An Illusion of Will

Chapter 8: Road Trip

Al had just spoken to the person leading the group, explaining that he had a change of mind and had spoken to his mother about returning. However, the man was persistent in trying to persuade Al to stay.

Eventually, Al decided to give the man a donation of 500 dollars as a show of good faith for their cause, even though he couldn't go with them. The man was grateful to be out of Al's way and happily accepted the donation.

It had only been 40 minutes, and Al had already spent thousands of dollars, leaving him almost penniless. Regardless, he was in a good mood. "What am I going to do? By this point, I'll be entering college broke and fatherless." Al chuckled quietly, smiled to himself, picked up his bags, and walked towards a taxi he had flagged down.

Once inside the taxi, Al immediately asked the uninteresting man, who's red fitted hat covered most of his face, "How much will it cost to go from this airport to this address?" Al handed him a note with the address written on it.

The man replied in a dull tone, "Don't worry, kid. From here, it'll cost you 23 dollars." He placed his bags in the trunk, got into the taxi, and turned to gaze at the group his mother had thought he was going to live with.

Al sat in the back of the taxi, trying to relax. His next stop was Kesha's house, where he had left his beloved 74 Plymouth Road Runner, a car he hadn't driven since his best friend Mark had died.

It held great sentimental value as his father had helped him rebuild it. Once he retrieved his car, it would be a smooth journey to Mt. Rainier. Al and the cab driver didn't talk until the end when Al paid the fare.

He grabbed his bags and bid farewell to the taxi, standing in front of a two-story brown house. Parked in the driveway was his red and black striped machine, capturing his attention.

Al walked up to the doorway and rang the doorbell, his eyes still fixed on his car. The door to the house swung open, revealing a fit brown girl holding car keys. She stared at him before breaking into a smile. "Here ya go, girly," she said, tossing him the keys.

She was a childhood friend he had met at a boxing gym, and though they attended different schools, they spent most of their time together during the summers. He wanted to catch up with her, but recent events had caused him to isolate himself from his school friends. However, she was an exception.

Al looked at her and smiled before saying. "Hey, by the way, thanks. I really appreciate it. Anyways, I really have to leave." She immediately frowned and shouted, "Hey!"

He stopped and turned around, expecting to be nagged. "I should be the one thanking you! You let me borrow your car for a while, even if it was for other reasons. Also, it feels good to know you trust me, Al. Seriously, I hope you know there's a lot of people who care about you." She quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, we should have another gym session soon, haha." She flexed her bicep and nervously smiled at him.

Al felt his face flush red. He actually liked Kesha more than friends, but she had never shown any interest in him.

Despite his attempts, she always changed the subject and avoided topics even close to that subject altogether. This was the second time he thought about not going to the 15th Blood ring in Mt Rainier.

He forced himself to respond, "Haha yea we'll catch a workout together when I get return. I should be back in 3 months." Al didn't wait for her to respond and turned to walk toward his car, parked in front of the garage.

He opened his cars back door and threw his bags inside, then turned around. He couldn't forgive himself if he didn't part on good terms with Kesha. He went back and entered Kesha's house after catching up he hugged her, saying goodbye and promising to stay in touch.