Aftg react

Part21

Foxes react: chapter8 part2

"Know that it's actually mentioned I really want to know how he did it, how he managed to get back" said Matt voice filed with interest with caught the attention of some that wanted to know too and Wymack who gave a angry sign making it known to the others that he knew how "damm that bad?" said Matt witch he got a look from coach with the meaning of yea that bad behind it.
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Following the larger streets brought him out onto a main road at last. He only had to go a few blocks before he could flag down a taxi. It took him to the nearest gas station at his request. There was a decrepit pay phone at the edge of the parking lot.

"Looks like that's when he called and said that Andrew might be coming to see trough his things" said Matt.
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Neil hung up and went inside the gas station. He stocked up on water bottles and a map,
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Neil snagged a notepad and pen last and checked out.

"While I can understand the other things why a notepad and pen?" said Aaron thinking of what he might use it for and he was not the only one thinking they were weird things to buy.
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The cashier loaned him a phonebook so Neil could look up the number to a taxi service. The cab came by five minutes later and Neil took it to the nearest truck stop on Interstate 20.
There were a dozen or so big-rigs parked across the giant parking lot, most of them collected around the gas pumps. Neil was comforted by the number and sat on the sidewalk to unfold his map. He found three combinations of major roads that would get him to the northwestern region of the state and tucked his map away. He swallowed against the edges of nausea and approached the nearest trucker with a smile on his face.
"Good morning. I'm a sociology major, working on my summer project. Can I ask where you're headed?"

That took all of them by surprise from how quickly he changed and to how clever that idea was.
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It took four tries before Neil found a northbound driver. The rig was taking 77, which wasn't Neil's first choice, but at least it crossed I-85 near Charlotte, North Carolina. That was the interstate Neil needed if he wanted to get back to Palmetto. Finding a truck was only half the problem. Convincing a driver to take a stranger along was the other.
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He offered the driver his politest smile. "Would you be willing to give me a lift as far as Charlotte? I can pay you fifty dollars for the ride and for answering a couple questions about what it's like working this job."
"I'm not into taking on passengers," the driver said.
Neil accepted that without argument and moved on. None of the other five were going where he needed them to, so he waited off to one side as the twelve trucks were slowly replaced. When the set was complete, he tried again. This time he struck gold on the third try. Not only was the woman willing to take
him, but she was going northwest on I-26. It was a faster route to 85. Neil only had to wait until the tank was full and then they were off.

"Wow he actually did it" said Abby, everyone was amused wanting to keep watching and finding out how it would unfold.
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Neil had hitchhiked like this before from New Mexico to Phoenix. Remembering the interview he'd made up was easy. He took notes on everything the driver said, careful to play the part of an interested student, and the drive passed relatively easily. She left him at a truck stop outside Spartanburg and pulled away with a honk of her horn.
It was easier to catch a ride from there. Neil went through the interview all over again. The driver had questions for him as well, and Neil made up his answers as he went. It took some work to convince the driver that yes, he was fine getting dropped off on the interstate, but Neil got what he wanted. The truck pulled off onto the shoulder a quarter-mile from Neil's exit. Neil paid him and climbed out onto the grass.

"I have to admit that's very smart, the notepad and pen were a good choice" said Nicky the others were again amazed and amused there was really not anything else there it was a well thought out plan and it worked perfectly.
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It was a little after noon by then. The queasiness had faded, but his head still ached. Neil took his exit on foot and walked to the nearest gas station. He bought a couple bottles of water, sat outside on the sidewalk to drink them, and bought a few more. While he waited for the pounding to die down he studied his map. It was about eleven miles to campus from here. The road was small enough he wouldn't likely catch a ride, but Neil was okay walking it. It'd be faster to run that far, but he wasn't feeling well enough to try it.
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Without truckers to distract him Neil could use the walk to think. The only clear memory he had of last night was Andrew's accusation. He didn't know what else Andrew had asked him or what he'd said in response. Hopefully he'd been smart enough to lie through his teeth despite the drugs.
One thing was for sure, though. Neil couldn't afford another night out like that. If Andrew really thought Neil was a threat to Kevin, how far would he go to prove it? Neil didn't want to see what came next, but avoiding that meant compromising. He had to tell Andrew something. The truth was out of the question, but Andrew would smell a lie a mile away. What Neil needed was something in-between that could explain everything: his money, his appearance, and his obsession with Kevin.
Neil spent the entirety of the three-hour walk sorting out a perfect half-truth. The details he was going to give up made his blood run cold, but if he could get Andrew to keep quiet about them somehow, Kevin couldn't use them to identify him.
Neil wasn't quite ready to face Andrew yet and he didn't want to deal with his teammates' curiosity over his prolonged absence, so he went to Wymack's apartment instead.