Run Bad Boy Run

Chapter 32

 "Abigail says that she'll meet us in Brooklyn when we get there," Hayden announces an hour later, nudging me with his elbow to get my attention. "We'll go from there."

I look at him through a haze of sleepiness and rub my eyes, nodding. "Sounds good." Yawing, I stretch, feeling the ache in my muscles pull from sitting in one position for so long. "Any chance we could stop and get a bite to eat? I'm starving."

Long car rides make a girl hungry. And if Hayden and I want to last through this road trip without ripping each other's throats out, being hungry—and severely grouchy because of it—isn't the best option.

Hayden chuckles and I brace myself for his douchebag reaction, an insult ready on the tip of my tongue. Surprisingly, he nods in agreement, but I don't let my guard down, watching him closely when he answers,

"That's fine."

Hayden maneuvers to an exit ramp that leads to a rest station right on the highway. Or should I say, rest station on steroids. This place looks like a tourist's wonderland. On one side is a parking lot, divided by a gas station fit for about fifty cars, and on the other is a mini-mall decorated with signs from every big fast food chain around.

"This place has a fucking Apple Store," I wheeze. "Why the hell would they have an Apple Store at a highway rest stop?"

"Capitalism," Hayden smirks.

Skipping a few empty spots, Hayden pulls to the nearest available gas pump that just so happens to be next to a Jeep overflowing with sorority girls. He catches me rolling my eyes and chuckles, turning away innocently when I swerve around to give him a hearty death stare.

"Wrinkles, Em."

And when he climbs out of his car and sticks a cigarette between his teeth, I pluck it from his lips and toss it behind me.

"Cancer, Hayden." I remind him. Now he's the one rolling his eyes.

I went inside to discover that not only does this place have an Apple Store, it has its own Macy's, Forever 21, and Kay Jewelers too. You know, just in case you decide to pop the question to your significant other when you guys stopped to pee. There are a few other shops that sell souvenirs (Wisconsin! The Cheese State!) while others are packed with miscellaneous items needed for everyday travel. At the end of the line is a giant bookstore. I can't help myself. I can't just ignore it and walk away!

"I love the smell of books," I mumble to myself. The bookstore is packed with people as well, but it's quieter here, as people are lost in the spines of one great adventure or another.

In the center of the store is a giant display of a popular erotica book that centers on a girl getting kinky with a psycho. The shelves are stacked in order of genre and I smile when the names of my favorite authors come into view: James Patterson, Rick Riordan, Sara J. Maas, and John Green.

"So is there some crazy paper-eating diet I haven't heard about yet?" a warm voice wonders, breath brushing the back of my neck and making me jump.

"No Hayden." When I turn around to face him, I'm caught off guard by how bright red his mouth is—swollen and colored in a way that happens not when someone gets kissed, but when they get hit in the mouth. "What the hell did you do? Make out with a baseball bat?"

"So I flirted with someone's girl?" he grins, flinching. "I kicked his ass."

My lips part in horror. "We've literally been here fifteen minutes and you beat someone up? You beat a guy up in the span of us being here for thirty minutes? Do you want to get arrested?"

"We'll be fine."

I stare at him, skeptical.

"I mean it, Emmy."