Chapter 1

"Rachel, how many rocks did you put in this suitcase?" Mom asks as she drags my luggage out of the back of her dented minivan. Evan, my too-cute-for-words boyfriend, rushes over to help ease the ancient bag to the curb in front of the airport terminal. The suitcase used to belong to Mom, back when she still traveled to places other than Connecticut to visit her sister.

"Here you go, Booger Crap," Evan says as he brings the bag over.

I'm so used to his goofy nickname for me that I don't even roll my eyes this time. Instead, I give him a shy smile and say, "Thanks."

When Evan grins back at me, his green eyes don't twinkle like they usually do. We're both pretending that me being away for two weeks won't be a big deal, but it stinks that I'm leaving when things are finally good between us. Plus, I think he's been gearing up to kiss me all week. But I guess that will have to wait until I get back from visiting my dad in Florida. I seriously doubt my first kiss is going to happen at the airport in front of my mom.

Oh my goldfish. What if that's what Evan's planning? My mom will never let me live that down! My hands are shaking as I grab the suitcase and hurry through the parking garage.

I don't slow down until I get to the airline check-in counter. I've been trying not to freak out about the idea of traveling by myself, but seeing all those strangers with suitcases makes my nerves go into overdrive. With my luck, I'll accidentally wind up in Omaha instead of Orlando.

Mom must notice that my eyes are about to pop out of my head because she puts her hand on my shoulder and asks, "Are you sure about this?"

I push the ball of fear as far down into my stomach as I can. I've been dreaming of going to Disney World with my dad since I was six years old. I can't pass that up just because I'm scared of flying alone. "Yup. Chances are I won't die in a fiery plane crash, right?"

Mom shakes her head. "Is that supposed to be comforting? By the way, I checked the weather report in Florida this morning. It's going to be near a hundred degrees." She wipes her forehead as if the very thought is making her sweat.

"It was ninety here the other day," I point out. "Besides, I'm sure Dad has air-conditioning."

Okay, Florida in the summer might not be ideal, but with school starting in a few weeks, it'll be nice to finally get a vacation. I've spent all summer working for my mom's cleaning business, taking pastry classes, and organizing baking competitions (not to mention pulling pranks on people and making a general mess out of everything). It'll be a relief to hang out by the pool, relax, and spend some much-needed quality time with my dad.

Evan hangs back while my mom and I go check in at the airline counter. We stand in line for a few minutes until the ticket agent waves us forward without even looking up at us.

"What's your destination today?" he drones.

"Omaha," I blurt out, handing over the flight confirmation my mom gave me.

The man finally glances up at me. "What was that?"

"I mean Orlando," I say. "Orlando! Where SeaWorld is with all the whales!"

He raises an eyebrow and then looks at my mom. "And who's this?"

"I'm her mother," Mom jumps in. "I'll be escorting her to the gate, so I believe I'll need a pass to get through security."

The man takes her driver's license and studies it for a long time. Then he looks at Mom again, and I can tell they're coming, the words that always make my stomach clench into a ball.

"She doesn't look like you," he says.

"She's my daughter," Mom says, putting a protective arm around me. "But...