bad for you

TEN.

CHAPTER TEN.
"PARANOIA ON MY MIND, GOT MY MIND ON THE FRITZ"
Paranoia - Chance the Rapper

It was dark when Ariana woke up. She had fallen asleep in the back of Calum's car, using his hoodie as a pillow and the extra blanket he had in the back. She woke up, confused and sore, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.

She groaned a little, rolling her shoulders back before looking out of the window. The only light was coming from the street, passing cars illuminating the road and flashing by. Ariana crawled into the front, throwing on Calum's hoodie she found on her seat. She glanced out the front window, seeing two figures standing outside, right between the two headlights of the vehicle. It was Calum and a man that Ariana didn't recognize.

Quietly, Ariana slipped out of the car, catching Calum's attention once she closed the door. His eyes darted up to meet her's, his expression blank with his jaw clenched.

"Hey princess," Calum said, holding his arms out before he wrapped them around Ariana's small figure. She nuzzled her face into his chest, feeling him squeeze her tight before he continued the conversation from moments before. "He told you it'd be ready by Friday, not a week later. What's taking it so long?"

"Getting it over the border, maybe?" The other man, who had a raspier and higher voice, guessed. He sounded a bit young, and Ariana glanced over. The boy couldn't be over 18. "You try getting that shit past border security. It's not easy."

"Yeah, I'm well aware of that. Why do you think I let my brother go without me?" Calum snarled, his firm tight on Ariana. He looked down at her, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Did you sleep okay, baby?"

"As well as I could in the backseat of a car," she mumbled, lacing her fingers with Calum's as she stood up straight. Leaning her head back, Ariana whispered to Calum. "Who's this?"

"This is Trey," Calum said, nodding to the boy that only looked a year older than Ariana. "We work together."

The boy gave her a genuine smile, and Ariana returned it, suddenly becoming self-conscious of how she looked. God, she'd just slept for god knows how long in the back of a car -- she probably looked awful.

"Where are we?" Ariana asked, looking around. It was pitch black and they were pulled out from the highway into a rest area. There was one street lamp that flickered dimly, and it was foggy down the road so she couldn't see anything.

"We're a bit out of New York."

"Oh, okay." She nodded.

"The state," he concluded, and Ariana widened her eyes, pulling away from the boy. "Connecticut is only a few hours from New York, okay? It's not that bad—"

"We're in Connecticut?" Ariana exclaimed, throwing her arms to her sides as she looked at Calum with wide eyes and an angry expression. "You could have fucking told me that before letting me fall asleep and taking me to a whole other state!"

"Baby, it's not that big a deal—"

"Not that big a deal? I have a physics quiz to write tomorrow! And an English midterm! Oh my god, and I told Brooks I'd watch the kids tonight. Oh my god, my parents are probably freaking out—" Ariana was off in a tangent, Calum and Trey watching as the girl ran her hands down her face. Calum finally broke off, grabbing her wrists to calm her down.