Chris and Emily stood on the steps and watched as the taillights disappeared down the Steins’ driveway. The police had taken Big Dog, Ruff, and Scrappy away in separate cars, and Buck, Blanche, Liz, and Chestnut drove off as well.
Back inside, Emily, Ana, and Brandon collapsed together on a couch. Smiling, Chris perched himself on the arm.
“That day was . . .” Brandon sighed, then grinned. “That day was fucking incredible.”
Emily let out a burst of laughter. It was insane, sure, but in retrospect . . . the day was kind of awesome. The definition of YOLO.
“We did get Pickles out of it,” Ana said, holding up her new dog.
“But can we make a deal?” Emily asked. “Next time we go on any kind of road trip, can we promise not to make any stops along the way. Who knows what kind of luck we’ll have next time.”
“Deal,” Ana and Brandon said.
“Aren’t you guys pumped for the party?” Chris asked. “That’s what this whole thing was about, right?”
Emily nodded as she sank back into the extremely soft, extremely comfortable couch. “Yeah, I suppose . . .” The music thumping from the patio sounded more and more distant by the second. “I’m sure we’ll party in a few minutes.”
“A few minutes,” Ana agreed with a yawn.
Brandon let out a snore in response.
Emily tried to let out a laugh, but at that point exhaustion had taken over. She felt herself slipping into a deep sleep. It’d be a long day. The party could wait.