Torn Apart

Chapter 12

Author's note: So the indentations for the paragraphs were not being cooperative, sorry if it looks like sloppy organization. 

"Come on," Lilly pulled at Jamie's arm, despite his protests. As they crossed the parking lot, she jerked to a stop.

            "What?" Jamie asked, panting slightly.

            "James... Where did I park the car?" She asked hesitantly.

            "Right over—" he lifted a hand to point, but lowered it slightly when he saw nothing but burnout marks on the pavement where the vehicle had been not long before.

            "Towed, maybe?" She asked hopefully.

            "Did you leave the keys in the ignition, by chance?"

            Lilly patted her pockets, before turning them inside out. She emitted a curse that even Jamie couldn't help but smirk at.

            "We're screwed," she moaned, clapping a hand to her forehead in frustration.

            "Didn't anybody ever teach you that swearing is bad?"

            "Seriously, we are stranded in the middle of the city without a car, and you're correcting my use of language?" She looked at him incredulously. 

            "Well, do you have CAA?"

            "Er—"

            "Insurance against theft of any kind?"

            "Right then," she straightened her composure, setting her jaw in determination. "We'll walk."

            "Sounds like a plan."

            They started down the sidewalk together, footsteps somewhat sluggish and yet determined at the same time. Lilly's arms swung at her side like a swaying pendulum, fingertips accidentally brushing Jamie's every so often as they did so. Headlights from various vehicles cruising down the street bobbed past them like luminous orbs in the darkening sky, speeding off to some unknown destination which held no meaning to those outside the vehicle. A fly buzzed past Lilly's ear, startling her for a brief moment.

            Despite the chilly air, the foul smell of pollution, and bustling traffic, just walking down the sidewalk felt... serene. She hadn't realized how much she missed home until she had arrived there. Her feet touching the sidewalk, even the neon lights of advertising shops along the street tore at her heart; especially with the knowledge that she couldn't stay. I've just started a life in Drumheller, she thought sternly to herself, I can't just abandon it.

Just as she thought this, images surfaced in her mind; Mackenzie dancing with full abandon to a song on the radio; Chloe laughing, with her fingers accidentally super-glued together; Henry bending down to give her a hug; Emmett with all his hockey gear on, smiling like all was well in the world. No, she couldn't abandon them. They were her family now.

"How far is the hotel?" Jamie asked, sounding slightly out of breath. They had only been walking for about ten minutes.

"Fifteen, twenty more minutes of walking? I don't know how many kilometers that is."

"Can we stop for a minute?" He bent over, putting his hands on his knees and panting as if they had been jogging the past ten minutes.

"Are you alright?" Lilly asked.

"Yeah, yeah," he waved away her concern. "I just need to sit down for a moment."

"There's a bench just up ahead, just walk a little further." She took his arm and helped him over to the bench, where he groaned as he eased himself down onto it.