The Road Within: Completed

Eighteen - rest stop

Dedicated to xxhannahhemmo1996xx for expressing their much love with comments, voted, and encouragement! Thanks cutie! ❤️😘

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since it was late in the night and everyone was too tired, Michael chose to pull over at a rest stop shouldered off the highway. Calum, Luke, And Michael were sitting out on the rock wall, their backs turned to the darkness. They only thing that lit the area around them were the headlights of the car.

Ashton was curled up in the back seat, arms wrapped around himself with his legs pulled up to his chest. His head was tilted to the side, resting on the head rest of the back seat. He was trying to sleep, but his mind kept racing with too many thoughts about Luke.

Michael pasted Luke a lit joint, he blew out his smoke and grinned at calum. Luke took it and put it between his lips, taking a drag. " should try it, Calum." Calums eyes were glued on it , wedged between lukes lips. Michael could tell calum was slightly interested.

"why?" calum quietly asked, turning his gaze over to Michael. " Because maybe it would help you with your tics." Michael answered, reaching over and yanking it from lukes lips making the boy lean forward. Luke snorted a giggle, letting the smoke seep from his parted lips.

Michael held it out for calum who stared at it like it was one of the most interesting things on earth. "come on, don't be chicken." Michael teased, wiggling the joint between his fingers. Calum sighed and snatched it from Michael, sticking his tongue out. he put it between his lips and sucked, feeling his eyes water and throat slightly burn.

" okay, good. hold it in till it makes you--" Michael started but was cut off from calum suddenly coughing and gasping, his eyes were watering and smoke was puffing out of his mouth with each cough. Luke started laughing again, he stood off the wall and walked over to the front of the car. He heavily dropped on the front hood and stared up at the sky, trying to see the stars.

Michael also laughed and shook his head, "adorable." he mumbled under his breath.

"so, what are you going to do after we get to the ocean?" calum asked, handing the joint back over to Michael. Michael shrugged and looked away, rolling the joint between two fingers in thought, " i don't know.." he quietly admitted. He watched Luke, who was laying on the hood of the car with his hand held up as high as he could like he was trying to grab the stars from the sky.

" i haven't thought that far ahead yet." mumbled Michael, not looking away from his high best friend. Calum sighed and turned his attention also on Luke. " so, whats wrong with him? i mean.. why was he in the clinic?"

Michael frowned and looked down at his feet, drawing random designs in the dirt. " Luke has been through a lot in his life, even if he is the youngest of us all. He just... he needed some control in his crazy life. some control no matter how or what, so he resulted into self harming."

calum parted his lips, saying oh under his breath with a squeak. he nodded and rubbed his chin, " did you always know him?" Michael shook his head, " we went to the same school but no, i didn't know him till we meet at the clinic a few years back." Michael looked up at the joint in his hands, taking another deep drag.

" i want to get a dog," calum said, not wanting the silence to become awkward since they stopped talking for a moment or two.

" hello, random. Someones stoned already." Michael said with a laugh, shaking his head with amusement. "no, im serious, but i always wanted a dog growing up and my dad wouldn't let me. and then--" calum scrunched his face and tensed up, pushing his hands between his knees and squeezed them. " oh-- and uh, after the divorce, taking care of my mom, it was a lot of work." he spoke with a frown.