Snippet from the new one...

Still working on the edits but getting close...

We climbed back into the van and Lauren immediately tugged her phone from her pocket. She checked her texts, bounced in her seat and started laughing.

            “What?”

            “You don’t want to know,” she said.

            “Come on, just tell me.”

I tried looking at her phone but she switched it to her other hand and held it away. “Only if you promise to remain calm.”

“I’m calm,” I said. “Really. So, where now?”

“Well, let me put it this way. What road trip would be complete if it didn’t involve two coasts?”

Working on a road trip story...

As I looked up at those giant green signs with their bright white arrows, it felt like I could almost see truth. Like I could sense it in myself somewhere. Still, I wasn’t sure. Maybe the truth wasn’t loud enough or I just didn’t know how to listen. East or west? North or south? New or old? Did I want us to turn back? I told myself I didn’t know, had no idea what to do, even as part of me knew it was a lie.