cuffed • g.d

45.

We sat in awkward silence for seconds before he asked the question I knew he would, "Your mom? Ho- where is she?" He asked quiet staring at me. I lick my dry lips and finally make eye contact with him. "She lives just outside of  Jersey City. I haven't seen her in years but she writes letters and calls but I'm too much of a little bitch to respond because I knew if I did, dad would-" I stop myself from ranting on because I knew I would burst into tears. I bite my lip and answer Grayson's original question again, "Outside of Jersey City." I looked up at the deep dark sky to stop the tears from coming down.

"T, if you're not ready to see her again we don-"
"We need to be safe Grayson, and she's the only person I can think of who doesn't hate me." I interrupted him fiercely. Grayson clenches his jaw and nods. "Okay." He says in a whisper. He starts up the car again, using the same wires from the previous Hotwire. He sighs loud before saying what he had to say next. "We need a place to sleep tonight, then we leave for Jersey City in the morning." I nod along with his idea. We both sit there thinking of places to go. "We can't go back to Junos or your place, they'd expect that. We need a place where they wouldn't possibly look."
Grayson backs out of the parking spot and we drove around the dark town searching for motels and hotels for cheap prices, but there was nothing.

Out of frustration Grayson punches the steering wheel. "There's nothin!" I rub his arm as a way of telling him to calm down. "We-we can just-" Grayson stops himself and shakes his head "never mind" he stops. I frown. "No. No just say it. It's 10:44 at night and I'm tired and desperate any place is better than nothing." I say laying my head back against the seat. "Well.." Grayson says. "What if we went to the Reily girls house, ya know where Lani is staying. But I figured since you and Lani are not really-"

"I know the way, I'll tell you where to go. Drive." I say staring straight ahead. Before Grayson's could ask the question I answered it. "At this point I'm more concerned with staying alive than petty beef with my sister. drive."
He looks at me for a couple more seconds then does what he was told. I give him the directions  and we were almost there. As we sat at a red light Grayson unexpectedly announces what he had on his mind. "When this is all over them what? What are we gonna.. gonna do?"
"How will we know if it will ever end? Will we ever be able to stop hiding?" I answer honestly, with my eyes fixed in the glowing red light.
I could tell my answer made Grayson think. Then he hits me with a hard question, "what if I get killed? What will you do?"  He asks sincerely.

I shrug my shoulders slowly. "I wouldn't know what to do. I would cry that's for damn sure. But after all this shit that's been happening to me, my family... I would go fucking crazy." I felt the lump in my throat as I told him that. I held my tears in as I asked him a similar question. "What about you? What would you do if I got killed and died. What if I die tonight? What would you do?" I ask serious. The light turns green and before he steps on the gas pedal he answers, "I'd die tomorrow."
He grabs my hand with the free hand he had. I squeezed his back. I love this boy. As we make our way to Reilys, I see Grayson eyeing his rear view mirror constantly frowning his thick eyebrows. I look back trying to see what he does. "What? What is it G?" I say curious still looking back. He shook his head "Nothing I thought I saw something but I'm just being paranoid." He laughs dryly. I fake a smile towards him knowing he's not telling me something. We finally arrive at the street and once again Gray looks in the rear view. "What the fuck." He mumbles quiet but I was still able to understand. "What is it Grayson?" I say immediately.
"That car has been following us since the stop light" he says worried.