- RUNAWAY PT. 2 -
"Mark Lee!"
That snaps him awake. He sits up with a start, hastily swiping his feet off of the dashboard.
"Relax, it's me." Johnny cracks the shit-eating grin Mark knows all too well.
"Was that really necessary?" he grumbles, rubbing the end of his sweater over his eyes.
"Of course. Your feet kept sliding all over the dashboard." Johnny explains. He takes one hand off the wheel to gesture, "All over the shop, they were."
"Sorry." he mumbles, pushing himself further into the seat. He averts his gaze to the window. The guilt is already building up.
"Don't look so dejected." the driver laughs, patting Mark's leg. "If you slept any longer you'd wake up in a mood when we stop anyway."
"No I wouldn't."
"Yes, you would." Johnny insists. "Every single time. I swear it's like dealing with a five year old sometimes."
"I'm not that bad..." he trails away, trying to think of any examples that could prove Johnny wrong. When he can't think of anything, he concentrates on taming the hair on his head.
Johnny shakes his head and rolls his eyes with a smile, "You hungry?"
Mark nods. It's been almost six hours since the last time he'd eaten and the hunger is starting to gnaw away at his stomach.
"There are some cereal bars in the back if you want one." he says. "In my rucksack. You should be able to reach over and grab it."
Twisting in his seat, he pulls himself up against the restraint of the seat belt. Reaching a hand out to the backseat, his fingers just manage to hook onto the handle of the black bag, "Do you want one?"
"Please."
He drags the bag to the front of the car and unzips it. Reaching a hand in, the bars are quickly caught in his hand. Mark unwraps two of them and passes one to Johnny.
"Thanks." Mark says before he bites into it.
"It's always good to have some stuff in the car." he smiles, taking one hand off of the wheel to hold the bar.
He nods again, propping his head up on his free hand. His elbow is pressed against the door armrest and his hair is brushing against the glass of the window.
"So," Mark begins between a mouthful. "How long have we got left to go?"
"Not long. Half an hour I think." he replies.
Johnny is taking them to a friend's across the other side of Canada. Unlike Mark, Johnny is very prepared. He already has a visa for the country and has decided that the best plan of action now is to settle down. The friend they're going has managed to secure Johnny a job in a department store and has a spare room for them to share - something which Mark is absolutely dreading.
"That's gonna fly by." he says.
"Yup, I'm pretty relieved." Johnny swallows the last of the cereal bar. "It's about time we stop driving all over the place. Tiring work, isn't it?"
"I don't know why you're asking me that." Mark shoves the bag behind him in the back. "You're doing all the driving. I'm just sleeping it away."
"True," he chuckles. "But driving makes you sleepy. Well, it makes me tired."
"If I had a licence I'd offer to take over."
He shakes his head, "It's fine. I'd rather you rest yourself. I left home years ago, but you're new to it. It's never easy, no matter how shit your family is."
