Gangs and Roses

Chapter Twenty-Two: San Francisco

Chapter Twenty-Two

San Francisco

I stared up at Will, feeling incredibly confused.  

"I'm okay," I managed to say, frowning to myself. I rubbed my eyes and stood up. "I'm okay," I repeated. That dream about Sam...it had been so vivid, like he had actually been there at the foot of the bed, crying to get out. It made me think of when we had been at the pub back in England, having to leave Sam to die. Was that what he had been like on the other side of the door - and I didn't even know.  

Will didn't say anything. He just watched from the bed as I got my wash-bag from my suitcase. "I'm going to have a shower," I said, heading towards the bathroom door. I locked myself in, feeling my eyes open and close quickly as I try and erase the dream from my mind. But it was just so...it was just so real. I had never missed and yearned to see Sam more than anything. I just missed him so much.  

Thinking that a shower would hopefully drain away my negative thoughts, I stripped and made sure the water was deathly hot. It burnt my skin but it made me focus my attention on that rather than Sam. I washed my hair, trying to take my time. I shaved my legs and brushed my teeth. I felt a little better stepping out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around my head and my body. Will had got dressed and was sitting at the end of the bed, the covers having not being made obviously, staring intently on the TV screen. He was so intent that he was still holding the remote control in one hand.  

He didn't turn when I came in, making me wonder what was so amazing on the telly. I saw that the news was up - some random three-letter channel that definitely wasn't English - and it instantly, almost like a reflex, made my heart sped up in my chest. 

With my hearing completely gone, all I saw were pictures of every single person in our two gangs pop up on the screen, mine included.  

Will turned to stare at me in horror.  

My hand covered my mouth, completely shocked. I couldn't speak. "What do we do?" Americans watched the news, didn't they? Everyone was going to see this! Everyone was going to know who Will and I were!  

"We leave," Will said, standing up abruptly. "Now."  

My face went completely white. My heartbeat was ringing fast and hard in my ears. Where were we going to go now? I knew that this was going to happen. (How could it not?) But I didn't realize it would happen so soon. That meant they had already been at the house. Had we accidentally left something there? Had they traced us already? Of course they had. We had got onto a flight with our own names. A squad was probably already on its way over, creeping ever closer.  

We needed to skedaddle. 

Rushing around the hotel room, Will and I packed everything up as quickly as we could, throwing things into bags and jumping on them to get them to close. I had to get dressed as quick as a flash. There was no time for breakfast, no time to quickly go to the loo before leaving. There was no time for petty things like that. We had to get a move on - we had to hit the road. But how? 

Steal a car, naturally.  

But first, we had to sneak out of the hotel first. I had an idea, so I pulled Will by the hand to the lift and down. We kissed while we were in the elevator, must've been adrenaline, before warily stepping out to the reception. It was a young man standing behind the counter this time, the receptionist, and I thanked my lucky stars. I made Will wait outside with the bags before skipping over to the reception desk. I slapped the room card on the desk. Fiddling with some papers, the young man looked up.  

He only had to stare at my - gorgeous - face for a second to realize who I was. His eyes widened, leaning back as if I had bad breath. (Which I didn't, just for the record). Before he could scream and shout, call the police or do whatever, I grabbed the front of his ironed shirt and pulled him close to my face.