Through the Tunnel

Chapter 9: Lost

"Wake up whore!" shouts Anne-Marie. It's probably the nicest way she could have possible said those words.

I open my eyes only to be blinded by light (a feeling I know too well) and once my eyes adjust I see all three of them looking down at me.

"We have a situation..." says Phil.

"What?" I say.

I sit up in the back of Wendy and look at them all.

"Well... You remember Neil, right?" Steven says, motioning behind him. I look over his shoulder and see a heavily bearded man lying flat out on the ground by the road. I realise we are stopped at a service station.

"What the fuck?" I say.

Why on earth is Neil here? How did he find us?

"He's looking for Lauren. We told him she's not with us anymore, that she went off with some other guy. I tried to explain that she's over him... He wants her back" Anne-Marie says.

"Well she's not here, so he can leave us alone now" I say.

"We can't just leave him, he's alone and quite potentially crazy... what do we do?" Phil says.

I look over at him again... I don't know why he's lying on the ground but I also don't quite care.

"How did he find us?" I say.

"He didn't... well... not exactly..." Phil began.

"We almost hit him... he was in the middle of the road... luckily Phil stopped in time!" Anne-Marie explained.

I sigh and rub my eyes with my hands, feeling the hunger growing in my stomach "I can't be dealing with this... Call his parents or something, or the police for all I care. I'm going to get food, I'm starving" I say, walking into the service station.

I start looking at the pre-made food as Steven walks in and joins me.

"We'll have to take him with us" he says.

"Why?" I say, in a childish tone. "I don't like him, you don't like him, Phil doesn't-"

"Because he might kill himself if we don't..."

He has a point. I think for a second.

"Fine..." I say reluctantly "But he sits in the back and doesn't say a word".

I pick up a sandwich and a bottle of water and make my way to the checkouts.

Steven picks up a bag of crisps and a bottle of cola, I give him a judging look, but he just laughs.

After purchasing my food, I make my way back towards Wendy, with Steven close behind me. He puts his arm around me, the other clutching his crisps and drink. A smile creeps onto my face as I look into his eyes. The smile soon fades when I see Neil sitting shotgun next to Phil.

"Na-ah" I say, shaking my head and moving out of Steven's arms.

He stares at me as I approach him. "Back seat, now!" I tell him, as if talking to a child.

"Fine" his voice breaking.

Steven gives me a look, but everyone else just accepts it. He sits in the very back of the van (well, actually he lies down with his knees in the air).

Finally we get back on the road and carry on with our journey.

With Anne-Marie and Phil singing along to the radio in the front, Steven and I had some time to just relax and spend time together. If it wasn't for the awkward love triangle situation, we would probably just sit here making out but since Phil can probably see us in the rear-view mirror, we decide talking is probably our best option. That doesn't, however, stop him from putting one arm around me and the other hand resting gently on my leg.