I'm in it for the Long Run // Edge of Winter

03

We ended up grabbing a few more things than we actually needed, especially Caleb. He started munching on his stuff before we even left the shop. We placed all our stuff on the table and Bradley slid the card.

We walked back out carrying arm-fulls of junk. Bradley was able to open up the trunk, so we threw everything in, careful not to hit the gun. We climbed back into the car as Elliot finished with the gas. Once he was back on the wheel, we took no time to get on the road.

Bradley handed the card back up to his dad, who took it with his broken hand.

"How much was it?" He asked putting the card in his pocket.

"Sixty-something." Bradley replied.

"Sixty? What did you guys get?"

"Y'know. Snacks n' stuff." The car got quiet again, but only for a few seconds. Bradley started moving around and feeling his pockets and jacket. "Shit. Where's my phone?" He continued his search for his device as I heard Elliot half-chuckle to himself. I immediately looked for mine, unable to remember where I had left it.

"Mine's gone, too." I said wide-eyed, patting my whole body.

"Your precious phones are safe." Elliot stated. Bradley and I looked at each other and then back at Elliot.

"You can't just take them!" Bradley accused.

"Hey, I just wanted to spend some time with you. I don't want your phones to get all the attention. You'll get them back by the end of the trip." Bradley and I shared an annoyed glare.

"Can he do that?" I leaned over so only Brad could hear me.

"To me, yes, I am his son. But I'm not sure about you." He poked my shoulder and turned me towards Elliot. "Ask him for it back."

"What? No, it's fine. I barely use it anyway." Bradley once again dismissed my fear and turned the other way.

"I'm taking a nap. I've got nothing better to do anyway." He muttered. He leaned his head against the back of Caleb's seat, then closed his eyes and put his hands in his pockets. I didn't want to have to talk to Elliot, so I put my feet up on the seat and laid my head against the window.

It only took me about a minute to fall asleep, but I had a dream about Bradley. In my dream, Bradley was happy for once, instead of his usually grumpy attitude. He was smiling at me, and he had pulled his curly hair out of his face. In the dream, he had hugged me, sending a sudden warmth through the rest of my body. I snuggled into his chest, not wanting to pull away.

"Thanks Belle." He sighed.

"I'm just glad you're happy." I replied. Then some voice rang through my head saying 'Here we are.' Bradley and I looked up at the sky, not knowing where the voice had come from.

But I was awakened from my dream, by the car making a sudden turn. My head slipped from the window and my seatbelt saved me from flipping off and onto the floor. I slowly opened my eyes and yawned. I could see that the same had happened to Bradley because his eyes looked like little slits and his face was an inch to the right of the chair, implying that he had slipped from his position as well.

"Where are we?" I asked stretching my shoulders back snd sitting upright. Everyone seemed to ignore my question as we pulled up to a lot filled with wood. However, there was a gate separating us from the yard.

"No. We've come all this way!" Caleb complained. I could feel Bradley take a small sigh of relief, he just wanted to get back home and lock himself in our room. Elliot tapped his fingers on the dashboard before looking over at Caleb mischievously.

"Vrrrrm, vrrrrrm!" Elliot started to rev the engine, alarming me. I looked over at Bradley who seemed as surprised as I was. Caleb liked the idea and started to chant 'do it, do it, do it!'.

"Um, Brad?" I looked over at my step-brother as he furrowed his brow at me.

"What do you want me to do?" He exclaimed.

"Stop them! I don't know, it's your family." But it was too late.

"Well you can't refuse the just do it do it chant." Elliot laughed. He began revving the engine again and placed both his hands on the steering wheel.

"Dad don--" Bradley was cut off by the car crashing right through the gates. I covered my face with my hands, scared of what would happen next. The doors swung open and Elliot drove right through to the lot.

As I pulled my hands away from my face, I felt something across my waist. I looked down and saw Bradley's arm was extended across me. I looked back up at Bradley who had also covered his face with his remaining arm, and smiled. He was trying to protect me, and that made me feel safe.

"Thanks Brad." I said happily. He looked over at me and immediately removed his arm.

"Don't mention it." He replied in a hostile tone. He returned to his sultry ways and angled his body towards the window. Elliot parked the car on the side of the lot, then took out the keys an opened the door. I followed him and went around to the back of the car.

Caleb quickly turned the corner to join us, and Bradley sluggishly walked in and stood beside me. Elliot popped open the trunk and pulled out the gun covered by a faded yellow blanket, along with a beer.

"Alright everyone, take a seat. What's the first rule to using a gun?" Elliot asked us all as we sat down.

"Don't drink." Bradley said clearly referring to the beer in his dad's hand.

"Make sure you have a license." I stated.

"Don't shoot anybody." Caleb added.

"Alright smart-asses. But yes, the first rule is don't shoot anybody. Always keep the gun pointed downwards." He demonstrated it to us, by holding the gun with his good hand and pointing the head down. "But make sure you have the safety on." He walked over to us to show us the gun.

"You see this button? That's the safety. If you flip the switch to red, that means the safety is off. So, red you're dead." He explained.

"Red you're dead, got it." Caleb repeated.

"Alright, who wants to shoot first?" Caleb was the first to pop up, nominating himself. Elliot looked at Caleb, then turned his head towards us. "Oldest first." He handed the gun to Bradley. He took his hands out of his pocket and grabbed the gun.

"Hey I'm 15, too." I butted in.

"Yeah but I'm 3 months older." Bradley reminded me, smirking.

"Fine, but I get next shot." I demanded. Bradley walked up in front of all of us. His dad instructed him on how to load the gun, and then he pulled it up into shooting position.

"Do I just shoot anywhere?" He asked, holding the gun loosely.

"Yeah. Just keep it snug." His dad warned. Bradley blew off the comment and fired the gun, propelling himself backwards. He dropped to the ground and landed on his shoulder. Hard.