You are a drug and it is quick

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Zac wasn't sure at first how he should feel about driving alone with Becky. Something had always seemed....off with her. He couldn't quite put his finger on just what, or why...she just rubbed him the wrong way. However, she was his best friend's girlfriend and she had never done anything wrong, so he had to give her the benefit of the doubt. He had to admit that making the trip all by himself wouldn't be ideal, so he was somewhat thankful that she was still willing to go even though Liam was no longer coming with them.

He glanced at her quickly as she sat in the passenger seat, poking and tapping away at her phone screen. She seemed harmless enough. They were only a few hours into their drive but had already made several stops for snacks and bathroom breaks, and every single time they stopped anywhere she forced him to pose with her for selfies, which was becoming pretty annoying, but she seemed okay otherwise. Maybe she was just a big fan of documenting her road trips.

After a few more hours, they fell into a comfortable silence, singing quietly to the music on the radio rather than trying to force awkward small talk. Zac found that he preferred it this way. Noticing a sign advertising what would be the last gas station for several more miles, Zac decided he should take the exit and fill up, just in case. He only had about a quarter left and wasn't sure how much further he was going to get on that.

After turning off of the highway and slowing to a stop at the dusty, old, broken down gas station, he filled the tank quickly, then popped his head into the open passenger side window.

"I'm gonna go in and pay, do you need anything?"

"No thanks." Becky smiled up at him. "I think I've already gone a little overboard on the snacks today." She waved a piece of cherry licorice in his face before taking a slow, somewhat...seductive bite off the top.

"Oh-kaaay.." he responded, backing away from the car and trying hard not to roll his eyes in front of her before turning around and sprinting toward the small store.

After waiting in a short line up to pay and then deciding to take one more leak before hitting the road again, he returned to the car no less than five minutes later, but when he climbed back in, something felt off. He couldn't explain it, but the atmosphere was different. Sour.

"Hey Z, can you turn the car on? I need to charge my phone and it won't work unless the engine is running. My phone has totally died."

Shrugging and wondering when he and Becky became close enough to have nick names for each other, he turned the key in the ignition. Nothing happened.

"That's weird..." He muttered, giving it another try and receiving the same results.

"What's going on?" Becky asked, perking a brow and biting her lip.

"The car won't start." Zac responded sharply, stating the obvious. He shook his head, reminding himself to not be an asshole, this wasn't her fault.

He popped the hood and climbed out of the car once more. He poked around at a few things before admitting defeat. He had no idea what he was doing or what any of it was. He was a musician, not a mechanic. He wasn't even sure he could pin point the engine, let alone fix it.

"Hey, can you pass me my cell phone?" Zac asked through the open window. "It should be in the glove compartment."

Becky nodded and popped open the console, rummaging through old papers and candy bar wrappers before glancing up at him and scrunching her nose. "No it's not."

"What?" He asked, leaning further into the window, his patience wearing thin. "Yes it is!"

"No, it's not."