Herc and Laf soon arrived, pulling up in front of my house. They both jumped out of the car and raced over to me.

"Alex, mon ami!" Laf exclaimed, embracing me tightly. "Are you okay?"

"N-no." I said as tears poured down my cheeks. "I'm sorry for interrupting your date like this."

"Don't be." Herc said, his voice gentle. "John's our friend too, and we're going to get him back."

"You really think so?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Alex, I know so." He replied confidently. "Get in the car and we'll get going."

"Going where, mon amour?" Laf asked.

"To South Carolina. John and his dad will already be on the plane by now, since the airport's so close by, and we don't have enough money to get tickets anyway."

"Shouldn't we tell our parents we're going?" Laf asked, sounding nervous.

"Laf, if we tell out parents, they'll never let us go." He replied. "We gotta do this secretly."

Laf's eyes went wide. "You sure this is a good idea?"

"It's the only way to do it." Herc said. "I promise I'll keep you safe, okay?"

Laf nodded. "D'accord."

"We're really going to South Carolina?" I asked, stunned that Herc already had this planned out.

He nodded. "As soon as you get in the car, we can go."

I scrambled up and climbed into the backseat of the car. Laf sat in the back as well, which surprised me. I thought he would've sat up front with Herc.

"Alex, did John ever tell you where he used to live before he ran away?"

I nodded. "It's a place along the coast." I said, thinking back to what John had told me. "Seventeen eighty-two, Ramos street."

"How did you remember all of that?" Laf asked in amazement.

I shrugged. "Good memory, I guess?"

Herc punched the address into his GPS and pulled the car away from the house.

I started to tear up again. I should've been able to protect John, but because I'm a weak piece of trash, he might get hurt more and it's all my fault! I knew I shouldn't be so hard on myself, but I felt like the only one at fault for John getting taken away. I was the only one at fault, wasn't I?

Laf noticed my tears and leaned over, wrapping his arms around me. "Mon ami, John will be okay." He said, trying to comfort me. "We will get him back."

"Are you sure?" I asked, not wanting to get my hopes up.

"Alex, I know that you and John are meant to be together. You're perfect for each other. And since I know that, I know that you will get him back."

"You guys sound like a Disney movie back there." Herc commented.

"Your name is a Disney movie, mon amour!" Laf shot back.

"Hey, we talked about this."

"Don't care! You started it!"

Herc rolled his eyes, chuckling. "You act like a two year old sometimes, Laf."

"I know! You love me for it, too!" Laf exclaimed.

Herc cracked a smile. "Yeah, I do."

I sat, listening to the two of them playfully tease each other. They seemed so happy together. Maybe I could have that with John...if I ever got him back.

I had apparently started to cry without realizing it, because Laf looked at me worriedly. "Alex? What's wrong?"

"I'm worried about him, Laf. I'm really worried. And I really miss him."

Once again he hugged me tightly. "I know you do." He replied softly. "But we will get him back. Right, Herc?"

"Yep. We're gonna get him back, Alex. I promise you that."

"Thank you guys so, so, much." I said thankfully as Herc pulled onto the highway.

"You're welcome." Herc said. "We care about you, and we care about John. We're gonna do everything we can to get him back."

"Okay." I turned my head to look out the window, watching the cars go past.

"Herc, do you have any food?" Laf asked. "I'm hungry."

"I might have some trail mix in one of those back pockets, there." He said. "Just don't eat all of it."

"Alright." He began digging through the pockets on the back of the seats. "Found it!" He exclaimed, pulling the bag out. He ripped open the seal and poured the mix of peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, and chocolate chips into his hands. "Want some, Alex?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Come on, Alex, you need to eat."

"I said, I'm not hungry!" I shouted.

"Sorry." Laf whimpered. "I didn't mean to make you upset…"

"Oh, geez, Laf, I'm sorry." I said apologetically. "I'm just worried about John. I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

"C'est d'accord, mon ami. I understand." He replied. "Herc, do you want some?"

"Not right now, Hun. Maybe in a little bit."

"Alright." He turned his head and looked out his own window. We had an eleven hour drive ahead of us. It was going to be long.

We made it to New Jersey within the first hour. When Herc pulled in to fill the car up with gas, Laf and I raced into the convenience store to buy snacks. Five minutes later, we were back in the car and on the road again.

As we pulled back onto the highway, we heard a loud bang, and then the car began to bounce on the left side.

"What was that?" Laf asked, eyes wide.

"Dunno." Herc pulled off onto one of the exits and then pulled onto the side of the road. He got out and examined the car, then poked his head back in a moment later. "Tire's flat." He said simply. "I have a spare in the back, it'll only take a few minutes to fix it."

The two of us got out of the car and stood and watched while Herc popped the flat tire off and attached the new one. Fifteen minutes later we were back in the car and continuing on our journey.