Astray

R O A D T R I P

Toothbrush? Check. Makeup? Check. Spare clothes? Check. Flashlight? Check. I nod confidently and zip my bag. This will help me get through the week. As I place my loaded bag by the front door, a honk is heard from outside the house. That should be Archer and Zara... And Harry. I take my blue denim jacket from the hanger and pair it with my white jeans, pastel pink tanktop and vans. Yes, this will do, I think to myself as I admire myself in the mirror. I pick up the bag and step out of the door, immediately greeted by the sun in my eyes and the light, windy atmosphere making my hair fly in all sorts of directions. I close my eyes and lift my head, enjoying the weather for a moment. Usually it gets rainy and windy in Griffinfield. Another honk disturbs my joyful moment and my eyes meet with Harry's before he rolls his eyes at me.

"Get in the car already!" he yells and pulls his sunglasses down to cover his eyes.

I roll my eyes back at him and walk to the back of the car to place my bag in the trunk. I then open the door to the backseat where Zara and Archer sit, waiting for Archer to move to the center and make room for me.

"Hey Jordyn," both greet me. I greet back, concealing my annoyance at Harry and waiting for Archer to get the message to move to the center. "Uhm, why don't you just sit in the front with Harry?"

I hear Harry snicker in the front. I look up and sigh before closing the door and moving to the passenger seat. As I get seated, Harry snorts and I turn to glare at him.

"What is it, Harry?" I ask, huffing and slowly losing my temper.

Amusement is evident in his face. He is enjoying this. "White jeans? You do realize we'll spend the next couple of days in the woods surrounded by dirt and mud, right?" he asks with the intentions of insulting my outfit.

I examine his outfit for a moment, looking for something to insult. All black as always. Black t-shirt, black jeans and black boots. I think for a second as I take in his outfit.

"Will a funeral be held over there too?" I fire back, mentally giving myself a pat on the shoulder.

It takes him a moment to process the joke and then he chuckles, making it clear that he finds it amusing rather than offensive. 

Harry and I have never really gotten along. But I blame it on him, he was rude from the beginning. And unfortunately, I have to face this behavior frequently since Zara is my best friend, Archer is her boyfriend, and Harry is Archer's best friend. Not the kind of squad goals you'd imagine.

Harry folds the map and presses on the gas pedal making the car move. The tension in the air is thick and everyone is silent for a while. However, that changes when Zara turns on the radio to lighten up the mood. The next hour is spent with Zara, Archer and I singing along to songs as well as Harry tapping his fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of the songs. Maybe this trip won't be that bad after all, I think to myself and smile.

Another hour has passed us and the singing has died down. In the backseat Archer and Zara are chit chatting and in the front it's just as awkward between the two of us as always. I have my head resting on the window as I watch us speeding down the highway, passing cars and trucks on the way. The sun is hiding behind a thick layer of clouds, making the outside appear grey and gloomy. Harry takes a right turn and stops by a gas station.

"We should get some snacks. We still have about an hour or two before we're there." he mumbles and steps out of the car.

Archer, Zara and I follow along and we separate our own ways inside the shop. I go through an aisle of savory snacks and pick up some seasoned nuts as well as a cup of coffee by the coffee machine. I eye Harry who's standing by the snack aisle looking  for something in particular. I can't help but watch his fingers play with his plump, pink lips as he seems focused on finding whatever he's looking for. He grabs a bag of Cheese Puffs and the next thing I know, we have eye contact. He looks back at me with his green eyes and dilated pupils and I can't help but admire them. A few seconds passes with us staring at each other and he then hesitantly turns around and goes to the cashier. I stand still, trying to figure out what had just happened. I wait until Harry has paid for his item before going up to the cashier.

"3 dollars and 49 cents please." the cashier says as he finishes scanning my items. I hand him five dollars and tell him to keep the change. Archer and Zara come running and giggling. They place their items on the counter and Archer adds a pack of condoms last minute, urging Harry to roll his eyes.

We go back to Harry's black vintage car and pick up where we left off, speeding down the road.

"Jordyn, uhm, pick up the map and tell me which way to go," he orders softly as we're nearing a junction. I unfold it to have a look, however, the map is hard to read. I turn it to look at it from different angels, trying to figure out which way is the right way to hold it and Harry groans. "What are you doing? I have to make a turn soon."

"I can't tell which way I'm supposed to hold the map, Harry!" I slightly raise my voice in frustration as Harry pressures me.

He groans and takes matters into his own hands by taking the map out of my hands and having a look. He takes a right turn abruptly, causing me to spill my coffee and hit my head against the window as well as the couple in the back complaining. I glare at him and watch as his grip on the steering wheel tightens and his knuckles turn white. His jaw clenches and I can tell he is holding back from saying something. He throws the map onto my lap, expecting me to fold it back in again.

Another hour in the car is spent with complete silence between Harry and I and chit chatting and giggles in the back. I lean my head against the seat, munching on some salted peanuts and watch the road ahead of us, noticing we're the only vehicle on the road. Large fields cover the sides of the road but the longer we drive forward, the less grass there is. And soon we're driving through a desert with cactuses, dirt and rocks surrounding the area. Harry mumbles something inaudible under his breath and watches the road ahead of us with a frown on his face.

Twenty minutes in fields, hills and trees come into view again. "Archer, mate, check the map please. This doesn't look quite right." Harry mumbles as he takes the folded map and throws it in the back to Archer. I huff, annoyed that Harry tells Archer to do it and thinks I can't do something as simple as looking at a map. Well, you can't, I remind myself.

"Hold up, Harry, I don't think we're going the right direction." Archer says, a frown forming on his face as he examines the map. "You should've made a left turn by the junction."

"What? You've got to be kidding me? Let me see." Harry groans as he looks back at Archer, his grip on the steering wheel tightening once again as he examines the map.

"Harry, the car! Watch out!" Zara yells in a panicked state.

Harry quickly turns back around to watch the road and panic is now also evident in his eyes as he realizes the car is driving on the wrong side of the road and just a few feet from crashing into a large, moving truck. He turns left abruptly, the truck honks, I scream and within seconds we're rolling down a hill. I shield my head with my arms and squeeze my eyes closed. The sound of glass breaking and metal hitting against hard objects fills my ears as the vehicle continuously rolls down the hill. I feel sharp objects painfully scratching me and pressing into my skin and then numbness takes over my body. We've stopped moving and all I hear now is groans and whimpers. I open my eyes only to get welcomed by darkness once again. Suddenly everything turns quiet and my mind goes blank.

Oh shi, what happens next? 👀 Muhahaha
I hope you liked the first chapterrr and vote pls