Chapter Text
Jackson, Wyoming
Ping.
Ellie woke with a grunt, disoriented in the way that only ever happened when she got a few hours of sleep.
Her eyes itched, and she’d fallen asleep playing her Game Boy. She peeled her face off the control pad with a wince, the screen flickering as the batteries held on to the last of their charge.
She turned it off, rubbing the indent on her cheek while her phone chimed two more times. Fuck.
Buckley had migrated up the bed at some point during the night. He raised his head to shoot her a disgruntled look before dropping back down to the pillow with a heavy sigh, exhaling hot dog breath in her face.
Ping ping ping.
“Fuck, okay,” Ellie grumbled, grasping for her phone on the nightstand and knocking into the lamp. She unlocked her phone, squinting in the sudden wash of light.
6:00 am.
Tommy: Morning, hon! Making your favorite for breakfast. Come hungry!
6:02 am.
Maria: Hey, I had to run out to the ranch last minute. I’ll be back in an hour. Don’t leave without saying goodbye!
6:03 am.
Jesse: i'm gonna swing by to see you two off
Jesse: i’m here. you up, dude?
Jesse: tommy is making a shit ton of food!
Jesse: actually, keep sleeping. more pancakes for me
Ellie rolled her eyes at Jesse’s last message and shot off responses to everyone. She was about to put down her phone when it chimed again.
6:10 am.
Dina: Today’s the day!!!!
Ellie: holy shit, dude. fucking unreal
Dina: I know! See you soon :)
Ellie grinned stupidly at the screen, excitement crashing over her in a sudden, giddy wave.
She let the phone drop onto the comforter and twisted toward Buckley, squishing his face between her hands. “What do you think, old timer? Is this gonna be fucking awesome or what?”
Buckley wagged his tail and tried to lick her nose. Good enough for me.
Ellie got ready as fast as possible, changing shirts when she dropped toothpaste down her front and stuffing all her last-minute items into her backpack.
She surveyed the room after putting on a hoodie, mentally ticking things off her packing list while pulling her hair into a sloppy half bun. Phone. Wallet. Knife. Dog. Dog?
“Come on, boy. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here,” she told Buckley, who yawned and jumped off the bed. He pushed past her as soon as she opened the door, trotting off to do his routine loop of the yard while she walked toward the main house.
Her mouth started watering the second she stepped into the foyer, the heady smell of breakfast food comingling with the stronger scent of coffee. She dropped her backpack on the floor and headed down the hallway.
Tommy was flipping pancakes at the stove, humming along with the tinny notes drifting from Maria’s ancient radio. He smiled when he saw her, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Mornin’, hon.”
“Hey,” Ellie said, tugging open the junk drawer and sifting through it until she found a handful of double A batteries. Score.
Jesse swiveled in his chair, his face splitting into a grin. “Look who’s finally up! I thought I was gonna have to come knock on your door for five minutes so you didn’t miss out on your big trip.”
“Yeah yeah,” Ellie grumbled, pocketing the batteries and gratefully accepting the plate of food Tommy handed her. She slid into the seat across from Jesse, scoffing when she took in his neatly pressed dress shirt. “You look like a fucking scrub.”
“Hey! It’s the first day of my internship,” Jesse said, straightening his tie. “I wanted to look sharp.”
“For who, the turbines?” She took a huge bite of her pancakes and pointed her fork at him as Tommy sat beside her. “You’re working at the dam. I don’t think you have to worry about making a good impression.”
Jesse guffawed. “Oh, okay! You’re gonna talk to me about good impressions, button face?”
Ellie scowled and pressed her fingers against her cheek, directing a wounded look at Tommy when he chuckled. “Et tu, Brute?”
“It’s less that and more the chocolate you just smeared on your face,” he said, smiling when she scrubbed at her cheek with a napkin. “You’re a hot mess, kid.”
Ellie wasn’t going to disagree with that—but she also wasn’t going to admit to it when Jesse was grinning at her in an annoyingly smug way. Instead, she pulled out her phone to shoot Dina a quick text while Jesse and Tommy talked sustainability practices.
Between Tommy’s career in range management and Jesse majoring in environmental engineering, it was always a popular topic with them. She focused on her breakfast, half tuning them out until her phone vibrated.
6:49 am.
Dina: Hey, I got here a bit early. Jesse here too?
