The Runaways – Chapter 26
By MyNameIsCAL
-Max's POV-
There was something eerie about what had happened. Fang still seemed shaken, and honestly, I was too and I hadn't seen anything really. Not that we were slapping high fives or feeling relieved, but whoever those guys were, drug lords, gangsters, serial killers, they had saved us from getting separated. Fang would have had to driven around before he could return to get us. That kind of anxiety wasn't what we needed, but I can't say this feeling wasn't any better.
"They…they just took him in his own cop car," Fang said, trying to massage his knee. "He was innocent."
"I know, Fang," I murmured. "But there wasn't anything you could do."
"I could have been killed too!"
"But you weren't."
"I know."
Fang shut his eyes.
We were parked in a rest area now, blending in among the other cars.
"Is your leg okay?" It was a question to distract him. There was no need to dwell on the things we had no control over.
"Just a little pain." I got the feeling it was more than that.
"Relax, okay? Get some sleep."
He nodded.
It wasn't long before he was asleep and not feeling tired, I pulled out a piece of paper and began my promised monthly letter to Mom. It was now almost the end of June. School would be ending and well, we would be missing prom. But that was fine by me. I hated dresses anyway.
Dear Mom,
Nothing is harder than to be away from you. I think about you every day and before I go to sleep at night. We've been trying to keep safe. All of us are well, so don't you worry.
But tonight, I'm thinking there must be a bright side to all of this. After all, I'm finally travelling. Gazzy and Angel are really nice kids. You'd like them. It's unfortunate I had to meet them this way, but I'm glad I met them. All of them, Iggy and Nudge, and Fang too. Well, I'm sure you've seen their real names in the news, you've seen their pictures, and you've met Fang.
Fang and I are trying our hardest to keep everyone safe. One day, we'll come back, all of us together. I feel like in some other life they could be my family.
Although the hardest thing not to think about, when I think about leaving you and Ella, is that if I hadn't gone with them, if we hadn't helped Fang out, the rest of them would probably be dead. Or maybe no one would even know they were gone.
By the time you get this, Ella would have already went to prom, but you tell her that I hope she had a good time, that she shouldn't let me not being there stop her from doing anything. I hope she got into that college, so she can be a vet just like you. I guess we'll have to sort out school when I get back, but that's something to worry about later, right?
I miss you, I really do. And again, I'm sorry.
-Max
I folded up the letter, not even reading it a second time. If I did, I'd end up rewriting it, and it would just be too hard. It took me a while to address the envelope. I stuck a stamp on it and put it on the dashboard. Fang could drop it in a mailbox in the morning when he woke up, but for now, I'd stay awake and try hard not to think.
-Fang's POV-
"It's been two months already?" I frowned at Max's letter.
She nodded. "Just about."
"Guess we're not going to prom," I said, trying to ease up the mood. It got a few laughs from the back and Max gave me a smile. I got out of the car and slipped it into the mail slot outside of the rest area building. We took off shortly after, Max driving as usual even though she had stayed up all night. Normal people might question our decision to let her drive, but I guess we weren't normal people, considering our circumstances.
For some reason, in California, traffic was everywhere, no matter where you went. We were trying to get to San Francisco, but at this rate, we would end up stuck somewhere in between. Max kept the radio on to a local music station. I felt like music was better here than in Arizona.
"Fang…I'm hungry," I heard Angel say.
I fumbled through one of the bags on the floor and pulled out a bag of pretzels. "I know this shouldn't count as breakfast, but we'll stop for food soon, I promise."
"Okay, thanks."
Since when did Angel start talking to me? Or had I been around them long enough for them to actually be comfortable around me. That was something new. I wasn't sure if I liked that feeling or not. My whole life I had gone by being the guy people only associated with because they had a good reason to. For Josh, it was my mom's drugs, for Iggy it was because I needed someone to talk to. And then Max came along, and I realized that people weren't as cruel as I made them out to be, and then we ended up here.
Crazy, isn't it?
So we'll see all of them getting closer to each other. Eventually, we'll get them back to Arizona. I can't give too much away though. Heh, thanks for reading and reviewing!