Fairytale • Robby Keene

twenty three

Back on the road, the car cruised steadily along the highway, the engine humming softly beneath them. Odette sat in the backseat, her head resting against the cool glass of the window. She stared blankly out at the blur of trees, buildings, and passing cars, her mind spinning with everything that had happened—and everything that still needed to happen. The world outside seemed to move faster than her thoughts could keep up with. She sighed, tapping her fingers absentmindedly against her knee.

Up front, Daniel had his eyes fixed firmly on the road, his hands steady on the steering wheel. He wasn't one for distractions, especially when it came to driving, but his thoughts seemed just as chaotic as Odette's. The worry about Robby, about the search that was becoming more urgent by the second, tugged at his focus.

Johnny, in the passenger seat, seemed unaffected by the tension. He took a bite of his food—another chip—and casually crunched it, not concerned with the crumbs falling around him. His attention drifted from the bag of chips in his hands to the road as they sped down it.

"Can you be careful with those?" Daniel said, his eyes flicking toward Johnny as he saw the chips falling in the car's seats. "I don't wanna be digging them out of the upholstery for five years."

Johnny purposely leaned over toward the driver's side and tossed a chip into his mouth, the crunch echoing in the car. It was louder than necessary, and he made sure to crunch it right next to Daniel's ear.

"That's kinda disgusting." Odette muttered from the back, her lips curled slightly in a grimace. She couldn't help but roll her eyes as she looked at Johnny.

"Thanks." Daniel said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He turned his attention back to the road, his grip tightening on the wheel. "We have to talk about what we're gonna do when we find Robby."

"He's my son. I'll talk to him." Johnny said.

"That's always gone well." Daniel muttered under his breath.

Johnny caught the comment, his head snapping toward Daniel. "What did you say?"

"Nothing." Daniel replied quickly.

"I actually think I should be the one to talk to him." Odette spoke as she leaned forward, popping her head between the two of them. "Not to be rude or anything... but one of you did abandon him before he was even born which made him fall into the wrong crowd of teenagers later on. The other one did have a hissy fit when he realized that Robby was the son of their high school nemesis. So... I don't think any good will come from either of you talking to him."

Before anyone could respond, a cell phone began ringing over the car speakers, its sudden sound cutting through the tension in the air.

"Your car's ringing." Johnny said, looking around the vehicle in confusion, his eyes darting from the dashboard to the rearview mirror. He clearly had no idea where the sound was coming from.