Run

Chapter Thirty-Two

Alex taps his foot nonstop as we wait for the bus to start. We were the first people on so we have to wait for everyone else to load up. He's pinching the bridge of his nose and biting his lip, he looks like he's in pain.

"Alex..." I reach out to put a hand on his shoulder.

I don't touch him before he snaps his hand up, knocking mine away. He leans away from me shaking my head.

"We stayed too long, we should have left last night," He groans and smacks his forehead with the butt of his hand, "My head is killing me! What is taking so long?"

"We're not the only ones leaving Arizona, Alex. You rushed into the bus, everyone is still getting on," I keep my voice low as people get closer and seats fill up.

"Just shut up! Please just stop talking," He hisses at me, clenching his fist tightly, "I just want to get out of here, before this gets bad."

I slump into my seat, being quick to put in my earbuds. My hair stands on edge as he fidgets next to me, I'm glad he's become able to recognize the warning signs of his... I don't know, possession? But as nice as having those warning signs is, it's terrifying knowing what they mean and what could be coming if we don't leave soon enough.

The movement of the bus brings welcomed hope that maybe we can get out before Alex stops being able to fight it. Glancing over at him, I see relief temporarily come over the fear and pain on his face.

His leg is bouncing the entire trip, and it's all I can think about. He's making me nervous with his nerves. I reach a point that I can't take it anymore, without a second thought or hesitation I reach out and grab his knee. He responds just as quickly by grabbing my wrist and pulling it off his knee.

He bites his tongue and rolls his eyes before dropping my hand. I pull my earbuds out and watch him as he puts his elbows on his knees and buries his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry," His fingers run through his hair, messing it up a little, "This is just... Unpleasant would be putting it lightly. It doesn't feel right, like I don't feel him sneaking his way in and controlling me. I don't feel like I'm going to black out anymore, but I still feel on edge and like I'm hearing things and nervous and... I feel like I'm on someone else's acid trip right now. I don't mean to be, hell I don't even know what. I think we just need to get to Vegas and I need to sleep."

"Vegas? We're going to Vegas?"

He looks up at me confused, he can clearly hear the edge in my voice. It takes a minute, but realization quickly hits.

"I'm an idiot," He says calmly before getting mad at himself, "I'm such a moron. You must hate the thought of being in the gambling capital of the country, I'm so sorry Jules. I didn't think about you or your dad or any of that, I'm so stupid."

I do cringe at the thought of going to Las Vegas, but it's not Alex's fault that I don't like Vegas, and he shouldn't punish himself for trying to keep us safe however he can.

"It's fine, really, I think it'll be ok if we just lay low. A few days won't kill me as long as I avoid anything with gambling," I try to laugh it off and fail. He still looks concerned so I take his hand and squeeze it, "It's ok."

He nods but doesn't look convinced as he stares at his shoes. His eyes are wide and nervous, he can't look at any one thing too long. For over half an hour his eyes dart around looking at people and out the window, then he looks at me.

He seems scared but his eyes focus on me. His foot stops tapping and I watch his fear soften into something else... Sadness? Worry? No... It was more apologetic.