Breathing out a heavy sigh, I looked around the classroom again. There was a handful of us still sitting at our desks, having been made to stay behind at break to resit the vocab test. It had gone a little bit better for me that time but we still had ten minutes left of the break.

Part of me wanted to risk getting up and handing my test in early but I knew that, if I did that, I’d have to stand at the front of the room whilst the teacher marked the test. And commented loudly on everything I’d gotten wrong.

At least if I waited until the end, I wouldn’t get the test back until the beginning of my next French class which wasn’t for a couple of days and then I wouldn’t have any more until after the summer.

It was definitely the better option, even if it meant I would be worrying about whether or not I passed for a little longer. At least it meant I had slightly more time to delve back into the dream. It wasn’t long enough to get to Edinburgh, probably, but it was better than nothing.

I pulled my top over my head, pausing to grab onto the sink as a wave of dizziness threatened me, stronger than it had been the last time I’d slipped into my fantasy. I swayed, tightening my grip and silently begging not to fall on my ass on the floor.

It was disgusting. It smelt, and looked, like it hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. It was… well. Exactly what I expected for a petrol station bathroom and it was not the best place to get changed.

My hand shot out again, catching my bag just in time as it slipped from the broken hook on the back of the door, and I sighed. Still holding it, I grabbed a handful of tissues to wipe the stagnant water off the back of the sink, trying my best not to let any of the murky liquid touch my skin, and propped the bag there before looking into the streak-covered mirror.

The new clothes looked good on me, even if they were just black sports leggings and a top. They fit me well and the trainers were surprisingly comfy.

Mitch had insisted on that, I somehow knew. In all the other shops, he’d avoided people as much as possible but there, he’d marched straight up to someone and asked for help.

I paused, my hand freezing as I stuffed my clothes back into the bag and pulled out my makeup remover.

How did I know that? I hadn’t imagined that bit so it couldn’t have happened. But it felt like it did and I knew that he would have done that.

He’d said that I needed some shoes that wouldn’t rub, provided enough support, were waterproof and the sole was thick enough not to be pierced easily. The sales assistant had looked concerned at that but Mitch had played it off well.

But, how did I know that? I hadn’t been there for that.

Pushing back the wave of uncertainty, I washed the heavy eye makeup off my face and slathered on some moisturiser before shoving it all back into the bag. Glancing around to make sure I hadn’t missed anything, I zipped the back up again and looped my arms through the strap before pushing the heavy door open.

“Took you long enough,” a man’s snide voice said.

I blinked and stared up at the man who was waiting on the other side of the door, his arms crossed and a glare on his face.

My initial impulse was to apologise but I didn’t want to. I shouldn’t have to, I hadn’t even taken that long!

“There’s another petrol station across the street,” I said in as sweet a voice as I could manage, my heart hammering in my chest. “If you needed the bathroom that desperately, I’m sure you could have gone there.”

I slipped past him before he had a chance to respond, not quite out of earshot before I heard him mutter, “Little bitch. Someone ought to teach her a lesson.”

My body tensed but the door slammed shut behind him, signalling my safety.

It was dumb. I knew it was just a fantasy but still, I wanted to get to Edinburgh and become a treasure hunter, not get beaten up in a petrol station toilet.

I shook my head and hurried to the drink fridges. I needed some bottles of water and some other ‘fun drinks’, whatever that meant.

Staring up at the shelves of drinks, I felt a hint of worry wash through me. There were so many options. Too many. Water was easy enough, even though there were a lot of different brands but Mitch had said we had to have two big bottles each so I just grabbed the biggest ones they had that still had sports tops. They would be the easiest to drink in the car.

The fun drinks worried me though. I had no clue what he meant by that. I assumed that he meant weird flavoured drinks but that could be anything.

Clutching the four bottles in my arms, I glared up at the drinks. I started to reach for one at random before one of the bottles began to slip and I had to grab at them again. Annoyance flared in me, despite having put myself in the situation, and I looked around just as someone walked past carrying a basket.

An audible sigh slipped from my lips as I realised that I could have just got a basket instead of having to juggle everything.

I slouched over to the pile of shopping baskets, aware of the cashiers’ drowsy eyes following me as I moved towards the door, and awkwardly let the bottles loudly tumble into the basket on top. I picked it up, smiling uncomfortably at the person behind the counter who was still watching me, and returned to the drink aisle, staring up at the drinks.

Anxiety bubbled in me and I bit my lip, reaching out at random. Spinach, beetroot, apple and grape smoothie. Not bad but probably would taste like dirt. I dropped it into the basket before shuffling along to the next section of drinks. Again, I went with the tried and tested method of reaching out randomly and grabbing a drink, some strange fruit flavoured cola, and putting it in the basket before glancing back at the window.

I couldn’t see Mitch from where I was standing, he must have gotten back into the car but I could just about see the top of it over the shelves of candy and chocolate bars that lined the window. I turned back towards the fridge and shuffled along again, reaching out for the next drink, an energy drink. I grabbed the pastel orange can and stared at it, confusion coming over my face.

