What Remains of Elizabeth Clove | COMPLETED & IN EDITING

Chapter 14

"What the fuck carl?!" I slammed my hand on the hood of my car. "Just two minutes ago, you said that it was fine I didn't have to pay for gas!" I ran after him, who was starting to walk back inside the gas station, chuckling to himself. "Look, kid, I don't know what to tell you." He shrugged. "You can either pay me or leave, or keep the car here." Gasping, I ran out in front of Carl. "I can't just leave my car here, we have to be somewhere!" I cried. He shrugged. "Not my problem, kiddo."

Screaming in frustration, I stomped back to the car, where Cam was waiting, his heels on the dashboard. "So?" he asked, his heels on the floor of the car as soon as I entered the car. "So what? We're leaving." I muttered lowly, turning on the car's ignition. "You didn't pay!" Cam cried, turning rapidly around to look and see if Carl was watching. "And?" I smirked, pulling out of the gas station, the tires screeching against the asphalt as we sped toward our destination.

Two days ago, I was still back home in Maine, and I never would have thought that I'd actually leave home to find what Liz was leading us to, let alone agreeing to let Cam come along. Naturally, he had thought the idea to leave home for a few days and go to New York was insane, but he agreed to come either way. I knew that deep down, he wanted to know the truth too. I had told him about the Sheriff, but not how I thought he was after me now. He would be even more stressed out then. "I can't believe we didn't pay for gas, Max." He said, holding himself. "What if the cops find out it was us? There goes college..." I laughed. "Stop freaking out Cam. It's nothing but-" "$50 dollars of gas!" He interrupted me. "That's a lot. That's-" "Enough to get us to New York, just about." I stopped him. "Stop stressing and relax okay?" I turned on the radio, cranking the volume all the way up. "Let's have some fun!" I whooped with delight, sticking my hand out the window. LIz, we were coming.

I looked up in disgust at the neon hotel sign. "Do we really have to stay here?" I asked Cam, who nodded. "It's the cheapest option." He started walking toward the hotel's check in building. "C'mon, let's see if anything's available."
Why did he seem excited about this?

"I'm sleeping in the car." I said, walking out of the small building. "Why?" Cam called after me. "I am not sharing a bed with you, Cam!" I threw my hands up into the air.

I was lying to him anyway.  I wanted to sleep in the car so that way I could find more answers, since we were almost to the mysterious address Liz had left behind. "Fine then, we just won't stay in a hotel." He shrugged. "We're almost there anyway."

Somehow, Cam had known what my intentions were. Internally glaring at my friend, I made my way back to the car. "Fine, whatever." I grumbled, opening the car door. "But we're stopping at Starbucks first." Cam laughed. "Anything to make you happy." I glanced down at my phone. "Shit." I muttered. I had 15 missed calls from my mom, and a dozen texts from Chase alone.
Once I had texted Chase about where I was, and what I was doing in New York, I called my mom back.

"Maxine Eleanor Rudd where the hell have you been?!" Cam shot me a look, his face full of concern. Rolling my eyes, I answered, "Hello to you too mom." "Where the hell are you?!" I looked at the scenery outside my window. "I'm finding answers Mom." I told her. Not waiting for her to respond, I said. "I'm doing this for me. I'm doing what the police and that-" I paused. "And what that horrible son of a bitch of a sheriff can't do." I hissed into the phone. "I'm going to find the truth about what happened. I'm going to find what remains of the mystery of Elizabeth Clove Mom, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

A small smile formed on both Cam and I's faces. "I'll see you when I get home." I pressed the end button.

Once again, I had lied. Cam would be going home alone, although he didn't know it just yet.

I wasn't going home, and I never would again.