Ellie: yeah, he came over for breakfast
Ellie: you should come have some. there’s plenty of food
Dina: Nah, I’m good. Take your time—I’ll get the Jeep hooked up to the sub sandwich ;)
Ellie: dude, come onnn
Dina: Combo #6, no onions, extra tomatoes.
Ellie: it’s The Hero! give her some respect
Dina: I might have to if *that’s* what finally makes you use capitalization when you text.
Ellie: you’re hilarious
Dina: I know I am, thanks :)
Dina had looked skeptical when Ellie had unveiled the name of their camper with all the grandiose pomp of a captain naming a battleship. “The Hero, huh? Wow. You’re really taking your comic book thing to a whole new level.”
“It’s not—I don’t have a comic book thing,” Ellie spluttered like her defense wasn’t completely undermined by the grungy Savage Starlight shirt she was rocking. “And it’s not—that’s missing the point!”
“Oooh, right,” she’d said, fluidly snapping her fingers and pointing at her. “It’s more than meets the eye—a Transformer!”
Dina had laughed at her put-out expression, turning back to the camper and running her fingers along the detailing that Ellie had designed—the slanted words with motion lines forming the subtle shape of a fluttering cloak. “So if it’s not superheroes or robots, what’s that leave?”
Ellie rolled her eyes, propping a shoulder against the sun warmed metal. “Adventure. You know—home is behind, the world ahead…”
“And there are many paths to tread,” Dina finished, her lips curling up into one of those warm, pleased smiles that always left Ellie a little breathless. “Oh. A journey.”
“That’s—yeah,” Ellie said, coughing when the word unexpectedly caught her throat. She tried again, aiming for nonchalant and landing a little short. “And you call me a nerd.”
The remembered affection in Dina’s gaze filled her with more warmth than even the imminent promise of freedom and adventure.
Jesse was smiling at her knowingly when she looked up from her phone. “Dina here?”
“Yeah, and already in rare form.”
“What else is new?” Jesse asked wryly, checking his phone with a grimace. “I should probably head out anyways.”
“Water shame you have to leave so soon,” Ellie said, snickering when Tommy and Jesse both groaned.
“It never gets old,” Jesse sighed, getting to his feet. Still grinning, she stood too and reached for the empty plates.
“Don’t worry ‘bout that,” Tommy said, waving them away. “I’ll clean up later. ’Sides, I think I heard the garage open a few minutes ago. Maria is probably waitin’ out there with Dina.”
Jesse looked grateful. “Thanks for breakfast, Tommy. It was delicious.”
“Yeah, thank you,” Ellie echoed as they headed toward the front door, bumping his arm with her shoulder. “Those pancakes were fucking bomb.”
“Don’t mention it,” Tommy said, handing Ellie her bag as Jesse stepped outside. He retrieved a small cooler from next to the coat closet and held it out to her with a smile. “Made you lunch, too. Nothin’ fancy, but it’ll get you two through the first leg today.”
Ellie took the cooler and cradled it against her chest, swallowing past the lump in her throat. “Tommy…”
“It was a joint adoption—and it was in the fine print that I get to spoil you rotten,” Tommy had always joked when she’d had a difficult time accepting his kindness those first few years.
Even now, it was easier to look at the scuffed lid than to meet his gaze when she murmured, “Thank you.”
“Seriously, don’t mention it.” He gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze and held open the screen door. “Come on, hon. Let’s get you on the road.”
Dina was talking to Maria and Joel in the driveway while Buckley sat at their feet, his tail slowly wagging as he nosed at Joel's hand for attention.
“Hey, big brother,” Tommy said cheerfully, loping down the porch steps and clapping him on the shoulder. “It’s good to see you.”
“Howdy,” Joel said, his eyes flickering toward her. Ellie met his gaze coldly, the familiar anger stirring in her stomach. Some of it must have shown on her face because he quickly looked away, a muscle jumping in his clenched jaw.
Maria and Tommy exchanged looks, but Ellie pretended not to notice. Bad enough that Joel was here—that she even had to see him at all today. Just because he was allowed here for this kind of thing didn’t mean she had to be civil about it.
Whatever. She glowered at the ground, digging the toe of her Converse into the walkway as Dina joined her and Jesse next to the porch.
“Ellie! Hey,” Dina said brightly, her eyes shining with excitement, and the worst of the anger faded. Ellie’s lips twisted up at the corner of their volition, and Dina rewarded her with a grin.
