Galaxy Shoes

2. Road Trip

"Joanne, we have to get this done."

I raised my head from the text book, narrowing my eyes as Liam chuckled next to me.

"I'm tired as it is. I'm really not in the mood to calculate our country's GDP," I whined, slapping my head back onto the book's pages, "Ow."

Liam sighed, "Okay, but don't come crying to me when you fail the project."

"It's summer," I muttered, "Why are we doing this now. It's not due until the end of next semester."

"Because," Liam drawled, "the sooner we get it done, the sooner we can turn it in and not worry about it."

I groaned, pulling myself into an upright position. I glanced at my phone for the umpteenth time and bit my lip. I should've gotten Ellery's number in case she forgot about my Vans.

"I call snack break," I said, standing up and heading into the miniature kitchen area.

"Okay," Liam hummed.

I opened the refrigerator and pulled out two juice pouches. Closing the door, I walked over to the countertop and grabbed two mini chocolate chip muffins.

Ding. You have one new message.

I looked over at the source of the noise with furrowed brows. The screen of my phone brightened, signaling a notification.

"Yes!" I shouted, running to the table and slamming the snacks into Liam's lap.

"Ow, mother-" he cried, falling onto the floor with a grunt.

I winced. "Sorry L, I forgot you had giblets."

He sobbed, "No problem."

I immediately unlocked my phone and opened the message.

Unknown Number:

Hey, Joanne, this is Ellery. I found something about your sneakers. Meet me at Johnson's Burger House around 3. :)

I squealed. I had exactly an hour to get there. I looked over at the poor lump on the floor and slid down next to him.

"I'm guessing she found your shoes," Liam groaned.

"Yeah, we have an hour before we meet her at Johnson's Burger House," I smiled, turning my head to look at him, "Do you need aspirin?"

"Please."

**************

I pulled into the restaurant's parking lot and parked near the entrance. I looked over at Liam, who had his lips pursed.

"Are you trying to kiss my windshield? What are you doing?" I nudged his arm with my elbow.

He muttered something about 'the pain' under his breath.

"What? Liam, we have to get inside. It's," I checked my wristwatch, "2:58."

He sighed, "Okay, let's go."

We both got out of the car and entered the building. The door swished open as we were both hit by a sudden chill from the air conditioner conveniently placed above the door frame. The black and white tile floors shone under the ceiling lights and the wooden booths were filled with families and friends.

I scanned the area until my eyes spotted Ellery in a booth, flipping through a menu.

"There she is!" Liam shouted, gaining the attention of nearby customers.

I slapped a hand on my forehead and sighed. I walked over to the booth, while Liam stuck to my side.

"Hi, Ellery," I greeted, sliding into the seat across from her.

"Hey, guys," she replied, setting down the menu and digging into her shoulder bag.

Liam slid into the seat next to me and tapped away on the table. Ellery pulled out a paper from her bag and handed it to me. I studied it for a second. It seemed to have coffee stains on the edges and a corner was ripped. Long story short, this paper had probably seen better days.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about the stains. David isn't the nicest when it comes to...well, a lot of things," Ellery apologized, and I grinned.

I unfolded the paper and looked over the list of shoes. I studied the alphabetized items until my eyes fell on the letter B as in blue. I scanned the line of information and I choked.

Blue, Sneakers            Location:   Dallas, Texas - Catherine's Donation Centre

"Why would they send a pair of old sneakers all the way to Dallas?" I fumed, slamming the paper on the table.

"Well, I'm not surprised," Liam shrugged, "We don't live in a very organized city."

"I have to agree with eyebrows on that," Ellery smiled.

Liam pouted and tried to smooth his eyebrows with his fingers. I chuckled.

"Okay," I breathed, "how are we going to get to Dallas?"

Liam coughed roughly, his eyes bulging. "Jo, you're seriously going all the way to Dallas to get these shoes back?"

I covered my face with my hands and groaned. Was I really crazy enough to go all the way to Texas for these shoes? Yes. Were these shoes completely worth it? Of course they were. Would I ever forgive myself if I never tried to get them back? No, most likely not.

I set my hands flat on the table. "Well-"

"Hello, everyone. I'm Stacy and I'll be your waitress. I'm sorry for the long wait."

I looked up to spot a petite blonde girl handing Liam two menus. I grabbed one from Liam's hand and opened it, despite already knowing what I was going to order.

"I'll be back in a moment to take your orders," she smiled and strutted off to another table.

Liam and Ellery placed their eyes on me once more and I blew air out of my mouth.

"Yes," I answered, looking at the shiny, wooden tabletop, "I'll go to Dallas if I have to."

There was silence. I glued my eyes to the table, afraid to look at them. Instead, I waited until one of them answered.

"Okay," Liam said.

I looked up at him, shocked by his answer. "What? Are you serious? You're not upset?"

"No," he laughed, "I know how important they are to you."

"Yeah," Ellery interrupted, "I've been meaning to ask you why are they so important?"

Liam and I looked at each other, unsure of whether or not I wanted to answer her. It was never something I talked about often, especially with people I didn't know that well. The only people who knew about the significance of these sneakers were my family and Liam, who I've always considered a part of my family.

I looked into Ellery's brown eyes and opened my mouth, ready to explain.

"Wait," Liam wrapped his hand around my mouth and I froze, "we'll tell you on one condition."

Ellery raised an eyebrow in question. "What condition is that?"

"Yeah, what condition is that?" I asked, the words coming out muffled due to Liam's fingers still around my mouth. I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering what was running through his mind.

"You have to come with us to Dallas," he finished proudly.

Wait,what?    

Hey, guys! New chapter. Hope you like it. :D
Well, it seems Liam and Joanne are heading to Dallas. Do you think Ellery's joining them?
What kind of Dallas attractions do you like? Leave a comment down below. Maybe I'll include it in my story. :)