Finding The Father

Chapter Eight "Oil Man"

I woke up the next morning with sore legs and a nauseous stomach. I roll down the window with urgency, spinning the handle as fast as I can before I throw my head out the window and throw up the Cheetos and Pepsi I had yesterday.

I was starving and I knew not eating for this long was not good for the baby. We had to find food and fast because I had just thrown up the only thing I had to eat in twenty-four hours.

I wipe my mouth and roll up the window again, leaning back against the seat.

"You okay?" I look over at Nick, who had just woken up.

I nod. "Yeah, I'm great."

He yawned and I admired his bed hair. It was messy and undone, opposite to how it usually is. His sleepy eyes only made it look more adorable.

"How did you sleep?" He asked, his tired eyes settling on mine.

I smiled at the way he looked at me. "As well as anyone could in the backseat of this piece of shit."

He chuckled and ran his hands through his hair in an attempt to fix it. It only made it messier; I wasn't mad.

Abby and Owen were still asleep in the front two seats, their heads resting on the windows next to them. I remembered what had happened the night before and I sighed heavily. We had decided to just sleep in the car since we were all past fatigued. We were supposed to figure out a plan as soon as we woke up.

All I knew was that I was hungry, ergo the grumbling in my stomach.

"I'm starving." I announced to Nick who nodded his head.

"Me too, but I have no idea how we're going to eat. We have no money, no means of transportation, and no idea where the closest restaurant is." I sigh again and lay my head against the window.

I felt gross. We walked miles yesterday and I hadn't taken a shower or changed my clothes. My skin was sticky with sweat and I knew my deodorant had to have worn out by now. I just wanted to take a long shower.

"Do you know anything about cars?" I ask him hopefully.

He shrugs. "A little? My dad and I used to work on cars together when I was little but we haven't done it in a long time."

"Maybe you can take a look? No harm in trying. You'd be my hero." I tease and he smiles.

"All right, I'll look at it. But that doesn't solve our food problem." I sigh and lay my head back on the window.

I noticed Abby stirring in her sleep; she reached up rubbed her eyes, causing her mascara to blacken the skin under her eyes. It made her look more tired, older. Her hair was static-like from rubbing her head against the window.

"What time is it?" She had asked, covering her mouth with her hand as she yawned.

"Uh," I look up at the sky through the window. "About ten in the morning."

Her eyebrows furrow towards each other, her eyes squinting at me with a mixture of exhaustion and confusion. "How did you figure that out?"

"The sun," I point at the sky. "It's about about sixty degrees from the east where the sun would rise."

"Sometimes I forget how smart you are." Abby tells me as she scratches the back of her head, looking around the car. I smirk.

"How did you know that?" Nick asked me, his dilated eyes watching me with side smile.

"My dad and I used to go on 'digital cleanse' trips when I was younger. We would go into the woods for a weekend with nothing but fishing poles, a tent, and a lighter." I told him and his smile widened, his eyes dashing between mine.