Mitch didn’t exactly strike me as someone who would drink an energy drink, much less one that was simply ‘butterfly’ flavour, but it sounded weird so I dropped it into the increasingly heavy basket anyway. The thin metal handles of the basket were starting to cut into my hands painfully, making me regret all of my choices.

We had enough drinks, I decided, and even if we didn’t we could stop somewhere else along the way. Mitch had said we’d be stopping outside of Sheffield. That was only a few hours probably, we would have enough until then, surely.

I shuffled towards the rows of sweets and candy that lined the window, stretching up on my toes to peek over them and make sure that Mitch was still there.

A small smile grew on my face when I spotted him and relief washed through me. Not that I’d really expected him to leave me at some random petrol station but… I half expected it. He was staring at something on his phone but before long, he looked up, his eyes meeting mine, and he grinned.

I smiled back and looked down at the candy before me. He’d said he wanted some gummy candy, ideally something that was vegetarian. That meant no gelatine. I dropped the basket on the ground, my screaming shoulder muscles thanking me, and slowly paced along the row.

Occasionally, I felt the cashier’s eyes on me again but luckily, the petrol station was busy enough that they didn’t bother me at all. Still, I felt a hint of anxiety as I tread back and forth along the shelves, not wanting to keep Mitch waiting for too long. It already felt like I’d been in the shop for too long. I needed to hurry up.

My slightly frantic gaze landed on an unassuming pack of strawberry laces with ‘Gelatine-free!’ written on the front. With a grin, I scooped them up, my eyes scanning the other sweets by the same brand. They all were vegetarian, I realised with a grin. But I couldn’t get five packets of sweets, that felt like too much.

I grabbed one of each bag, standing up on my tiptoes again and waving slightly to get Mitch’s attention. He looked up, his head cocking to one side.

Which ones? I mouthed, dropping most of the sweets onto the shelf in front of me and holding up two packs.

Mitch’s eyes narrowed and he leaned forwards to get a better look at the sweets. I waited, aware of people’s eyes on me but ignoring them until finally, he pointed with both hands. I bit my lip to hold back a surprised laugh before dropping both packs in the basket at my feet and holding up two more options.

Again, Mitch pointed with both hands but this time, I couldn’t help the giggle that slipped from my mouth. Dramatically, I rolled my eyes and made a show of dropping the sweets into my basket before not even bothering to ask him if he wanted the other bag too.

I hefted the basket up again, having to use both hands to carry the basket, and wandered along the aisle, grabbing some dried mango, a few bags of crisps and a chocolate bar as well. Mitch hadn’t told me to buy them, and they were somewhat of an impulse decision, but they all looked really good.

I joined the end of the queue, waiting impatiently for my turn and finally heaving the basket onto the counter when I’d gotten to the front.

“Any fuel?” the woman behind the counter asked flatly as she scanned the excessive pile of snacks.

“Yeah, pump seven please,” I said with a glance to double-check.

She poked the screen a few times before returning to scanning the drinks.

“Want a bag?”

Dumbly, I looked down at the growing pile of stuff I’d bought.

“Um, yeah. Please,” I added.

The woman grabbed a bag and started loading it.

“Gunna need a couple. They’re five pence each, that okay?” she asked, barely looking up at me.

“Yeah, of course.”

I almost wondered what would happen if I said no. Would she say ‘well then you can have it for free’? No, I doubted it. People probably tried that on her every day.

“You going on a road trip or something?” she asked, finally packing the last bottle of water.

“Something like that.”

“Is that your dad out there?” she asked, looking up at Mitch with a spark of interest in her eyes.

“Yeah,” I lied.

“Unlucky. He’s cute.”

I stood there awkwardly, not sure what to say in response to that, but luckily she didn’t seem to need a reply. She tapped the screen a few more times before looking back at me.

“That’s seventy-four pounds and twenty-three pence.”

“Oh yeah,” I said, scrabbling to pull the phone out of my pocket and tapping it on the card reader.

My heart squeezed with anxiety as I waited for it to beep to tell me it had been accepted.

“That’s all gone through,” the woman said, pushing the bags towards me.

“Oh, thank you,” I said, rushing to grab them.

The plastic strained around the bottles as I edged out the door, weighed down by the bags. The sun was momentarily blinding but I was quickly under the canopy again.

Worry prickled within me as I neared Mitch’s car. I’d gotten more than we needed, that much was for sure. What if he got annoyed at me? He really could leave me at the petrol station.

What if he was tight on money? I knew he said he was a treasure hunter but I honestly wasn’t sure how much one could even make doing that. Surely with the travel, hotels and constant switching of cars, it would be an expensive job?

With a tense smile, I pulled the door open, the plastic bags cutting into my fingers.

A laugh erupted from the car.

“Oh, kid,” he chuckled. “I am glad you involved yourself in my business. I was so worried you were going to come out with a single bag and no candy.”

I smiled uncertainly, worry still ravaging me, and shuffled.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Get it! Pass me those bags, I’ll put them behind our seats for easy reach. Did you get all the candy you held up? Did you get that’s what I meant? The more the merrier!” he asked, his voice full of mirth.

