Sean muttered, hands astray. "Holy shit, we're all going to die!"

Coming to believe that I was panicking would've been the understatement of the century. Thick layer of sweat sat on my hands as I gripped the steering wheel with all my might, hard enough to make my knuckles look as pale as falling snow. And when I couldn't be more relieved—and I meant that in utmost satire—the idiots sitting behind me had to tell me that our lives were, in fact, endangered.

"Stop speaking," I sighed as I continued to focus my eyes on the road. "Just tell me if we're still being followed!"

Evan whipped his head backwards, and immediately cursed. "Shit, yes—take a right turn!"

I did as I was told.

The fact that this was the first time I had ever been into the city made me beyond nauseated. Evan nudged me from time to time, telling me to keep taking sharp cuts and turns in order to leave them behind. My body was burning like it had been lit on fire, and sweat rolled down the back of my spine, making me feel uncomfortable—as though I was missing the feeling of disgusting dampness on my body.

Adrenaline was something I was so grateful for, because I hadn't driven in months—and the first driving situation I had to face was this.

Sean was still praying like he was on his death bed—but we kind of were. "God, please save us, for we have done nothing to deserve this—"

Chloe laughed nervously before uttering the most pleasant words. "I. . .I don't think we're being followed anymore."

I turned to Evan as a reflex. When he nodded in confirmation, I hit the brake, closing my eyes dramatically. The minivan which now felt a bazillion years old came to a screeching halt—and as if I were a part of a fearsome battle, plopped my body onto the driver's seat as if my soul were no longer a part of me. Everybody did the same as well, but Evan continued to stare at me.

"Jesus Christ."

I didn't have it in me to give any sort of reply. A second ensued before he broke the silence, voice consumed with concern. "Are you. . . okay?"

For a second, I thought he might be ridiculing me like the countless other times. But when I switched my gaze to his, his eyes were softened and genuine, making me nod. "Just tell me we aren't being followed and I'll be fantastic."

"We aren't," he muttered, voice a soft spur of words, all before handing me a water bottle. "Here."

I took a huge chug before wiping my mouth and handing him the bottle back. He continued to stare at me, but this time I could read what his eyes said—he looked at me like I was the most ludicrous person on this planet. His hand was almost touching mine, and my gaze fell on his ring-studded fingers for no reason at all before he spoke again.

"You're. . .insane."

Wisps of hair covered the side of my face, face hidden. He scoffed, "I can't believe we had a run for it—in front of the police. What are we? Thieves?"

"Please," I groaned, rubbing my forehead. "Any more about this who fiasco, and I would actually start disintegrating."

He rolled his eyes, signaling how he was nowhere near done with me. "If they caught us, we could've been fined. You're insane, Edwards."

"What do you think we were supposed to do then? Run in different directions like we were five and had stolen cookies?"

"What even—"

Stella held a hand between us, stifling a laugh. "Guys, look—"

I cut her mid-sentence, eyes falling to the steering. "Yes, I might've not done the brightest thing, you know, running away from the police. . ."

"No, shit."

"Your plan wasn't all-too brilliant, either."

"Yeah, of course. How would being sane ever attract your attention when—"

"We need to go back to the grocery store," Xavier commented, tone mocking and eyes accusatory. "Fight when we have the two idiots back."

I huffed and grabbed the steering once again, only for Evan to grab my arm. "You aren't driving again."

"Thank Lord," I opened the door in a rush, giving him a sweet smile. "Oh, and Parker? It's only because I don't have my license."

"Of course you fucking don't."

▂

Leo was shaken to the core, eyes wide with excitement and glittering keenness nobody could pinpoint. "And how the hell am I supposed to believe that?"

"If you would've paid attention to the looks on our faces rather than being invested in your goddamn cereal hunt, you would've seen!"

I was barely even paying attention to the conversation, since the whole situation had drained me out of all the energy. Evan looked over to me from time to time—eyes lined with a strange watchfulness. "You can nap, if you want."

Leo was still excited, as if Xavier were narrating him his bedtime story. "Ah, man, why do I keep missing onto fun things?"

Apparently, Leo had missed onto a fun opportunity.

I took a moment to shake my head at Evan, mouth pursed. The anger and panic had subsided altogether, and I could feel the shift of energy between us and everybody. "I'm good. . .for now. Aren't you tired, though? Someone else can drive now."

"It wasn't fun," Sean, who still looked pale after fifteen minutes of continuous consolation, spoke up. "Anything but fun."

Xavier put a hand on Evan's shoulder, acting upon what I just said. Evan nodded, and then proceeded to hum for the next couple minutes until he could stop the minivan for the change of seats. Tiredness was, indeed, pulling my shoulders down in a hunch—and I couldn't wait for us to reach the hotel for a quick nap for recharging.

Stella was munching on a huge packet of Doritos, immediately gathering everyone's attention. "It really wasn't that bad, you know. In a weird way, it made me feel alive."

