anachronistic (adj.)

old fashioned and antique in a way that blatantly clashes with the surroundings; belonging to another time period

* * *

SUNDAY afternoon, Ethan finally showed me around town. I suspected that Aunt Kelli had something to do with him finally getting his act together. He was super busy with football the past week, so we kept delaying my mini-tour.

"I was thinking of starting on Main Street, unless there's somewhere else you want to see," he said as we hopped in his car.

"Sounds good to me. I don't really have a preference."

He put the key in the ignition and started the car. "Any music you want to listen to?"

"I don't really care," I lied. I definitely had a music taste but was semi-embarrassed by it. Most of the kids my age—especially the guys—listened to rap music, but I hated it with a passion. Pop and 80s music were more my thing.

"You know it's okay to have an opinion, right?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm just not used to being asked. My old friends were kinda controlling." I laughed humorlessly, "Wow, that sounds super depressing."

"That sucks. You can pick whatever. I won't bite."

I searched a few radio stations as he pulled out of the driveway. We fell into an easy silence as I looked out the window to gain some semblance of a bearing. My car was arriving from Chicago soon, and I didn't want to remain reliant on my GPS. The cell service in Haven Beach was spotty enough.

After driving down unremarkable roads for several minutes, we pulled into another parking lot in front of a small strip mall. There were seven distinct stores in front of us, all with signs above their doors. The buildings didn't look recently constructed, but they weren't at the point of falling apart.

"So that's the grocery store," he gestured towards the small shop titled Haven Deli on the far right. "Then there's the hardware store, coffee shop, library, and a few clothing stores." He pointed down the line of similar-looking stores.

"It's a lot smaller than I expected," I said as I stared at the storefronts.

"Yeah, this is actually the main area in town. About three thousand people live here year-round, so we don't need much." He gestured to the park on the opposite side of the street. A few kids were playing on the playground while their mothers sat under the gazebo.

"What do you do if you want to go to a Target or a big retail store?" I made Target and Starbucks runs weekly back in Chicago and was already starting to go through a withdrawal. I couldn't grasp how people in Haven Beach survived without them.

"You have to go to Mashpee Commons, which is like thirty minutes away. There's not much to do around here... Boring, I know."

"I think the small-town feel is nice. It sure beats the noise of the city."

"You'll get bored of it soon enough. Just wait until the dead of winter," he scoffed. "Pretty much everything closes at the first snowfall."

"Doubt it. I love how charming Haven Beach is. Makes me wish I grew up here."

He nodded. "Yeah, that would have been nice. Although, I'm not so sure about how Grandmother and Grandfather would have felt about it."

"What do you mean?" Based on my mom's reaction when Uncle Ricky brought them up at dinner, there was still bad blood between them. It surprised me that they still hated each other's guts. Maybe I expected too much from people, I thought my mom would go to their house and they would all hug it out.

"I don't know the full story, but they kinda, uh, disowned your mom," he said. "They've said a few... things during Thanksgivings and Christmases. My parents don't really talk to them much 'cause of it."

"That bad?" I whistled. Suddenly, I didn't blame my mom for hating them.

He grimaced. "Yeah. You'll see when they come over for Christmas... Not to defend them or anything, but they're pretty old-school."

"What do you mean?"

"Uh, they always have some colorful language to describe your family. And ours too, I guess. It's a lot of outdated bullshit," he said. "You should probably ask your mom if you're curious. I don't know the whole story, and I don't wanna dig up something that's dead and buried."

"Hmm, I guess I will." My curiosity was definitely piqued, but a small part of me knew I wouldn't get an answer. My mom was a master at deflecting questions and hanging the subject. She's definitely the parent I got it from.

"Ready to go?" he asked after a pause.

"Sure. Where to next?"

"The movie theater."

"A movie theater? What's so special about it?"

"It's... retro, I guess? It has those marquee lights and old decor. The owners also have a drive-in on the adjacent lot," he said, putting the car in reverse. "We spend a ton of time there during the summer. I think you'll like it. Aubrey and Delaney are obsessed."

We soon pulled into a dilapidated parking lot in front of a large building. I immediately took notice of the 1960s-esque neon lights and sign above the theater's entrance. The anachronistic sign with peeling wood trim advertised a movie that came out last week.

