Throughout our entire ride to the restaurant, everybody was quiet. It was as if everyone was holding their breath, waiting for someone else to speak first. I sat in the front beside Scott because Ace insisted he wanted the entire backseat to “mentally prepare himself,” whatever that meant. I didn’t argue because he was already doing enough by agreeing to this dinner in the first place. 

When we pulled into the small, warmly lit family-style restaurant, I instantly became calm. ...