Invictus

Chapter 27: Secrets

We mellowed out as we hit the highway, the adrenaline starting to subside.

I wasn't looking forward to riding another hour in Trenton's cramped car though. He had replaced a lot inside, custom seats for comfort, a new engine for a fast and smooth ride, but even then it still felt like a car. My whole body ached from having sat in the same uncomfortable spot for what felt like years. Santiago joked that he was starting to develop bedsores. I made an offhand comment about jumping out mid trip, to which Trenton informed me that he had replaced all the manual windows and locks with child locks. We weren't going anywhere. Well, Kya and Santiago weren't at least.

About five hours into our commute, Kya mentioned something about needing to stop, so we did. She had been grumbling the whole ride from Milwaukee down to Davenport that we all smelled like a sweatshop. The showers hadn't helped, we needed a change of clothes, she insisted.

Couldn't disagree with her, I'd been wearing the same hoodie, jeans, and briefs gently marinating in Kombucha since Trenton pulled them from the dumpster.

Kya didn't stop there though, she continued imposing her feminine will. The girl was filled with the most righteous hunger-anger I'd ever seen. We'd been surviving up till that point off old MRE's in Trenton's trunk that he'd bought from a doomsday prepper off Route 66 in Oklahoma, so her "hanger" was out of control. Girl was a rail, but you would have thought she weighed five hundred pounds by the way she was demanding a breakfast sandwich.

For five hours. Non. Stop.

And that's why I don't try to date white women.

When Kya had finally filled her stomach with something equally as preservative-filled as Trenton's military rations, courtesy of a 24 hour Starbucks, she started to cool down... That is until her majesty awoke from a nap and started to complain again about the smell of us "boys."

Kya was chomping away on her sandwich as signs for an outlet mall began to appear.

"Pull over," she yelled with a mouthful of egg and sausage.

Santiago looked to be lights out, but I was a soft sleeper, so her comment woke me. My hands went to my eyes to clear the sleep out of them. The sun was still barely over the horizon.

"No place is open this early," I angrily reminded her, rubbing my eyes.

"Let's break-in then."Santiago said in a very matter-of-fact tone.

Kya and I shot him dirty looks. He still had his eyes closed like he was asleep, but by the lack of grogginess in his voice it was clear that he had been awake the whole time.

When none of us responded to his proposal, he opened his eyes, and saw us angrily glaring back at him.

"What? You want clothes or not sweetheart?" Santiago said, flailing his hands in the air. He then shut his eyes again and laid his head back against the seat.

Trenton sighed, "Santiago's right. We need to stop now. There are no shopping areas for miles where we are headed."

"Thank you," Santiago said, his arms crossed and eyes still closed.

"Never mind, I'm good on that. I don't need to add theft to my growing list of sins..." Kya mumbled.

Trenton turned to look at her in the rear-view mirror. "Sweetie, you know Jesus wouldn't approve of me stealing either. Trust Trenton now," he gave her a wink. "Please?"

Santiago went wide eyed at Trenton's words.

"You can't be religious and a marico—"