“Yeah, I thought that’s what you were going for so I just got them all. I mean, we don’t need to eat them all today, right?” I asked, loading the bags onto my seat slowly as Mitch hauled them onto the seats behind us.

“Of course, we don’t! Also, and this should go without saying, we do not eat like this every day. It’s a treat. Normally, it’s a balanced diet when possible. At least one piece of fruit or veg with each meal, if not more!” he insisted.

I nodded quickly.

“I also got some dried mango, if that helps?”

He chuckled quietly again.

“It does. Damn, I love mango. Alright, get in and let’s go!”

I climbed in quickly, clicking my seatbelt on and smiling to myself as the radio started up again.

“What kinda thing do you want to listen to kid? You’re in charge!” Mitch said, pulling back out onto the road. “Grab my phone out of the middle there. We can do podcasts, music, or some of your lessons if Betty’s sent them over already. Your choice!”

I reached for the phone but a bell jolted me back into reality before I wrapped my fingers around it.

Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I blinked and glanced around the classroom. Most of us were still there, having learnt the hard way that it was better to wait until the end of break to hand in our tests.

“Well, what are you doing still sitting there?” Madame Noel demanded. “Put your tests on the table and get out! Do you not think I have classes too? I had to waste my break staring at you lot, I don’t want to do it for any longer! Go!”

I rushed to pack up my bag and joined the queue of people placing our papers on the disgruntled teacher’s desk.

She didn’t even bother to look up as we left, her eyes already scanning the top test with a look of disgust on her face.

“How do you think you did?” Phoebe whispered once we were out in the corridor, falling in step with me.

“Mmm, not much better. You?” I replied, edging past the younger students who were waiting outside her door for the next class.

“Bad. She’s going to kick me out of class again on Friday, I bet. I cannot wait until we finish our GCSEs and I never need to see her again!” she said quietly.

I turned the corner and pushed open the door to the staircase.

“Oh yeah? Are you not planning to stay here for sixth form?” I asked.

“Yeah but I’m not taking French, I’m not that stupid. I’m not going to do anything that means I need to be in the language block. Hopefully, I’ll only have to see her in assemblies and then I can hide behind you. Wait, you are planning to stay here for sixth form, right?” she asked, panic creeping into her voice.

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere,” I said, trying to keep the sadness out of my words. “Well, unless I don’t get the grades to get into here.”

I laughed but Phoebe didn’t.

“Don’t say that!” she gasped. “You’re going to get in. You’re predicted mostly B’s, right?”

“I mean, I think so. Apart from French, obviously. What are you predicted?”

“Mostly A’s. I probably won’t manage some of them though. Like, how are you even meant to get an A in PE? I joined the netball team like she asked but I swear Miss Dennis still hates me,” she sighed heavily and I laughed softly. “And obviously, I’m going to fail French. How are we meant to learn with her being so terrible?”

Phoebe glanced over her shoulder to make sure Madame Noel wasn’t nearby and I found myself checking too but luckily, the courtyard behind us was almost empty.

Phoebe sighed and pushed the door into the humanities building open. I ducked inside, a chill coming over my skin immediately.

“I might just ask my parents to send me to France this summer. My uncle has a place over there where I could probably stay. You should come too!” she offered, smiling.

I bit my lip, disappointment flaring in my stomach preemptively.

“That would be fun but… I don’t think I can,” I said, causing Phoebe’s face to drop.

“Oh…” she said softly, looking down.

“I mean, I don’t think my mom would be too happy about it. You know what she’s like,” I added quickly. “Plus, we’re meant to be going to Scotland for a few weeks so…”

“That should be fun at least,” she said, her tone convincing no one.

“Yeah…”

Phoebe smiled at me supportively and we continued climbing the stairs towards the Religious Studies classroom silently.

“Did you do the homework for RS, by the way?” she asked as we neared the top.

“What? ‘Watch a show or movie that makes you happy to be alive’? I mean, he didn’t really expect us to do that… Did he?” I asked, a little bit of panic bubbling in my stomach.

“I mean, maybe! Mr Ray did say that we’d discuss what we watched today! But, then again… we might just have movie time again. Do you reckon we’ll be watching Disney films again? Did we finish the last one?”

I thought back to the last lesson.

“I don’t think so. Maybe our homework will be ‘go home and finish the movie’ again,” I said.

Phoebe laughed before stopping outside Mr Ray’s classroom and pausing to gather herself before pushing the door open.

The room was dimmed, with the lights turned off and feeble sunlight peeking in the cracks between the blinds. Everyone turned to look at us as we entered and I felt my face heat up.

“Girls, come on in,” Mr Ray said with an easy smile.

“Sorry we’re late,” Phoebe and I chorused as one.

“That’s alright! Come take your seats!”

He pointed to two empty seats in the front row of tables and we slipped into them quickly.

I stashed my bag under the desk, not even bothering to get my notebook out. It would be pointless, it was clear we were going to be watching movies anyway.

“Alright,” Mr Ray said, pushing his sleeves back and picking up two DVD covers off his desk. “What are we feeling today? Classic Disney or some of the newer stuff?”