Journey Home

Chapter Sixteen

I clench my teeth, feeling a tiny blush rise to my cheeks. "Okay," I say, meaning to sound brisk, but it comes out as a faint whisper.

He smiles gently at me and starts to say something. I have the sense that it's going to be awkward, so I purposefully swerve the car.

Austin grabs the sides of his seat in alarm. "Do you know how to drive, Zo?" he asks worriedly.

I grin, covering up all those anxious feelings and keeping my eyes on the road. "Yeah. I'm figuring it out." I glance over and see an anxious look on Austin's face, so I quickly change the subject.

"Where are we going?"

"To my- "

"There's no way we're going to your house," I say curtly, feeling my face grow red.

He nods, not objecting. "...yeah. What about...you don't have a house."

I swerve again, this time not by accident. I glare at the road. "I don't want to talk about it," I snap at him.

"Zoey, I didn't mean-"

"Be quiet, Austin!" I yell. "I know I don't have a home, but you do and you're rich. Don't rub it in! Just shut up, please."

He reaches across and puts a hand on my shoulder. "I'm not rubbing it in, I didn't even-"

I push his hand off mine. "Let's just figure out where to go," I say in a high, unnatural voice. "The police will be on our tail, you know."

"Go right over there," he says, pointing me towards a small side road.

"Got another mansion hidden up your sleeve?" I ask sarcastically, but go onto the road anyway.

Being an abandoned road and all, I can drive quicker. I speed, clutching the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turn white.

"I need to tell you something, Zoey," he says seriously.

I force myself not to look at him, giving a sharp nod.

"I think you should turn me back in."

I swerve freakin' again. "Stop making me do that!" I holler. "You idiot! Turn you in?! I didn't go through all that to find out you want to go back!"

Jerking one hand off the wheel, I slap him in the chest.

"I don't want to go back," he says earnestly. "But this isn't safe. You ran away, you don't need more cops on your trail. It's easier."

"Shut up with your nobility," I say curtly. "We're gonna get out of this." I jerk to a halt and look in his eyes.

"I will not let you go back, Austin." I swallow. "I'm not gonna let it end that way. You're gonna be free, kay?"

Austin's face is immensely sad. "I'm sorry, Zoey. I didn't mean for this..." He sighs. "You're the one who deserves to be free, y'know. I don't want you back in that orphanage."

"So we'll protect each other, eh?" I say with a small smile.

He smiles back. "Deal. Now drive, missy, like you mean it! So I drive as fast as I can trying not to kill us.