CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
( MUSIC )

     CARMEN TAPS HER foot impatiently. Zach glances at her, furrowing his eyebrows as she taps away at her phone, before placing it by her ear. She gives the boy a weak smile, struggling as she pulls herself up from the couch. He instantly places his hands on her waist, lifting her up effortlessly.

"Aurora?" Carmen questions as the other line clicks. "Hello?"

"This is Jonah," The boy replies. "Aurora is currently . . . busy. We're in a bit of a mix up at the moment, so she told me to answer the phone."

"What's wrong? Is she hurt?" The girl rushes, her heart beginning to speed up. "Jonah, please tell me everything is okay."

"Everything is fine," Jonah assures her quickly. "She's fine, we're fine. I promise. She's just being herself."

"But I look fantabulous in this lighting," Aurora argues in the background. "Can I get my mugshot framed?"

"Jonah!" Carmen gasps. "Why does she need a mugshot? Is Aurora being arrested?"

"No, Aurora doesn't need a mugshot because she's being arrested." Jonah says into the phone, trying to hide the amusement in his voice. "She and two guys from RoadTrip are being put on the 'no flight list'."

"If she gets a frame for her mugshot, I want one too," A boy interjects.

"Oh, thank God," Carmen sighs, placing a hand on Zach's shoulder as he puts the phone on speaker. "You almost gave me a heart attack. Wait- did you say two guys from RoadTrip? Why are they going to Minnesota on the same exact flight?"

"Supposedly it's their next stop on tour," Jonah tells her, his voice echoing from Carmen's phone. "And Aurora didn't take it too lightly when she found out they had seats right next to ours."

"Did you hear that, Jonah?" Aurora asks, her voice within range. "We need to buy picture frames. And hi, Caramel!"

"Hi, Aurora!" Carmen says enthusiastically as Jonah puts her on speaker. "You know, we have plenty of room on the living room wall for pictures."

"I think her mugshots would go great with our decoration theme," Corbyn chimes in, sneaking up behind Carmen and Zach. Zach shrieks, slamming his elbow into Corbyn's stomach. He chuckles, seemingly not fazed by the hit.

Carmen giggles, her attention moving to Jack, who enters the room while shaking his head. "Absolutely not!"

Voices come from the other end of the line, before Aurora finally speaks again.

"As much as I'd love to negotiate where we're putting my mugshots, we need to go. Jonah's parents are probably wondering why we aren't there yet. Bye, Caramel."

"Bye, Aurora," The girl replies before hanging up.

"You do know we're not hanging her mugshots up, right?" Jack raises an eyebrow at Carmen. "I'd rather not enter the living room every morning to see a picture of her staring at me."

"We'll see about that," Carmen chuckles, plopping back down on the couch.

---

"Hey, Addi," Carmen smiles, taking the stool next to her as she enters the kitchen. "We haven't seen you in a few days."

Zach follows closely behind the girl, glancing at the duck that waddles around on the floor.

"Sorry," Addilyn apologizes. "I've been trying to find a Halloween costume for Mr. Quackington."

"We should find costumes for Snuffles and Dobby!" Carmen gasps, looking over at Zach as he shuffles through the cabinets.

"Corbyn," Zach sighs, hanging his head. "How many plates have you broken today?"

"None yet," Corbyn smirks, reaching over his head to grab one of the few remaining plates. Zach shrieks, once again, as the object falls, shattering loudly as it smashes against the floor.

Mr. Quackington honks angrily, hurriedly waddling out of the kitchen.

"CORBYN BESSON!" Addilyn yells. "How dare you have the nerve to scare my baby duck? Go apologize!"

Carmen can't help but laugh at the incredulous look on Corbyn's face. The boy can't seem to figure out if Addilyn is joking or not.

"You can't be-"

"Now, Besson," Addilyn demands, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Fine," The blond mutters, leaving to find the duckling.

"From now on, we buy plastic plates," Zach states firmly, closing the cabinet.

"You do realize that if they can't break plates, Aurora and Corbyn will start breaking other dishes, right?" Carmen asks, raising an eyebrow.

Corbyn re-enters the kitchen with Mr. Quackington in tow. He goes to say something, but is cut off by the front door opening. The group of four share a look before heading towards the entryway, Mr. Quackington following behind them like a lost puppy.

Near the door stands Logan, Jack, Callie, Daniel, and Alex. Logan aims his 'gun' at Zach, who hits the floor dramatically. Next to fall is Carmen, Zach raising up long enough to catch her, before falling again. Corbyn gets 'shot' next.

He falls backwards, expecting to land in Addilyn's arms. Addilyn, however, is watching her duckling instead, causing Corbyn to hit the floor harshly.

"Why didn't you catch me?" He asks, looking up at her with offense.

Addilyn glances down at him before shrugging in response. "Mr. Quackington seemed more important."

The small duck quacks in agreement by her feet, Carmen giggling in Zach's arms.

Callie looks around the house, surprised by the silence. "Why is it so quiet in here?"

"Aurora left with Jonah to go meet his parents," Corbyn explains, standing from his position on the floor while dusting off his jeans.

"Shocker," Jack mutters sarcastically, earning an elbow in the ribs from Callie.

Alex spins, the vlog camera in her hands. "It won't be quiet for long-"

She's cut off as the expensive piece of equipment falls from her hands, before crashing to the floor. Everyone looks to the camera in silence, Zach helping Carmen to her feet.

"You dumbass," Callie sighs, putting her face in front of the camera.

"No!" Logan yells in to his hands, dramatically falling onto his knees.

Alex sighs, retrieving the camera after receiving a stern glance from Callie. She taps Logan on the head, waiting for him to look up.

"Sorry about your camera," She apologizes. "But in my defense, if I have anything expensive, it's bound to break soon!"

Callie giggles, but her face immediately falls as Alex glares at her warningly.

"Guys," Jack cuts in from beside her, all of them turning to face him. "Callie has something she needs to tell you."

Carmen stares up at Zach in confusion as Jack looks away from Callie, heading into the living room with the others following closely.

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