Sweet Charlotte

「 twenty-three: daring adventures 」

Everything happened quickly.

With Charlotte's diary pressed to his chest, Seth darted back to his room to grab his wallet and keys. Willow, on his heels, grabbed her own things. They double-checked to make sure they had everything they'd need and darted down the stairs.

"Let's go," Seth said, fumbling with his truck keys in his hand. Willow said nothing, only adjusted the strap of her book bag over her shoulder and trotted behind him. They darted for the car, not wanting to lose a second of precious time. Seth threw himself in and Willow, albeit slightly slower, trotted up behind him.

"How long does it take to get there?"

"About an hour and a half," he said, clicking his seat belt into place. "We need to stop for gas first."

Willow's gaze drifted to the car's console noting how the clock read 6:03pm. By the time they got there, it would be boarding nighttime — the dark of night looming closer — and they'd still need to drive back for school the next day. While Seth could get away with ditching a Friday, Willow very much could not. Her parents would know instantly.

They peeled out of the driveway and ripped away, Willow bag rattling by her feet as Seth raced to the nearest gas station. This was it for them and they both knew it. This moment was what they'd been waiting for, working for, and hoping for. They were itching to get out there. They were itching to get to her.

They were itching to finally get answers.

Seth peeled into a gas station and immediately the both of them opened their doors. While Seth popped open the gas compartment, he squinted. "Why are you out?"

"It's an hour and a half drive," she said, shrugging. "I wanna stretch before we go."

Seth wanted to smile, or smirk, or tease her for something to make him feel centred, but he was too jittery — a frantic concoction of nervous and excited. Instead, he snapped on the automatic fill and turned for the gas station front door. "I'll be right back. Can you watch the car?" He cast a glance over his shoulder just enough to see Willow nod.

It was strange how they were treating it as a simple road trip, not as the chance to discover what happened to Charlotte and not as the trip to finally get the answers to the questions they'd had for months.

Through the window, she watched Seth creep to the back of the store, rummaging around instead of paying for their tank. Willow turned her attention to his truck and let her mind wander. By this time tomorrow, they would have answers. Even if nothing concrete came out of East Aurora, they would know something. At this point, that was good enough for her. It would be good enough for everyone.

Hearing the automatic fill snap off, Willow removed the pump and twisted the cap back on. Just as the compartment shut, and just as she turned to sit in the passenger seat, she heard the gas station door swing open. Out walked Seth, two coffees in hand, a nervous smile plastered on his cheeks.

Willow felt her lips part. "Is that--"

"For you." he said, holding a cup out to her. As she accepted it, he smirked. "It's your favourite."

Willow detached herself from sniffing through the small slot in the lid to stare at him again, eyes swelling. In response, he smirked a little wider, feeling his anxiety sink into the floor. "Let's do this."

After realizing she'd never told Seth what her favourite coffee was, she turned for her own door. Then, on a musky Thursday night at the beginning of June, they started for East Aurora.

Seth alternated from snapping the radio on and off for the first half hour of the drive, taking tiny, frantic sips of his coffee to distract himself from his thoughts. They were so loud, that he felt like they were clouding his vision — apparitions of Charlotte stood on the road, stunting his reactions.