18 Hours to Us

When Natalie Rhodes left her house early that fateful morning to catch the bus to her senior class trip, she never expected to end up in a car with Colton Daynes - the guy she's had a crush on since first grade, the guy who has no idea who she is. But when Colton's irresponsible driving causes them both to miss the bus, the unlikely pair set off on a road trip from Michigan to Virginia Beach to catch up with their classmates.

From the little village of Middleville, the popular football star and the quiet gymnast will navigate back roads and highways, travel from lake towns to waterfalls to mountaintops and beyond, all the while fielding texts from Colton's friends and mean girl, Lexi, who also happens to be Colton's girlfriend and Natalie's former best friend.

Hours spent together on the road will lead them to places they've never been, discovering hidden talents, revealing secrets and fears. And they just might realize they have more in common than they know.

I hate yellow cars.

These were the words that crossed Natalie’s mind that Saturday in early May as a glimpse of yellow bumper peeked out from behind the trees at the crossroad ahead. The bright morning sun glared off its windshield as it came into full view and stopped, but she didn’t need to see inside to know who was sitting behind the wheel.

Colton Daynes.

You couldn’t miss him in that shiny yellow Chevy Camaro with the black stripes that his daddy bought him when he turned sixteen. Colton, with his honey-brown hair and stunning green eyes and a body like one of those statues on display in a piazza in Italy. Not that she’d ever been. Italy was the vacation of her dreams. And Colton’s presence had graced more than a few of her dreams as well.

As Natalie rapidly approached in her little grey Honda Accord, the yellow car inched forward from its place to her left. Only, it kept moving.

He’s not actually pulling out right now, is he?

The wheels of Colton’s Camaro suddenly squealed as he made a go of it, turning out in front of her. Panic shot through her body, and she gripped tightly to the steering wheel. If he had gone just five seconds sooner and if she had been driving just a little slower, she might have had time to stop properly. Instead, she was forced to swerve right to avoid him. She stomped on the brake, glancing in her rearview mirror at the car traveling not so far behind. Her biggest concern in that instant was not whether that car would hit her or even if she would strike the car waiting on the opposite side of the intersection, but how embarrassing it would be to smash up Colton’s nice car.

Natalie braced herself for impact and squeezed her eyes shut with a prayer on her lips. The crack of her car striking another was a sound she wouldn’t soon forget. The seat belt locked and airbag deployed as her body jerked forward, and just as quickly as all that, she was slammed backward into her seat again, her head smacking the head rest. The squealing tires of the car behind her caused her to squeeze her eyes tighter in anticipation of another collision, but it never came.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked ahead to see the brake lights of Colton’s untouched car on the side of the road. The lights turned white as his car began moving in reverse. She took a deep breath and looked over at the driver of the car she had hit, who was surveying the damage to his car and running his fingers through his hair. He spoke into his cell phone—no doubt on the line with 911—and a scowl appeared on his face when he saw Colton walking toward their vehicles.

Colton headed straight for the driver side of Natalie’s car and opened her door.

Natalie heard a woman’s voice behind her asking for an ambulance at their location. “Yes, there’s been an accident.”

“Are you hurt?” Colton asked her.

Stunned and shaking, she couldn’t form a response. Was she hurt? She moved her legs, wiggled her feet, stretched her arms, felt the back of her head. Everything seemed to be working properly. Nothing felt broken. She wasn’t bleeding. But when she turned her head toward the woman, she winced at a stab of pain in her neck.

“Are you hurt?” Colton repeated, leaning in closer.

“I … I think I’m OK,” Natalie finally replied.

“She says she’s OK,” he told the woman.

“Police and paramedics are on their way,” the woman said.

The man with the smashed up car began ripping into Colton then.

“What were you thinking?” he cried. “You could’ve killed someone.”

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry, sir,” Colton repeated over and over again as the man continued his reprimand.

“Stupid teenage driver,” he grumbled.

Natalie had never thought of Colton as a particularly respectful sort of guy, but she was glad he wasn't making things worse in this situation. He deserved everything he got, though. What could he have been thinking, pulling out in front of her like that?

When she moved to get out of the car, Colton was by her side in a millisecond.

“Maybe you should stay put until the paramedics get here.” He looked down the road as the faint sound of sirens came into earshot.

“The bus,” Natalie managed in a whisper.

Colton leaned closer. “What’s that?”

“We’re going to miss the bus.”

A look of surprise crossed his face. “You go to my school?”

She felt the urge to smack him across that handsome face of his. They had been in the same class since kindergarten. They were even “boyfriend and girlfriend” in the first grade. How could he not know who she was?

“If I miss that bus, my parents are going to kill me.” She had been looking forward to the senior class trip to Virginia Beach the entire year, but the trip wasn’t cheap. She had saved up last summer, worked an after school job all year, and her parents had scrimped to pay the difference so she could go. Tears burned her eyes at the thought of all that money being lost.

Colton pulled the iPhone from his pocket and glanced at the time. “If we make a run for it, we can probably still catch it.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “We can’t leave the scene of an accident.”

He grumbled something under his breath just as a police officer arrived on the scene.

