After we got rid of the gun, we drove for hours along and empty highway through refinery towns and dead fields of grass. The truck was silent except for the fuzzy music coming from the radio.
Somewhere outside of a town called Milton, we stopped at a large Walmart and swiped some clothes and food. We changed behind some dumpsters in the back of the building, because wearing party dresses and heels would make us the most suspicious criminals in the country. I changed into a pair of grey sweatpants that were several sizes too big and a hoodie. The back of the truck was littered with our discarded dresses and high heels, and bags of stolen Walmart own-brand chips, which were now sitting in my stomach like rocks.
Halfway through New Jersey, we switched places and I drove for a while. It was getting dark, and I was trying to keep my eyes on the road, but my eyes were sliding closed and the yellow line was blurring.
"Pull over here." Alex said.
We were in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. The road we were driving in was next to a wide river and an abandoned, half-built concrete warehouse. I pulled the truck over next to it.
"Come on."
I stood shivering next to the truck in my hoodie. Alex walked ahead of me into the cement structure. It was strange in the dark, like being in a twisted dream sequence. Large, cement blocks stuck out like dark abstract shapes. I wondered vaguely if the structure was safe to stay in but I was too tired to care. Next to a wall, somewhat sheltered from the wind blowing through the cement frame pillars, I lay down and rested my head on my hoodie, curling up in the dark. Alex lay nearby. I curled my knees up to my chest. I wanted Liam to be here. When we slept together in his bed, he would cuddle up with me and nobody cared that he was a tough, strong guy and I was a wild party girl. It was like we were just two innocent kids. It was honestly one of the nicest things I ever felt.
"I miss Liam." I murmured, half-asleep, eyes closed and head urged down into my hoodie.
"What?" Alex mumbled from my other side.
"I miss Liam." I repeated.
"You love him?" She asked.
"Yeah."
We were quiet. The only noise came from the wind and the faraway river.
I fell asleep because I was too exhausted to think anymore, even to miss Liam or Christina or Gemma.
***
I woke up because someone was shaking me. At first, in my mind clouded and fuzzy from sleep, I thought it was my mom or sister or maybe Liam.
"Fuck off." I murmured.
"Get up." Alex said, leaning over me. Her long blonde hair fell down and brushed my cheek.
"Why? Where are we going?" I asked, sitting up and pulling the sweatshirt around myself, leaning against the concrete wall.
"Just come on. We're finding a store or something."
I got up and looked around. The abandoned building looked different in the daylight. Large cement pillars and half-walls surrounded us. One entire wall was missing and I could look out and see an expanse of dead grass and a wide, grey river.
