Out of My Mind (COMPLETED)

Chapter Thirty-Six

(Here's another double update 😘)
Brayden's POV

After wasting almost ten minutes of my time, Monique sends us off to get Mia. All she told us was where to find her and really, I could've found her myself without her help.

I groan. "She could be dead by now, you know?"

AJ doesn't look up at me as we walk. He keeps his eyes focused on the hallway in front of him.

"Where are we going to do your...?" I trail off.

He looks at me then with furrowed eyebrows. "The roof," he replies, drawing his attention back to the hallway.

The roof? "Why? Why'd you pick the roof?"

I barely see his eyes roll. "So, I can push your ass off of it," he says, annoyed.

I grab a handful of his t-shirt and turn him, so he's looking at me. "Ha, ha, very funny. Now, tell me the real reason."

AJ lets out a sigh. "The only way we'll be able to transport to Atlanta is if we're in the exact same spot I first used."

His words don't register in my head right away, but when they do, anger is injected into my veins.

"She took you up there?" I snap.

The roof is my place. It was supposed to be our place. Instead, it's their place.

How dare she take him up there and do whatever the hell they do together.

"Get your hands off of me. Mia is in trouble and you're wasting precious time by arguing with me," he says, not the least bit amused.

He's right. My girl is in danger and I'm wasting more time, time that could put her life at stake.

I let him go. "Let's go."

We walk side-by-side for the short length to the door that leads up to the roof. There's nobody else but us in the hallway, which is good. Less distractions, the better.

"When we get up here, I need you to cooperate with me. Do what I tell you," AJ says as he opens the door in the hallway. I nod, even though I don't want to obey him at all.

We bound up the stairs quickly, one after the other, and when we step out onto the concrete, AJ immediately goes to stand in beside the wall opposite from us. I close the door to the stairs and wait for instructions.

AJ gets himself situated before saying, "C'mon."

I jog lightly across the roof and stand in front of him. There's a pang of hurt that hits my chest dead-center at the thought of Mia doing the exact same thing I've been instructed to do. "Now what?" It catches me off-guard when he grasps my hands in his. "Woah!" I exclaim, causing AJ's eyes to meet mine. "Please tell me this is necessary."

"How in the hell does Mia put up with you?" AJ says, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "Just stand there and don't say anything."

Before I can say anything else, AJ closes his eyes, clutching my hands tightly. A slow whooshing sound swirls around us and, like the way my vision tunnels when I'm able to see through Mia's eyes, we're spiraling through a portal-like...something. Soon enough, we're standing in the middle of a field. The only thing around us is trees.

"Are we even here?" I ask, confused. If this is Atlanta, it sure isn't much.

AJ points to something behind me, causing me to turn around. Up on the hill is the Other Side.

We're here. This is it.

I turn to face him again. "How are we going to get up there so quick?"