spin the bottle// byler

ii.vii(on the road again)

**there's a LOT of dialogue in this chapter!!**

"well, are you guys ready to get going?" jonathan asks as he finishes loading the last of our supplies into his car. 

there's muffled replies from everyone but me, i choose to just stay silent. 

will told me he doesn't want me to tell them about the walkie-talkie, that it's only for me to use, and i have no idea how i'm going to be able to keep this to myself. so, i just won't say anything at all until we get to him or i can wait until inevitably one of us cracks and has to talk to the other one while i'm in the car, which will undoubtedly happen at some point. 

"okay, kiddos. let's go!" 

we all pile into the car, one after the other. the 4 of us all have to sit in the backseat, lucas is closest to the window on the left side, i'm next to him, then max and finally el on the right side. they put me max and i in the middle because i'm (unfortunately yet obviously) the narrowest out of the 4 of us and max just wanted el to be able to look out the window. luckily, it gives me quick access to the supplies we brought for the trip which are in the trunk, the trip that will thankfully be much easier (and quicker) in jonathan's car. 

"does anyone actually know where we're heading?" nancy asks from the front seat as she turns the knob of the radio. 

"toward the border, right guys?" max clarifies. 

"random question, where is arizona from here?" i ask, trying to keep my voice nonchalant. 

jonathan turns all the way around to look at me. i guess i wasn't nonchalant enough. 

"arizona? jesus fucking christ." he says under his breath. 

everyone's looking at me now. 

"what? it was- it was just a question. it's not like...far, right?"

"about 26 hours from here, mike." nancy huffs in quiet annoyance, finally settling on just popping in one of jonathan's cassettes into the radio instead. 

26 hours? by car?

"oh, okay." 

i sit back and try to process the time i'm about to have to spend listening to my sister bicker in the car. 

"hey mike?" will's voice over the walkie-talkie. 

shit. fuck! well, this was inevitable.

there's silence. like me, everyone is staring at my backpack in disbelief, eyes wide and mouths open. 

i slowly reach down to unzip it and pull out the device, like moving too fast might make it detonate. 

"was that....was that will?" jonathan is the first to speak. he turns off the cassette and makes a full turn to look at me, again. 

"it's a long story but short answer...yes?" i say honestly. 

"mike?" will's voice again. i realize i haven't said anything to him yet and he can't hear this conversation because i'm not holding down the talk button. 

"sorry, i'm here. did you get a name?" everyone's eyes are on me, confusion obvious on their faces, which is totally understandable. will has been missing for months and all of a sudden his voice is coming out of a walkie-talkie which i didn't even have when we left. i guess i probably should've told them before now. 

"tucson, arizona. i had to go into the nearest town to find anyone. how far is that?" 

"about 26 hours." i reveal.