I’m mad. He just pulls a face at me. “I didn’t know where you were!” I shout again. “Never do that again.” Jay just rolls his eyes at me. Actually rolls his eyes. At me. Like I’m being unreasonable.
“I wanted to see, Ryan,” he says.
Wait, what? This is news to me. How does he know Ryan? I turn to look at Ryan accusingly. He holds his hands up like he’s innocent. “He just turned up,” he explains.
“AND YOU DIDN’T THINK TO LET ME KNOW?” I explode.
“We were just coming to,” he says. “He just wanted to use the bathroom first.”
I put my hands on my hips and sigh. “How do you even know each other, anyway?”
“Duh, Becca! We’ve known each other forever,” Jay says like I’m stupid.
I turn to Ryan for an explanation. He shrugs. “Your parents bring him over with them sometimes and we kick it.”
This is news to me. Jay grins up at Ryan. Clearly he’s a member of Ryan’s fan club.
“Ryan’s way cooler than you, Becca,” Jay tells me. “Ryan’s a player!” he declares proudly.
I raise my eyebrows at Ryan. “You’ve told my five-year-old cousin that you’re a player?”
Ryan blushes. “No, of course not.”
“Jake and Mason said so,” Jay continues coming to Ryan’s rescue. “He gets all the girls.”
I roll my eyes. “Come on, we’re going,” I say reaching for Jay’s hand.
“I want to stay here!” Jay shouts in protest. I ignore him and grab his hand, pulling him down the driveway. He yanks his hand free and runs back up the driveway.
“Seriously, Jay, move! You are already in trouble for just disappearing,” I shout at him.
“I don’t want to go with you.”
“Tough!”
“No! You don’t want to look after me anyway.”
I freeze at this. I hadn’t realized he could hear me on the phone with Charlie. I suddenly feel ashamed of myself and refuse to look over at Ryan.
“I wanna stay with Ryan,” he shouts again, his voice getting even louder. Ughhh! What am I supposed to do?
I look at Ryan, who just shrugs at me. “He can stay, if you want,” he tells me.
“You’d really watch him for a bit?” I ask, surprised. I did not have Ryan down for the babysitting type.
“Sure. We can just play some ball or something.”
I don’t know what to do. Part of me is angry with Jay and thinks he shouldn’t be rewarded for running off, but then if I drag him home, I’ll have to deal with him.
“But you’ll have to stay too,” Ryan continues. “I can’t watch him all by myself.”
Well, that decides it then. I shake my head and go to grab Jay again, but he just runs away from me. I sigh, exasperated. I really do not have any control over him.
“Just stay,” Ryan says to me. “I’ll play a bit of ball with him, tire him out, then
“Jay!” I scream as loudly as I can, running up and down the street hoping I’ll see him hiding behind a car or something.
“Becca!” I hear someone call my name and turn to see Ryan at the bottom of his driveway. I rush toward him panicking.
“I can’t find my cousin. He’s only five and I don’t know where he is.” I’m wringing my hands anxiously. I don’t know what to do.
Ryan reaches out to touch my arm trying to calm me down. “Becca, relax,” he says just as Jay strolls out of Ryan’s house and heads down the driveway toward us.
“Oh my God!” Relief floods my body and I reach out to grab Jay, pulling him into a tight hug. Then I get mad and hold him away from me.
“What the hell were you thinking? You don’t just run off like that, Jay!” I scold shaking him hard.
“Becca, stop.” Ryan pulls Jay away from me. I stand up, my whole body is shaking; a mixture of adrenaline, relief and anger.
“Don’t ever do that to me again!” I shout, pacing up and down. One glance at Jay tells me he doesn’t care at all that I’m mad. He just pulls a face at me. “I didn’t know where you were!” I shout again. “Never do that again.” Jay just rolls his eyes at me. Actually rolls his eyes. At me. Like I’m being unreasonable.
“I wanted to see, Ryan,” he says.
Wait, what? This is news to me. How does he know Ryan? I turn to look at Ryan accusingly. He holds his hands up like he’s innocent. “He just turned up,” he explains.
“AND YOU DIDN’T THINK TO LET ME KNOW?” I explode.
“We were just coming to,” he says. “He just wanted to use the bathroom first.”
I put my hands on my hips and sigh. “How do you even know each other, anyway?”
“Duh, Becca! We’ve known each other forever,” Jay says like I’m stupid.
I turn to Ryan for an explanation. He shrugs. “Your parents bring him over with them sometimes and we kick it.”
This is news to me. Jay grins up at Ryan. Clearly he’s a member of Ryan’s fan club.
“Ryan’s way cooler than you, Becca,” Jay tells me. “Ryan’s a player!” he declares proudly.
I raise my eyebrows at Ryan. “You’ve told my five-year-old cousin that you’re a player?”
Ryan blushes. “No, of course not.”
“Jake and Mason said so,” Jay continues coming to Ryan’s rescue. “He gets all the girls.”
I roll my eyes. “Come on, we’re going,” I say reaching for Jay’s hand.
“I want to stay here!” Jay shouts in protest. I ignore him and grab his hand, pulling him down the driveway. He yanks his hand free and runs back up the driveway.
“Seriously, Jay, move! You are already in trouble for just disappearing,” I shout at him.
“I don’t want to go with you.”
“Tough!”
“No! You don’t want to look after me anyway.”
I freeze at this. I hadn’t realized he could hear me on the phone with Charlie. I suddenly feel ashamed of myself and refuse to look over at Ryan.
“I wanna stay with Ryan,” he shouts again, his voice getting even louder. Ughhh! What am I supposed to do?
I look at Ryan, who just shrugs at me. “He can stay, if you want,” he tells me.
“You’d really watch him for a bit?” I ask, surprised. I did not have Ryan down for the babysitting type.
“Sure. We can just play some ball or something.”
I don’t know what to do. Part of me is angry with Jay and thinks he shouldn’t be rewarded for running off, but then if I drag him home, I’ll have to deal with him.
“But you’ll have to stay too,” Ryan continues. “I can’t watch him all by myself.”
Well, that decides it then. I shake my head and go to grab Jay again, but he just runs away from me. I sigh, exasperated. I really do not have any control over him.
“Just stay,” Ryan says to me. “I’ll play a bit of ball with him, tire him out, then
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