"If feeling alive means being followed by the police, I'd rather be dead."

Ray, who hadn't uttered a word since we picked him, finally spoke. "Well at least it's over and nobody's following us—wait, who's that guy?"

My head immediately snapped to the rear-view mirror, and could not believe what I saw. A fuming old man was chasing us like we had committed a sin, legs barely keeping up and harsh words flying towards us.

Why was an old man behind us?

"What in the absolute hell, why is he running after us now?"

Xavier chuckled in nervousness, eyes flickering between the man and Evan. "Hey, man, a fan or something?"

Said celebrity was emotionless. "He looks like he wants war."

Everybody burst into a worried chuckle while Evan increased the speed, and I was left feeling terrible for letting an old man chase after us. Having no knowledge to who he even was, there wasn't much we could do. Absurd things kept taking place in an endless loop, and I was conflicted between wanting to laugh or be downright terrified.

"Wait," Leo broke the tense air, hands in the air. "Why do I feel like I've seen him?"

Raymond snapped back like he had recalled something treacherous, hands flying to his mouth. "Shit, dude, did you pay for the groceries we took?"

"Are you fucking kidding me—"

"I don't have money on me, man," Leo chuckled, and then it dawned on him. "Wait. . ."

The minivan stopped with a jerk, Evan ruffling his hair in annoyance. "You all are going to hell."

He left the vehicle before anyone of us could say anything, motioning for me to stay put. Xavier heaved a sigh, slapping Leo on his head. "We left you there for an extra amount of time! How in hell do you forget to pay for the things you buy?"

Whilst I facepalmed, laughter filled the air to the brim, leaving no choice but to give in. Chloe met my eye, pursed her lips, and out of sheer astonishment, spoke, "I'm friends with a bunch of dumbasses."

Everybody was offended.

▂

When I saw Evan again, it had been fifteen minutes since he had been gone. His lips were wound up in a scowl, eyes drilling in mine and curls everywhere and nowhere at the same time. He pulled the vehicle door in displeasure, and slumped down in defeat.

I grinned. "All good?"

"That man was ready to throw hands," he sighed. "He did throw a couple empty cartons, but I explained him everything before he could do more damage."

I laughed, and then laughed some more. "You can't blame him," I felt myself lighten up again, feeling the wind break through my skin—like paint brushes on a canvas. "Things like this happened so often, back in Tennessee. My friends—"

No. No, no, no. What was I saying?

My words hung loose in the air, and Evan's attention was glued on me. Why I had even begun with that sentence was beyond comprehension, but I had to do my best make-shift smile and adjust my gaze to him to act normal. "They enjoyed road trips a lot."

I resumed staring out of the window again. If these slip-ups continue, it won't take him long to figure out everything and the walls to come crashing down. Evan knew more than what he showed on his face and in the way he smiled—but I knew how much of his attention laid on me. He was another person impeccable with reading between the lines, exactly where the devil lay.

I couldn't afford to talk about my past—none of the good or the bad—because if I made it overshadow my present, I wouldn't have anything left.

My fingers started itching now that the ride was silent. Too silent. I wanted to play the radio, so that music could fill the air and the awkwardness hanging around due to me. It wouldn't matter what I would say, because it would become a thing of the past.

If the incident was a matter of the past too, why did it still prick through my senses like scorching ember?

Evan stopped my further trail of thoughts, a hand calmly pressing the radio button, and eyes meeting mine. "I thought you wanted to play the radio," his voice was edged like the sword, cutting through my façade.

I just slumped down on my seat. "Thanks."

"It's fine. I love to hear you talk about your friends back in Tennessee, you know. You seem to miss them a lot," his voice was dripping with sarcasm. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, not knowing what to say. Silence was my best response, perhaps, since I was putting a lot at stake with every word I spoke.

My vision started blurring, hands getting clammy as I rubbed them together. I hated this—hated how much I had to keep this a secret from everybody. But letting everyone know was too big of a risk, and I was a coward—

"You're a coward, Laura," she shouted with teary-stained cheeks. "You can't accept it, can you?"

"I miss them," I gritted through my teeth, hands shaky. His eyes met mine, and I saw the concern flicker in them before he had shifted his gaze back to the road. "I. . ."

My words had faltered because nothing made sense, and speaking was doing more harm than ever possible. Nobody was listening apart from him, since my voice was barely above a whisper. He could've been smiling, but my vision was terrifyingly fogged up—to a point that closing my eyes couldn't hold back the tears. I still twisted my head the other side, not wanting anyone to see me like this. Pulling my hood up, I let my hands stay still on my lap, eyes forced shut.

His hand on mine was what unnerved me the most—gentle, conscious, and warm like the sunlight.

"I want to be there for you, Laura. If you'd let me."

if anyone has any tips on how to stop editing the same chapter again and again, please help this idiot out. i, for the life of me, cannot stop re-editing every chance i get :')

i hope you're having a great day! you're golden.