Inspired by watching National Lampoon's 'Going the Distance' (which has Joanne Kelly in it if you didn't know that) during AU week.
"Hey, hey, hey, twenty miles to Colorado Springs," Pete exclaimed as they passed the sign. His voice filled the small car and woke the three passengers stuffed in the backseat.
"Finally," Claudia mumbled. She pressed her face further into Leena's neck. Leena smiled down at her and pressed a kiss to the top of the girls head.
"Are we going to get a hotel tonight?" Leena asked. Claudia smiled against her neck.
Pete grinned. "Real beds."
HG's grip tightened on the wheel, turning her knuckles white. She ignored the continuing conversation and focused on pushing her headache down. She had driven through the night as the others had slept. Her neck was sore, her eyes hurt, and her throat was dry.
But, she only had twenty miles left.
Twenty miles until those green eyes. Twenty miles until that goofy smile. Twenty miles until Myka.
When she had left St. Louis with Steve and Leena over a week ago, she had not thought she would end up with hitch-hikers. It was just supposed to be a trip to see the country and spend time together before they all left for college.
The 'no hitch-hikers' rule hadn't lasted five hours. They had picked up Pete, who was on the same quest as them, and Claudia, who was emancipated and looking for freedom, just outside of Chicago with a 'going anywhere' sign. They had been serious about going anywhere, so when the idea to go to California instead of New York had come up, they had been perfectly alright with it.
HG was grateful they had changed their direction. Otherwise they would have never found Myka walking along the side of the road in the middle of Kansas with nothing but a bag that held more books than clothes. HG hated to think of what might have happened to Myka if they had gone to New York.
"Put the address into the GPS," she told Pete, cutting through whatever he was saying.
He nodded and pulled the device from the glove department. Using the webpage Claudia had found with her phone, he typed in the address to Bering & Sons.
"It's on the other side of the city, so thirty-ish minutes," he said as he looked through the directions.
She nodded.
"She's gunna freak when she sees us," he absently continued. "Hopefully a good freak."
"Just hope her dad doesn't freak," Steve spoke up.
HG grimaced.
It hadn't been until after a major accident between Los Angeles and San Francisco that they had learnt the truth about Myka. She was a seventeen-year-old runaway whose father had threatened to press charges on all of them if she didn't return home immediately.
HG was being destroyed by the guilt at ignoring the fear in Myka's face when the cops had led her away. She had seen the bruises and scars. She had noticed the changes in how Myka had acted around Pete and Steve. She had sensed that something was wrong.
She had known that something was wrong.
But, she had pushed it all back because of an arrest threat shoved in her face and a soft 'I'll be fine' whispered in her ear.
She couldn't believe she had been so stupid as to let her go.
Pete let out another cheer. "City limits!" he exclaimed. "We're coming for ya, Mykes!"
I am more than you know
Street lights and open roads
I am more than a face
Stuck living in one place
So call me California
Call me what you will
'Cause I am bigger than this place
And so far from alone - Runaway; Thriving Ivory