Natalie found her purse on the floor of the passenger side and retrieved her phone. She really didn’t want to call her dad, but she knew she had to. She hadn’t even stepped outside of the car yet to see what kind of damage had been done, but he wasn’t going to be happy. About any of this. Especially after the speeding ticket she’d been issued last month. Even though this was absolutely not her fault, she knew she was going to be in a lot of trouble.

The phone rang several times before her dad picked up.

“Did you miss the bus, Granny?” He always teased her for driving slow like a little old grandma.

“Not yet, but I probably will. I got in an accident.”

“Natty, no.”

“Someone pulled out in front of me, and I had to swerve. I hit another car.”

“Are you all right?” Worry was apparent in his voice.

Natalie’s head was throbbing, but she was afraid if she admitted it, he would make her stay home. “I’m fine.”

The ambulance sirens drowned out whatever her dad said next.

“What?” she asked.

“Are you really fine or are you just saying that so you can still go?”

He knew her so well. “The paramedics are here now, and they’ll tell you exactly what I told you. I’m fine.”

“Where are you?”

She gave him her location and waited for an EMT to examine her.

It was a relief that her dad and not her stepmother had answered the phone. It wasn’t that Norma was a horrible person, really, but she had a tendency to fly off the handle over everything, especially things that inconvenienced her. She wasn’t exactly sure what her calm, levelheaded father saw in that high-strung, scatterbrained woman.
The EMTs checked her over and found her to be uninjured, except for a case of whiplash. They also informed her about concussions and what to pay attention for.

Colton stood near his car, answering the police officer’s questions, when Natalie’s dad and stepmom arrived.
Norma rushed over and pushed Natalie’s smooth, brown hair back, checking her face, her head, her arms.

“I’m fine, Norma.” She waved her stepmother away and pointed to one of the EMTs. “Ask him. He’ll tell you.”
The EMT nodded and gave them a thumbs-up.

“Oh, thank you, God.” Norma tucked a piece of strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. “We were so worried about you.” She hugged Natalie gently, as if she might break.

“Yes, we were.” Her father joined them then and grabbed hold of his girl, wrapping her up in a tight hug. When he let go, he took her face in his hands. “No parent wants to get a call like that. Ever.”

“I’m sorry, Dad.” Looking into his pale blue eyes was like looking into a mirror.

His gaze shifted to Colton, who was now standing near the front of Natalie’s car. “It wasn’t your fault.” He let go of her face and moved in Colton’s direction.

Natalie mentally prepared herself to be mortified by her dad confronting Colton. Instead, he walked over to the driver of the car she had hit to exchange phone numbers and insurance information. She was sure he wanted to rip into Colton, just as that driver had, but he kept his cool.
“I’m missing the bus,” Natalie said when he returned. “They were supposed to leave at nine o’clock.” The time on her phone showed 9:07 A.M.

He rubbed the back of his neck the way he always did when he was trying to find the solution to a problem. “Norma will take you to the school, and I’ll worry about your car,” he replied as he inspected the damage.

Natalie looked at Norma and could immediately tell by her expression that this was going to put a crimp in her plans.

“I can take her,” Colton piped in. “If we go now, we can probably still make the bus. They never leave on time for trips like this.”

Dad’s eyes narrowed. “You think I’m going to let my daughter in a car with you after this?”

“I’m so sorry, sir. I misjudged the distance because the sun was shining in my eyes. But, sir, I’ve never been in another accident ever. I swear. Never had a speeding ticket. I’ve never even had a parking ticket.” Colton looked at Natalie then back at her dad. “It’s the least I can do.”

“Please, Dad. It’s only, like, ten minutes from here.”

Dad rubbed his neck again. His black hair with the slightest hints of grey ruffled against his fingertips.

“Just let him take her, honey,” Norma added. “I’m already running late.”

Who knew what she was late for on a Saturday morning. Probably her yoga class. Because that was far more important than helping her stepdaughter.

“Fine.” Dad caved. He took a step toward Colton and looked him straight in the eyes. “If you cause one tiny scratch on my precious girl, you will be sorry you ever got behind the wheel.”

“Yes, sir.” Colton swallowed hard. “I will get her there safely.”

Colton and Dad moved her suitcase and bags from the trunk of her car into the Camaro.

Natalie gave her dad a quick hug, but as she pulled away, he locked his arms tightly around her. “Daddy, I’m fine.”

“I love you,” he said.

She turned her head and placed a kiss on his stubbly cheek. “I love you too.”

“Call me if you don’t catch the bus.” He kissed the top of her head.

“I will.” She turned from her dad’s arms and found Colton holding the door of his car open for her.

“Do you need any help?” He extended an arm to her.

“You should be really thankful that I don’t.” She brushed past him, anxious to get to the school, and climbed into the last car in the world she ever thought she’d be riding in. Her body sank into the comfy leather seat—black with yellow stitching—and she caught a whiff of Colton’s cologne, or maybe it was that new car smell she had always heard about. She wouldn’t know. Her car was fifteen years old, and her dad had never had a car younger than ten years old.

Colton took his place behind the wheel and looked over at her.

She gave him a weak smile, and he drove away slowly.

Natalie noticed the time on his dashboard read 9:12 a.m. “I don’t think we’re going to make it.”

As they rounded a curve and were out of sight of the accident, his foot pressed harder on the accelerator. “Think again.”