You would think the modern and vintage designs would clash, but it worked nicely.

I turned my head and focused on the huge, half-lit arrow that said drive-in. It pointed towards the white screen in the back of the open field. I could just envision a cluster of pick-up trucks, filled with families filling the field in the summertime.

"Wow," I breathed. "That's really cool."

"You should see it at night. Even more lights come on after sunset. I swear, you can see them from miles away. They're that bright."

"Can't wait to see it," I said in wonder as I continued looking around. "Are the—"

I was interrupted by Ethan's ringtone. "It's Aubrey. I'm sorry, I gotta take this."

He stepped out of the car to answer the call. I watched him pace around the parking lot before I got bored and turned to stare at the mesmerizing red and blue lights in front of me.

I was snapped out of my hypnotic state when Ethan opened the door. Guilt was written all over his face and body language. I instantly knew our tour was about to be cut short.

"I'm really sorry, but Aubrey needs me right now. Her sister—"

I cut him off, "It's okay, no need to explain. We can finish this another time." I gave him my best reassuring smile.

He ran his fingers through his mussed hair. "Can I at least call Ben and see if he'd be willing to show you around?"

"That's alright with me," I shrugged. "Don't beat yourself up, though. Your girlfriend needs you."

He sighed and unlocked his phone to text Ben.

Seconds later, he looked up. "Okay, so Ben's hanging with Eli right now. He said they'll meet you here in ten-ish minutes. Do you want me to stay or is it okay if I take off?"

"I'll be fine on my own," I lied. I didn't want to be alone in an unfamiliar place, but I also didn't want to hold him up. "Go help Aubrey."

"Thank you, I'll make it up to you," he said.

I stepped out of the car and sat down on the curb in front of the theater. I scrolled through TikTok as I waited for Ben and Eli to show up.

* * *

Twenty-six minutes later, just as I was about to ask my mom to come pick me up, a familiar Jeep came flying into the parking lot. It pulled up to the curb, mere inches away from where I was sitting.

Ben was lucky that I was paying attention.

Eli rolled down the window from the passenger seat as the car came to a stop. "Get in, loser."

"Are we going shopping?" I asked.

"No. I fucking hate shopping," Ben said with a scowl on his face. What did shopping ever do to him?

I opened the backseat door and slid in.

"Where were you guys? I was starting to think that you left me here alone." I tried to keep the annoyance out of my tone, but it seeped through anyway.

"Someone didn't want to quit our Call Of Duty Game," Eli supplied, looking straight at Ben. He turned around to face me, "Sorry. I tried to get us to leave as soon as Ethan texted."

Ben started the car and pulled away from the curb.

"So your Xbox games are more important than me?" I asked, fake hurt lacing my tone. Might as well make them feel guilty for worrying me.

Ben raised his hands in surrender, "Hey, I couldn't just quit. Quitters are shitters."

"Keep your hands on the fucking wheel, Ben. You're gonna get us killed." Eli reached over and seized the wheel, making the car swerve. Thank goodness we were still in the parking lot. "How the fuck did you even get your license?"

"Cállate, it's fine," he muttered. "I'm a better driver than you."

I couldn't help but wonder who pissed in Ben's cereal.

Eli turned around to face me and dramatically rolled his eyes.

"So, where has pussy-whipped Ethan taken you so far?" Ben asked.

"The Main Street shopping area, the library, and obviously the movie theater."

"Boring," Ben sang. He made brief eye contact with me in the rearview mirror. "We're going to show you all the fun places 'cause Grandpa Ethan is no fun. That's what being pussy-whipped does to you. Take notes, guys."

Eli snorted. "Don't worry about me."

Ben made a small sound that sounded suspiciously like a snort.

"What?" Eli asked.

"Nothing," Ben snickered, glancing at me in the mirror with a smirk on his face.

"So... where are we going?" I asked.

"You'll see when we get there," Ben smirked.

"A surprise. My favorite thing ever," I deadpanned. I had experienced enough surprises for a lifetime.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading chapter 12! What are your thoughts on the book so far? I really hope you like it! 💚

QOTC: What is your favorite movie? (Or TV show)

My Answer: I loooove the Hunger Games movies and books.