Seniors

Chapter four

Chapter four

The closest gas station was sixteen-point-two miles away, according to Siri, who had generously informed them from Sarah's phone, adding that the price for gas was two dollars and sixty-seven cents per gallon. Thirteen miles later, Sarah's old Volkswagen van come to a stop at the side of the road, a long stretch of asphalt before them.

"You've got to be kidding me," Sarah groaned, hitting her fore-head against the steering wheel.

"W-what happened?" Emma asked, afraid she knew the answer already.

"We ran out of gas," Phoenix replied, propping up her elbow and resting her chin on her palm. In the seat beside her, Jackie didn't even pause, but drew in her sketchbook that rested on her knees propped up to her chest.

"N-no no no, that can't be. Sarah, hit the gas, I mean, we're only three miles away."

Sarah pounded her right foot on the gas pedal repeatedly, both hands clutching the sides of the steering wheel. "Emma, it's not working."

"What do you mean, 'it's not working'?"

"I mean," Sarah said, annoyance cutting through her words like a blade, "Its. Not. Working. There's no gas left, we're stranded here unless a Seven Eleven appears out of no where."

"Or," Jackie piped up, "you three could go walk to the gas station, buy a gallon of gas, walk back, and we can insert the gallon and drive to the gas station. I'll wait here and man the car."

Three heads turned towards Jackie, who continued to sketch, her grey eyes following the strokes she made with the led of her pencil on the off-white paper. "Why all three of us?" Emma asked.

Jackie leant her head closer to her sketchpad in concentration, putting down the pencil and grabbing for the charcoal. "Because, Phoenix can be persuasive, but bosy--"

"Watch it," Phoenix cut in.

"You're sweet and plus, no one can say 'no' to that smile." Emma smirked, sticking her tongue out at Phoenix, who returned the gesture. "And Sarah's good at negotiating, plus she can hold back Phoenix if she makes a scene." Sarah tilted her head at that one, thinking of the countless times she'd broken up a fight between Phoenix and some other chump.

"Okay..." Sarah decided, and Jackie unzipped the backpack and handed her four dollars, which she slid in her back pocket.

Luckily, it wasn't too hot or too cold outside. The three girls got out of the van, Phoenix wearing a Paramore tank, sweatpants, and her ratty yellow sneakers, Sarah in shorts and a t-shirt, and Emma still in the dress and heels she had worn to the ceremony, having been too busy packing to change.

They walked in silence, Emma's heels clicking against the asphalt, hurting her feet, and it took all of three minutes before she decided she couldn't take it any more. Stopping, she bent over to take off her heels, wincing as her tender feet rubbed against the medieval torture devices before she held them both in one hand, continuing on her way. She glanced back every so often, not being able to help the feeling of paranoia, faring that at any moment, a car would speed out of no where, run them down and drive off, with blood on their hands and not a hint of remorse.

"Follow the yellow-brick road," Sarah sing-songed, skipping lightly, interrupting Emma's trane of thought.

A jet flew overhead, and Phoenix pointed to the stream of whisp it left behind. "Surrender Dorothy!" She cried, turning to Emma and giving her her best cackle.

"I wonder how long it took Dorothy to reach the emerald gas station," Emma thought aloud, stepping over a broken glass bottle, careful not to get any of it in her bare feet. "Cause my feet are killing me. Ruby slippers can't be any comfier than these heels anyways. Props to her."