ghost of you. // luke hemmings au

0.6

i sent brian a quick text letting him know i arrived safely, and jumped on my bed, exhausted from everything. next thing i know, i'm drifting away into a deep sleep.
———————————
ariadne

i woke up groggy to the soft buzzing of my phone. in this moment in time, i hate my phone with a big passion.

i sat up in my bed and reached over to my phone and read the time. 7:27pm. my eyes then trailed down to the caller id, which was a number that wasn't saved in my phone. i rolled my eyes and picked it up,

"hello?" i greeted, clearing my throat soon after.

"hello is this ariadne stellings?" the females voice boomed through the speaker.

"this is she" i responded, waiting for her to get to the point.

"well, i'm just calling real quick to inform you that your request for your 24 hour rental car is denied, and we will need it back as soon as possible." my eyes buldged out of their sockets,

"i'm sorry?" i'm so confused.

"in the form we had you sign out, we recognized that you are not from australia, nor do you have a australian lisence, and thats illegal on our behalf, my apologies we didn't catch it earlier." she replies smoothly.

i slide my vans on, grab my bag, and lock the door, making my way down the stairs.

"we will need it within the next 30 minutes or we'll have someone give you a ticket." she adds on. i pause in the street,

"woah, hey, i thought that this was your fault, why the fu-," oh my god. she just hung up.

i lean my elbows on the window of the car and burrow my face into my hands. i dont feel like doing anything.

australia makes me feel even lonlier than i did before in america. i have no motivation to be here. if schooling doesnt work out, i'm going to go back home.

i sighed yet again. seems to be my favorite thing to do lately. suddenly, my ears perked up to the sound of boots clacking on the cement rode, but i dont look up.

how am i going to get back.

"dreadful seeing you here again." the sharp voice from earlier speaks out. i still dont look up.

"yeah well, get used to it. i live here now." i said in a monotone voice. i'm so tired.

"you're going to dirty your window if you leave it like that." he speaks up again.

"good. it's not mine anyways." i say quietly. the moment my stomach groweled softly, was the moment i realised i hadnt eaten anything but cereal.

"whats wrong? daddy didn't get you the car you always wanted?" he scoffs. what is his problem. he doesnt even know me.

"what do you want?" i finally give in lifting my head up. "because since the moment i got here, you've been attacking me, and speaking to me as if i came from a rich american typical family."

i see his face soften, but quickly turn back to stone soon after. his eyecontact was intimidating me, so i trailed my eyes down to his denim jacket, layered over a black shirt. he changed his outfit from earlier.

"did what i say make you cry, princess." i can almost feel the blood boiling out of my head.

"i'm not crying!" i emphasize. but it's true. i reach up to feel the moisture on my face. "leave me alone. i have better things to worry about" my voice cracks.

why am i crying? gosh especially in front of him.

"like?" he questions.

"wouldn't you like to know." i snap back, letting my hands wipe my tears away.

"i did ask didn't i?" smartass.

"i need to return this car to the rental company, and i only have," i check my phone, "23 minutes to do it. i'll have to go now before the last bus back leaves for the day." i left him hanging, just like i earlier, and got in the car.

i have no food in my refrigerator but now i can't even bother to get groceries.

turning the radio on, i made my way safely to the rental company.

i give the man at the gate my rental ticket, and he leads me to a parking space infront of the main office building.

stepping out the car, i walk up to the office, sign my name, and give them the keys. i'm screwed if i miss the bus.

i walk back out, and search for anyone in sight i could ask for directions to the bus stop. but unfortunately for me, this place is deserted.

i start to make my way, walking god knows where. i pull my phone out and attempt to search where the bus stop would be at, but the most amazing thing happens.

my network carrier is american and its limited data. meaning, it doesnt work in other countries unless i'm on the wifi. fun.

i groan outloud, and keep walking down the side walk, hoping to see a little bench with the bus sign next to it.

i've been walking for what feels like 15 minutes, and i finally see the bench i was talking about. suddenly full of energy, i rush to the bench, and check if there are bus times posted somewhere. just my luck; there isn't.

best i could do at this very moment, is sit down and wait. so thats what i did.

getting comfortable, i put my head back in my hands, and let my hair cascade forward, as i shut my eyes.

i'm starving.

right when i had almost fallen asleep just now, i decided i should just sit up straight instead, incase i miss anything. turning my phone on, i checked the time yet again. 8:29pm.

i was blinded by a set of car lights, that pulled up at the stop the bus is supposed to be at when picking people up. my eyes adjusted to the light, to then look around and see if anyone was expecting this ride.

there was no one, but a mature looking man walking down the sidewalk. i squinted my eyes to attempt to look at who was inside the car, but the windows were tinted very dark, and the lack of sun isnt helping either.

i decided it could just be a stranger anyways, which is likely considering ive only been here for less than 24 hours.

i let my eyes trail down to my shoes, as i ran my hands through my hair again.

"get in now."

*^•"

this chapter wasn't too deep it was just a lil sum ykyk
xoxo,
           omayra