Atlas

Eighteen

Wednesday rolled around, then Thursday, and by the time we knew it, it was the weekend.

"You don't mind coming?"

"Nope." I said, stuffing an extra sweater in a small bag. "What's the plan?" It was 7 am in the morning and I had already told Dimi and Reece I was leaving the night before.

"A nine hour bus ride or a 4 hour car drive. Choose your pick." He said, almost sarcastically.

"Why not train?"

"Same price as the car." He shrugged. "Brighton is on the way so I'm thinking we rent a car to my brother's place, drop by, then go to Ida."

"Sounds like a plan." I said.

We finished breakfast at his place after he made the call, and then he put on his shoes.

"Atlas?"

"Yeah?"

"You didn't sleep last night."

"I know."

"Or the night before."

He ran a hand through his freshly washed hair and put on his jacket. "I know, Grace." He sighed.

The car came, a grey Hyundai that looked beaten up from the rain. "Mornin'" said the driver. "To... Brighton?"

"Yeah." Atlas opened the door for me and I slid in. The driver filled in a form on his tablet thing and gave it to Atlas, who signed and gave him the cash.

Atlas squeezed my hand, and I don't know why I remembered to tell him about the Doctors without Borders thing that I still hadn't told him about. I opened my mouth but then realized he was tense enough as it was.

"Why don't you wanna go back?" I whispered to him. As the car drove on and left town, I found Atlas's head resting on my shoulder.

"Bad memories." He said. Soon his eyes closed and he drifted asleep.

I looked out the window for a bit, but it was all pastures and dead farms covered in thin ice. It would have looked so much prettier in summer.

Then I read a few blog posts on my phone just to pass the time, texted my mom who was so worried because I was going on this random trip with Atlas, and I couldn't tell whether she trusted him, but she had talked to him for the first time last week and they seemed to have gotten along as best as Atlas could get along with a stranger.

Three hours in, Atlas woke up. He rubbed his eyes and straightened up.

"Are we almost there?" he yawned.

The driver overheard him. "About another hour or so. Where exactly?"

He showed the driver the address that Adrian had texted him earlier. The driver nodded.

Atlas looked at me. "You alright?"

"Yeah." I gave him a small smile.

A little while longer, a sign welcomed us to Brighton. As we neared the place where Adrian lived, I could make out the outline of the sea.

"Oh it's so pretty!"

"I hate the sea." Atlas grumbled.

I laughed. "Why?"

"Sand. Waves. Rocks. What's not to hate?"

The driver pulled up to a lane in a street full of identical houses. "Here ya go."

"Thankyou." I stepped out of the car while Atlas continued talking to the driver. Being a little cheeky, I decided to ring the doorbell before Atlas stepped out of the car.