No Strings Attached

Chapter 24: The Awkward Car Trip

Moments after we stepped outside of the school, Conan angrily glares at me.

"Not a word, " he threatens. "Understand?"

Though I didn't appreciate Conan dragging me out of school, I nod so I wouldn't have to look at his face.

Once he noticed, Conan smiled, "good, I think we have reached an understanding."

"Oh, we are far from it, " I laugh coldly.

"Because if anything happens to my friends, I will crush you. Understand?"

Sighing, Conan spots a black SUV parked between two identical red trucks then wrestles his pockets for his car keys.

Silver keys dangled in his strong hand, Conan opened the car door for me then pushed me inside, where the smell of old cologne and mint suffocated my nose. 

I found myself surrounded by dark seats, vacuumed dark gray floors, and windows as clear as day. Sitting across from me were Aria, Marco, and James daring themselves to not say a word.

As Aria sat in the front, Marco squeezed in the middle, whereas James sits on the end of the car, glaring at Peyton who is sitting in the driver's seat.  

Black fuzz formed on top of his shaven head, as Peyton stares straight ahead at the clustered area. Like his partner, he wears charcoal-colored sunglasses, a clean suit and tie, and a solemn look which made him seem mysterious. 

Next to him are two cup holders filled with white Styrofoam coffee cups, napkins, and bright yellow breakfast sandwich wrappers.

Whilst Peyton sat patiently in his chair, Conan stepped inside the car then plopped into the empty black seat.

"Ugh, thank God I am never having kids." Conan moaned.

Watching him strap his seatbelt, Peyton glowered at Conan. "What took you so long?"

Rambo rolled his eyes, then jerked his thumb in my direction. "This girl was acting like a whiny bitch in class today."

I scowled at him. "Well, maybe if you left me alone, I wouldn't waste your time."

Rambo ignored me.

"Jesus Christ, what a day." he went on. "And here I thought we couldn't abduct you freaks."

Aria crossed her arms. "What does that suppose to mean?"

Marco, who is picking lint off the cushions, sighed: "It means they know about us, Aria. Remember?"

Studying the hems of my pleated skirt, I thought of Dr. Quincy worrying about me.

Back then, I have a perfect attendance record, and now that I have powers, it's like I am being cursed with it.

Giving us a stern look, Peyton says, "if I were you, Marco, I'd keep my mouth shut."

"And that goes for the rest of you: no talking, no whining, or complaining. Fail to do that, I'll shut your mouth for you. Understand?" 

We exchange quiet stares but nodded slowly.

"What's with the silence?" Conan swerves his head to confront us. "Are you guys listening to him or what?"

"Or something, " James muttered.

Peyton snickered then glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror.

"Hey, I have seen you before, " he began, "aren't you the son of that racist lunatic?"

Just as he says this, James' entire face became the color of his hair.