𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 • 𝘣𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴 [✔]

chapter forty three.

LA

Claudia was packing a her bag as quickly as she could. She was doing what she always wanted to do since her mom had told her about Lara. But now it was different, she wasn't doing it alone. Ben was going to go with her. She had contacted the school that she was going to be busy so she had gotten a substitute for her kids. But she didn't get a cranky old man or woman as their sub, she got an old friend to cover her class for the week. Hilarie Burton was her name and the kids loved her the first time she came to teach them so Claudia contacted her again to take care of her kids again.

"Okay, I talked to Edward and I don't have anything to do for this week so I'm all yours." Ben smiled as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket.

"Great, also thank you so much for doing this. This means so much to me." Claudia said to Ben.

"No problem, I'm really looking forward to spending a whole day in the car with you."

Claudia raised an eyebrow. "Do I smell sarcasm?"

"What? Oh, no! No, no, no, i wasn't—"

Claudia laughed at his nervousness. "I'm just kidding, Ben, don't worry."

𓆩❤︎𓆪

Detroit

Nate poured another shot of whiskey for the old man sat in front of him at the bar. It wasn't even noon yet and he was already tired of serving shots to the same man.

"You look fucking miserable," the old man said.

Nate scoffed. "Phil, shut the fuck up."

"I'm going to leave a bad review of this shithole because the bartender is being a little bitch and won't admit what he did to his past lover was the shittiest thing he could do."

Nate stopped cleaning the counter and looked at Phil with a surprised face. "What? How do you know about Janis?"

Phil motioned for him to come closer so Nate did. But Phil was always a jokester so when Nate got close, he yelled into his ear. "Bitch!"

Lara started laughing from the other side of the bar as she picked up empty plates. "Stay out of this, Lara!" Nate yelled at her. He was grateful the bar was practically empty. "Tell me how the hell you know about Janis? Did Lara tell you?"

"People talk, Nathan, and I listen."

"That's not my name—"

"I don't care, now shut up and listen to me," Phil rolled his eyes. "You left her, not only that, but you left with her best friend. That's a real shitty thing to do, not only you, but this bitch over here too!" He pointed a finger at Lara, who knew they were talking about Janis when she heard her name.

"What the fuck, Phil!"

"Shut up, short ass," Phil kept his eyes on Nate. "Face it, kid, you're an estranged dad, deadbeat, whatever the fuck it is, but you left her and your daughter."

"You don't know the whole story so I would stop talking." Nate mumbled.

"Then what is it, Nathaniel? Why did you leave your family when they needed you the most?"

An: me reading your theories about lara and nate: 👀🤔🤨😅

but also roadtrip with claudia and ben next chapter 🤪✌🏼

ben and claudia be like