Lacunae

Chapter 8

"Stop at the first payphone you see. I need to make a call!" I shouted through the loud sounds of the motorcycle and the rush of wind.

"So now you decide to call?" Zack shouted back with sarcasm but never taking his eyes off the road.

"Yes Zack because we need help." I continued tightening my arm around his torso just to annoy him. I felt him flinch in slight pain.

"That's exactly what I've been telling you since you decided to thrash my phone!" He exclaimed and I felt his frustration slipping out of every word. "Then, you wouldn't have killed someone for a price of a motorcycle!"

I realized that Zack, the obnoxious quarterback—or ex-quarterback according to the argument he had with his mom—was getting freaked out about the whole ordeal. I've been thinking about him at the back of my mind, about how he probably feels with everything that's going around him. But as priorities go, it wasn't the first one I'd be dealing with, so I kept quiet. Plus, the fact that shouting at each other isn't exactly the best way for explanations.

It took us about fifteen minutes more at 70 miles per hour before we reached the end of the highway. I tugged Zack's shirt and pointed towards the gas station that was coming close into view. He stopped in front of the payphone booth and we climbed down the motorcycle.

I looked around the area as soon as I got off and noted how quiet the area was at the late night. My eyes roamed around and counted one empty car parked close to the convenient store and two staffs sitting idly next to the pumps playing with their phone.

The quiet place didn't feel safe for me but even more so seeing the two staffs playing with their phone very much closely to the gasoline pumps. It made me feel extremely unsafe so I moved quickly.

"Where are you going?" Zack asking me when he saw me walking away from the booth and to the opposite side where the convenient store was while he had already the phone on his hand.

"Do you have coins?" I asked him.

"Uhh—No?" He answered a little bit foolishly that made me roll my eyes.

"Thought so."

So I walked to the convenient store and found Zack following closely behind. We heard the doors dinged with the bells manually attached on top of the glass doors to notify the staff, that someone has come in.

A lanky looking man came into view and took his place at the counter, waiting for us. I walked deeper inside the store and stopped in front of an almost empty row of yogurts—at least that's what it said on the price label—and motioned for Zack to come close. I looked at the mirror right on top of us and noticed that the guy was on his phone. As swiftly as I could, I took the last three remaining yogurts and stuffed them behind the taller milk bottles.

Zack's eyes were very much confused as to what I was doing but thankfully he kept quiet. I motioned for him to come close and whispered through my teeth, "Call the guy over that you want some yogurt."

Zack brows furrowed, "But there's yogurt and we don't have money."

"There's no yogurt, you see." I told him under my breathe. "Just do it! Trust me."

Zack sighed and shook his head but did as he was told, "Umm, excuse me, I need a yogurt but there's nothing on this shelf. Can you help me out?"

The guy looked up from his phone as soon as he heard Zack and walked over to us. He looked at the empty row and turned around to walk in the store room at the same time I walked away and went to the cashier.

I looked towards the door of the storage trying to see if the guy had come back and when I didn't sense him coming, my eyes was diverted at Zack who, for some reasons, was rooted to where he was standing. I tilted my head to the side telling him to start moving outside. When I saw him move, I inspected the cashier box and smiled to myself. Easy.