Walls

On the Road

Phana's POV

The way Ming immediately took Yo's bag and checked to see what was inside made me clench my teeth in annoyance.

"I wonder what they were talking about," Beam said, watching them walk away. "Are you sure that N'Ming isn't dating N'Yo? It sounded like they were talking about supplies."

"What kind of supplies?" I growled out, perfectly aware of what he was suggesting.

"Beam wasn't talking about anything," Kit said, pushing me to get in the back seat. "Maybe N'Yo was in charge of bringing the snacks for the two of them."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Beam said, sitting in the driver's seat and buckling up. Kit sat next to him and I leaned my head back to try to get some more sleep.

We'd only been driving for 20 minutes when my phone rang. It was Forth. I'd wanted to go on the bus so that I could stay with Yo, but they didn't have enough room. Forth, of course, was on the bus, probably flirting with my Yo.

"Hey Ai'Forth," I said. "Are you having a good time? Are you sitting next to any good friends?"

I really wanted to know if he was sitting next to Yo, but I didn't want to be too obvious.

"Actually, Ai'Pha, we need a favor," Forth said. "N'Yo has a problem."

"What's wrong?" I asked, worried. "Is he okay?"

"He's not okay," Forth said. "That's the favor. He's been throwing up since the bus started moving. We need to find him a different ride."

"Where are you? We'll pick him up," I said, wanting to hold my poor baby and make him feel better.

Forth told us where to meet the bus and we had to backtrack for about five minutes, but we finally made it about the same time the bus arrived. Yo was the first one out of the bus. Ming had his arm around Yo's waist, holding him up. Yo looked seriously green. Ging, Nate, and Forth all followed closely, before the other Moons and Stars started filing out to get a bathroom break. A lot of the Moons and Stars gave Yo a pat on the back or a kind word before passing him. He really was well liked.

Forth patted Yo's back and leaned in to whisper to him. Yo nodded, his eyes filled with misery. I walked over, hoping he would let me hold him up to get him to the car, but just as I arrived, he put his hands over his mouth and Ming pulled him quickly toward the grass so he could throw up again.

"Are you sure a car is going to be any better?" Ging asked, looking at Yo in concern.

"Anything has to be better than the bus," Forth said. "Even I didn't like all the swaying and bumps. I wish I'd brought my motorcycle, N'Yo loves riding on that."

"I wish your motorcycle was here too," Yo said, leaning heavily on Ming as he walked back over to us. "I'm really sorry, guys."

I put my hands in my pockets so that I wouldn't be tempted to strangle Forth.

"Don't worry about it, N'Yo," Ging said, smiling at him affectionately. "You sit in the car with the doctors. I'm sure they'll take care of you."

"Thank you, P'Ging," Yo attempted a wai, but he was clearly worn out.

Ming helped him over to the car, getting him situated in the back seat, then Forth leaned in to whisper in his ear before walking back toward the bathroom. Beam, Kit, and I got back in the car and started on our way again. I watched Yo carefully, he still looked green, but after a minute his eyes closed and he fell asleep.

"I hope he doesn't throw up in my car," Beam said. "I just got it cleaned."

"We should do something," Kit said, watching Yo in the backseat. "His head is swaying all over the place. If he bumps into the window and gets a bruise, his whole faculty will get angry at us. Probably half of the other Moons and Stars too."