A Door To Nowhere

Days left: 23 ½

It turns out we were fighting over not one, but two cars. I'm not really sure how we missed the logic that we couldn't all possibly fit into one, but Matt had volunteered to drive along with Charlie.

Reuben throws himself into the front seat of Charlie's black Honda. Charlie watches us as we spill out of the house, and into the street. I wonder for a second if I should get into Matt's car, and prolong the inevitable awkward greeting.

But Charlie waves me over, and points at the back door. 'Get in.'

His hair is ruffled messily around his head, as if he's just woken up. Reuben throws the door open for me from the inside, and I climb into the car.

It's surprisingly clean. The back seats are spotless, and I catch Charlie's eye in the rear view mirror.

'Ready to go?' he asks Reuben, but he keeps his gaze on me.

'Sure thing,' Reuben replies, jamming his seatbelt in.

We pull away, and I see Saffron and Will piled into the back of Matt's car with Josh. She grins at me as we draw level, then holds up her middle finger as we pass them.

The journey isn't too long – Hesterworth is the next town over, about a twenty minute drive. Reuben flicks the radio on, and leans back in his seat, singing softly to the guitar-heavy song. The beat picks up, and then he's air-drumming, and I'm reminded instantly of Saffron doing the exact same thing every day in Will's car. The similarities between them are uncanny, but neither one will admit to seeing them.

Charlie hasn't said a word yet, and I stare at the back of his messy hair, wondering if I should try and make conversation. He looks tired; there's dark circles under his eyes, denting the sharp angles of his face. I wonder what kept him up last night. There's probably a mountain of social invites he could have picked from, but I can't imagine him doing anything with people from school. He's just not like the Dewington kids.

As I sit there pondering this, I realize just how little I know about Charlie Flint. Normally by now, the new boy novelty would have worn off, and the rest of the school would lose interest as the Dewington fly-trap snaps shut around its latest victim. But Charlie hasn't fallen prey to this – he's just as much of an enigma as the day he arrived here. I'm not sure if it's by luck or talent.

He glances up at me in the mirror as if he's heard what I'm thinking. I try a tentative smile, and he smirks at the road. For no reason at all, I feel embarrassed.

Reuben turns the radio up louder, and begins to shout the words to his favourite song. He pauses just long enough to swivel around in his seat, and yell, 'Rory, join in!'

I immediately look at Charlie, but he's concentrating on driving. A trickle of relief runs through me, and I begin to mouth the words along with Reuben. My hands squeeze themselves together in my lap. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. I have never felt like I needed to impress someone before, let alone a boy. A strange boy.

A blanket of green fields appears ahead of us, and Charlie pulls into a temporary car-park. Hundreds of people are strolling around the place, walking towards the music. He clicks the engine off, and I climb out of the back, blinking in the watery sunshine. Another car roars up beside me, and I see Matt and Josh grinning at me from the front seats.

Saffron all but staggers out, clutching onto Will.

'Never again,' she gasps. 'I stopped counting how many times I thought I was going to die after the fifth swerve into the wrong lane.'