Almost like it was an afterthought, she gave Jesse the barest glance. “Jesse.”
“Dina,” he said, looking skyward like he was summoning patience. “You two stay safe out there, alright?”
“Yes, sir!” Dina said sarcastically, saluting. She took the cooler from her hands, tugging at her backpack strap until Ellie gave her the bag too. “I’ll put this stuff in the car. Take your time saying goodbye to everyone, okay?”
“Uh, yeah. Thanks,” Ellie said, raising her eyebrows at Jesse when Dina was out of earshot. “Brr.”
He groaned. “You’re telling me.”
“I’m sure it’s temporary, man. You two will be back together before the end of the summer.”
“Not gonna happen. Not this time,” he said tiredly, rubbing his eyes with one hand.
Ellie bit her bottom lip. Dina and Jesse had been dating on and off since they were fourteen, but they’d always ended up drifting back together. While it hadn’t come as a surprise when they’d broken up again right before finals week, she also didn’t see why this time would be any different than all the others.
Jesse smiled after a moment, punching her in the arm. “Anyways, I hope you guys have a good time. Try not to get into too much trouble.”
“Pssh, when do we ever?”
“That’s reassuring.”
Ellie grinned, joining Maria and Tommy beside the camper as Jesse headed towards his car.
“Hey, hon. I was glad to see you didn’t hit the road already,” Maria said, her lips twitching like she was fighting a smile. “I thought it would be rubber to pavement the second you woke up.”
“What, and leave without saying goodbye? No fucking way,” Ellie said, exchanging grins with Tommy when Maria gave a long-suffering sigh. “Everything okay with your parents?”
Maria, a lawyer by trade, split most of her time these days between working at one of the law firms in town and helping her older parents manage their small ranch. She always joked that the latter should be a full-time job.
“They’re fine. It’s just the usual pigheadedness,” she said tiredly, rubbing her forehead like she had a headache forming. “It works out Joel is here today—I need to ask him if he can help with repairs on their barn before my dad breaks his neck trying to do it himself.”
“Hey, what’s the point of havin’ a carpenter in the family if he ain’t gonna help with this kinda thing?” Tommy said, patting her shoulder and smiling when Maria covered his hand with hers. “He’ll take care of it.”
Ellie looked back at the house, where Joel had retreated to the porch with Buckley. He was leaning on his elbows against the railing, quiet and watchful. She let her eyes slide over him like he was part of the house.
“Does he have to fucking stare?” She asked, unable to keep the sullenness from her voice.
“Hey, that’s the rule. He can come to this kind of thing if he keeps his distance, and so far he’s upheld his end of the bargain,” Maria said in her no-nonsense lawyer voice, eliciting a surprised yelp from Ellie when she poked her in the side. “So cool it with that glare.”
Ellie frowned, knowing better than to argue. That was the rule, and she’d mostly—grudgingly—made the concession right before her high school graduation because Tommy had looked so sad about the prospect of Joel not being there for it.
Not that he’d said anything. Tommy, who’d once had his own falling out with Joel after he’d enlisted in the Army, had never made Ellie feel like she was in the wrong about things.
After her and Joel’s estrangement, or whatever the fuck this was, Tommy and Maria had taken her in, no questions asked, even when it’d meant being caught in the middle of all the fallout.
Ellie had remembered thinking that Joel would hear about this stuff anyways, like secondhand knowledge. Better to get it over with sooner than later, like ripping off a Band-Aid—even if it meant she had to see him every now and then.
Maria’s eyes softened after a moment. She tucked a loose strand of Ellie’s hair behind her ear, letting her hand drop to her shoulder. “Just—be safe out there, okay?”
“I will.”
“And if you need anthin’, you holler at us,” Tommy said, gripping her other shoulder. “We’re just a phone call or a text away.”
“Guys—"
“I know, I know, we’re a drag,” Maria broke in, holding up a hand. “Just one more thing. I know you’re off on the trip of a lifetime, but try to text us every once in a while to let us know you’re doing okay.”
She was smiling as she said it, but Tommy was wearing the same expression as when she’d started her first day of college last September—a bittersweet mixture of pride and sadness, like she wasn’t going to school just 15 minutes down the road.
It made something in her chest tighten. Because maybe she’d been looking forward to this moment for years, but Tommy and Maria were also the main things Ellie would miss most about Jackson. The only things she would miss.
