Right where you left me {a Joel Miller fanfiction}

Chapter 4 - Fast Car

"You got a fast car, and I want a ticket to go anywhere. Maybe we'll make a deal, maybe together we can get somewhere." - Fast Car, Tracy Chapman

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November 2023, Somewhere near Kansas City

By late morning the frost had cleared making it a cool Autumn day. There was no arguing with Bridget about her not coming, and quite frankly after last night I wanted to avoid any conflict between us. So we all got our stuff ready, me and Ellie changing into the clothes Bridget had left for us. It felt nice to have clean clothes on.

I knew Bridget coming wasn't a good idea, I couldn't wrap my head around why she'd want to leave somewhere like this. Despite what she had said last night I still couldn't understand it.

"Well don't you look pretty," Ellie said in a teasing tone, seeing me in my 'new' clothes.

I looked over at Bridget to see her looking me up and down her bottom lip between her teeth, after a few seconds she shook her head slightly almost bringing herself out of some trance before she laughed along with Ellie.

"Come on pretty princess, let's get this truck started up." Bridget announced jokingly to me, throwing her bag over her shoulder and walking out the door alongside Ellie.

I rolled my eyes at the pair of them, huffing out a laugh while shaking my head. They had the exact same dumb humour.

I took in the cabin one last time, backing out the door and closing it softly behind me. Before turning to follow the pair. Unlike when leaving Bill and Frank's house back in Pennsylvania this didn't feel like I was leaving behind a chapter of my life this felt like I was opening up my favourite one all over again.

Ellie led the way to the edge of the tree line where we had left the truck. There was a complete sense of dread in me about whatever was to come next but I tried to shake it off as best as possible.

I just had to get us all safely to Wyoming.

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From the minute I had seen Bridget, it almost felt impossible to breathe. My chest was constantly tight and my heart ached at every small thing she did. She was no different than when she had disappeared, still just as infuriatingly beautiful. Which made it ten times harder for me to know how I felt.

When I walked into that room and we locked eyes, I didn't know if I wanted to run straight towards her and hold her in my arms so she could never leave again or turn around and run away, save myself the pain of it all this time around.

Of course, I didn't do either. And now here she was sitting in the front of the truck that we'd managed to start up with some fuel she had.

Part of me wished I hadn't looked for somewhere to sleep that night when we stumbled across her, but after countless sleepless nights of being on constant watch outside I was exhausted. When she told me she was going to come with us to Wyoming I was terrified I already couldn't protect Tess and Ellie, but Bridget was another story entirely. I couldn't lose her.

Not again.

Bridget had been snoring softly for the past hour, head resting on her palm with her cheek squished against it. I couldn't help but steal glances at her, almost as if I were to look away too long she'd vanish.

"Jesus man, take a fucking picture it'll last longer," Ellie muttered from the back seat causing me to turn my eyes permanently to the road feeling a sudden rush of embarrassment.