24 Hours to Live · Tupac

❶❺: a train's power

"Hello?" Paige repeats for a second time. "Are you okay? Look, some of these roads are blocked with tree branches and I'm sure your boyfriend doesn't wanna get up for me. I'm good."

Lena snatches a blue flashlight up and shines it on her shoes, "My boyfriend isn't here. I'll be there in an hour."

With those final words, she hangs up to preserve her battery. Pac grabs his jacket in confusion, "What you mean? Why we leavin' in the middle of the night?"

"My friend, well, patient really needs me. I'll explain in the car, she's at the police station," Lena finger combs her hair that had mostly air dried.

The two looked like a pair of zombies, moving slowly and trying not to stumble in the dark. But if Lena can barely walk in a straight line in broad daylight, you can tell that this isn't going well. Lena opens her front door, being welcomed by light drizzling. The rain had stopped for the most part, thank goodness.

Into her truck, she jams the key in as Pac comes with the question. "Why yo' friend at the police station?"

"It's Paige. Remember when your eyes was roaming on her papers? Yeah," Lena responds, turning on her windshield wipers.

"Oh," he replied. "The ...dancer. What she do?"

Lena sighs in exasperation towards his term, only this time she does not correct him. "Some accident happened at her place, and she's stuck at the station since she doesn't have a ride. And.. apparently no money either."

She turns the heat up a notch, letting her truck warm up. "I'm glad I answered. Almost didn't, I thought it was you know who."

After Pac asks a few more questions, Lena finally starts heading down the road. It was weird for her to not see any cars, it was almost like a ghost town. No traffic along with the rain calmly coming down, smooth radio, and sleep deprivation, Lena was struggling to keep her eyes peeled open.

"It's a red light," Tupac reminds Lena, who passes it up.

"Oh, shit," she curses. "I didn't see it."

He places a finger on his nose ring, in thought, "...It's dark as hell, how did you not see that bright ass light?"

Hearing this, she catches an attitude, "I just didn't see it, damn. I've been up since six."

"I been up since eleven PM, not yesterday's eleven," he shrugs.

I hope he doesn't expect a cookie, Lena thinks. "Well, that's you, I can't do the things you can. Ugh. I.. we need to stop at a gas station for coffee."

He doesn't respond, afraid that Lena's crankiness and his smart mouth will stir a petty argument. She's been through enough arguing for one night. While a Rick James' melody pours through the speakers at a low volume, Tupac glares at the outside scenery of toppled over branches and large puddles of water, beginning to feel that coming to see Lena is a mistake.

The thoughts don't last that long, Lena's head starts falling again. The red blinking and bells don't even jolt her awake. Tupac turns his body toward her, "Lena! What-Lena, stop the car!"

"What?" she shrieks, being startled. Immediately, she slams on the brake right when the railroad crossing gates come down and a train's engine is heard.

Lena's heaving breathing matches Pac's, who glares at her. Sheepishly, she keeps her eyes on the wheel as the train comes and goes.

"Get out the car," he instructs, swinging his door open, "You ain't driving."

She obliges without argument, getting out almost twice as quick. After trading sides, Pac tells her to put her seat belt on, not bothering to buckle himself up. So, she does that too, and then raises her eyebrows when he's still staring, "What? I put it on. You gonna' curse me out too now? It's not like I meant to."

"I know that," he replies. "You just look.."

"A mess," she answers for him. "I know that."

Lena figured she looked like a train wreck, no pun intended. Face stained tears, air dried hair that hasn't been brushed, not to mention the swollen cheek. She was having similar doubts, maybe this was a bad idea. How can she help when she's starting to be in need herself?

"I wasn't gon' say that. I was gon' say that you look stressed. Am I stressing you out? Because if I am-"

Lena shakes her head, "N-No, you're good. I.. It's just amazing to go through so much stuff in one night.. you had to witness it all. I'm in the passenger side of my own truck, with Tupac Shakur, in my pajamas with a swollen cheek because of my asshole boyfriend and now I'm on my way to pick up someone at five in the damn morning. It's surreal. Like, what is happening to my life?"

Lena goes on, "I keep on trying to help others and be a good person but now I see that I'm not even trying to hold my life together. I don't know if I make sense, I'm just sleepy. Forget what I'm talking about."

"Lena, you can't let these people run you over. Be like... that train that was just finna' hit us. Just go in one direction and knock down anybody that tries to get in your way with they opinion." He responds, "It's some cheesy shit, but that's perspective."

"Get in.. my way of what?"

"You figure that out. Your dreams, self-building, or goals. Stop giving a fuck about people who don't give a fuck about you," he begins to accelerate.

Yeah, he's telling her all of these wisdom words, but is he taking his own advice? She leans her head on the window, "What about you, though? Who's in your way?"

Tupac pushes the chair back, trying to make it more comfortable. "That's a good question. But it don't matter, I stopped caring about myself a long time ago. Don't forget about what's happening tomorrow, Lena."