“We’ll be fine,” Ellie told them as they pulled her into a hug, pressing her eyes shut for a moment. “I promise.”
Dina was scrolling on her phone when Ellie finally climbed into the driver’s seat, her feet resting on the dash.
“Are those my sunglasses?” She asked, squinting at her as she buckled in and started the car.
“I found them in the glove compartment,” Dina said, which totally wasn’t an answer. She let her feet drop and raised the sunglasses to her forehead, grinning at her expectantly. “Well? We getting this fucking party started or what?”
“Fuck yeah,” Ellie said, returning her grin. She readjusted the rearview mirror, watching as Tommy and Maria joined Joel on the porch.
They eased out of the driveway, Dina rolling down the window to wave at everyone.
Ellie glanced in the rearview mirror one final time as they pulled away. Tommy and Maria were already heading into the house, but Joel was still leaning against the railing, his hand half-raised.
“It was sweet of them to give you a send-off.”
She let her gaze snap forward again. “What?”
“Your family. That was really nice of them,” Dina said, twisting in her seat. “My mom left for work before I even woke up—she stuck a note on the fridge reminding me to bring sunscreen.”
Ellie snorted. “Hey, that’s nice too.”
“Oh sure, especially when it’s ‘don’t forget to bring sunscreen and to use it, or you’ll get more freckles,’” Dina said in an uncanny impression of her mom’s voice. “Like thanks, mom. Maybe I want more freckles.”
“Trying to cop my style?”
“Duh.” She reached out and pinched her cheek. “You’re just so adorable. How could I not?”
Ellie pushed her hand away, her face flushing. “Shut up.”
Dina laughed, sitting back into her seat, and Ellie couldn’t help her mouth from quirking. “What?”
“Nothing. I just can’t believe this is really happening,” Ellie said, turning onto route 191. She hesitated, then added, “I kinda wasn’t sure you’d still want to go after, you know, everything with Jesse.”
Dina blew out a long breath. “I’m fine.”
“Yeah, I know you are. It’s just that—” She cast around for a few seconds, trying to land on the right words. “You seem, uh, kinda serious about it this time.”
“I am,” Dina said firmly, resting her hand on Ellie’s arm. “But—hey. Let’s save that conversation for the road and focus on the fact that we’re really fucking doing this.”
She squeezed her arm, sounding as happy as Ellie felt, and she grinned helplessly because—fuck. They’d been talking about doing a cross country road trip together for years.
They’d been hanging out in Ellie’s room one day after school, Dina casually flipping through a magazine while Ellie read a paperback about adventures and dragons.
“Hey, check this out,” Dina said, waiting until Ellie had lowered the book before handing her the magazine.
“Uh, what am I checking out?” Ellie asked quizzically as Dina slid from the bed to sit cross-legged beside her.
“This,” she said, tapping one of the glossy pages where a smiling family stood in front of an RV. “Can you imagine traveling across the country in one of these things? My mom would flip.”
“Not if you were an adult,” Ellie countered, shrugging. They were sitting shoulder to shoulder, and the movement made Dina’s arm lift slightly.
“Fair point,” Dina said, leaning closer and placing a finger on the page. “Do you think people really enjoy traveling in these things?”
"I mean, yeah. If you’re gonna do a road trip, this seems like the way to do it—these things are like little portable homes," she said, examining the RV. “I mean, wouldn’t you enjoy it if you had one?”
Dina thought about it for a moment, her expression turning wistful. “Yeah…and I’d go see the whole country!”
“Or travel to another country.”
“Maybe one day we can.”
Ellie scoffed. “Right. Keep dreaming.”
“I’m serious,” Dina said earnestly, twisting to face her and curling her fingers around her wrist. The sudden intensity in her gaze made her breath stutter. “Let’s do it one day—go on a road trip across the entire country, just you and me.”
Ellie swallowed, feeling too warm at their proximity. She was painfully aware of Dina’s fingers shifting against her wrist, the touch light and soft. “Alright, you’re on.”
Dina had beamed, her hand slipping down to hook their pinky fingers together. “Promise me.”
“I promise,” Ellie said, meaning it.
So much had changed since then, and part of her had always wondered if Dina had taken that promise as seriously as she had. Now, with Dina beside her and the view stretching in front of them, it finally sunk in that it’d been just as real for her the entire time.