Purple

Twelve

Dedicated to CrystalRose2404

There were, apparently, only two restaurant chains left in the state of Virginia, or at least the western half of it: Cracker Barrel and Waffle House—and one wasn't open before nine o'clock in the morning.

"Thank goodness," Liam said in a solemn voice as he parked a short distance away from the Waffle House. "I don't know how we would have chosen between these two fine culinary establishments."

He had nominated himself to order whatever food they could afford with twenty bucks, but then Luce nominated herself to go along to make sure nothing bad happened while being out there.

Zu held up a small notebook, waving it to get her attention as she stepped outside.

"Done already?"

She nodded.

"Why don't you have Chubs check your answers? No, don't make that face. I'll check it when I come back too, okay?"

"I didn't know my corrections need corrections," Chubs mumbled, although it earned a look from the Purple that read don't test me.

Zu flipped the flimsy notebook open to a blank page and scribbled something down. When she held it up for her to see, Luce grinned.

"Whoa, whoa—long division? I think you're getting ahead of yourself, hun. You still haven't conquered your double-digit multiplying."

They both hopped out of the minivan and Ruby couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. She felt like it would have been a lot easier if Luce and Liam weren't the only ones who looked old enough to pass for twenty. Although she does feel better knowing that they were looking at each other's backs.

"You really have to stop encouraging him," Chubs was saying to Zu. Ruby glanced at him, watching as he used the blunt end of her pencil to follow lines of numbers on the page. "He needs to accept reality at some point."

Zu's face scrunched up, twisting like a piece of hard lemon candy was stuck on her tongue. She punched him in the shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said, but clearly he wasn't. "It's just a waste of time and energy to teach you this stuff when you're never going to get the chance to use it."

"You don't know that," Ruby said. Flashing Zu a reassuring smile, she added, "You'll be ahead of everyone else your age by the time things go back to normal."

"You know what I'd be doing if things were normal?" Chubs asked. "I'd be picking which college I was going to attend later this fall. I'd have taken my SATs, gone to football games and prom, taken chemistry..."

Zu sensed the shift of mood. She looked between the two, lips moving silently.

"Pfft," Ruby said, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against the back of the driver's seat. "Like you would have ever gone to a football game."

"Hey, I resent that!" Chubs handed Zu her notebook. "Here, you need to work on your nines." When he turned back to Ruby, it was with a disapproving look. "I can't believe you of all people fell for his cotton candy dreams."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You were in Thurmond for what—five years?"

"Six," she corrected. "And you're missing the point. It's not that I believe in what Lee's saying; it's what I hope he's right. I really, really hope he's right, because what's the alternative? We're stuck hiding out until their generation dies off? We flee to Canada?"

"Good luck with that," Chubs said. "Both Canada and Mexico have built walls to keep us out and them in."

"Because they thought IAAN was a contagious disease."

"No, because they've hated us all along and were only looking for the right excuse to keep our fat asses and fanny packs out of their countries forever."

Liam and Luce chose that exact moment to reappear, five Styrofoam containers balanced between both their hands. They were moving fast, almost at a run. Ruby and Chubs leaned over and popped the doors open for them, and they all dumped the containers on their laps.

"Oh God, what now?" Chubs cried.

"Whoa-" Ruby began, trying to keep the hot food from spilling all over the floor and seats.

Betty's engine started with a snarl, and suddenly they were rocketing backward. With the sheet blocking the back window, Liam had to rely on using the side mirror to navigate them down the road and up into the small back alley that divided the Waffle House from an abandoned jewelry consignment store. Ruby braced an elbow against the door as he steered the old minivan past the dumpsters to the cramped employee parking lot tucked away in a dead-end around the corner. The minivan lurched to a stop, throwing all four of them forward.

"We're...going to stay here for a little while," Liam announced to their terrified faces. "Don't panic, but we think we saw...I mean, it'll just be safer here for a bit."

"You both saw her." It wasn't a question; Chubs already knew the answer before he asked. "Lady Jane."

Liam rubbed the back of his neck as he leaned forward. He had left the nose of the minivan out far enough so they could peer around the Waffle House's wall to see down the alleyway.

"We're pretty sure," Luce said as she leaned against the seat, releasing a deep breath.

"Holy hell," Chubs squawked. "Pretty sure or definitely sure?"

Luce and Liam looked at each other and after a moment, the Blue answered, "Definitely sure."

Luce shook her head, still processing what happened a few seconds ago. "She has a new set of wheels, a white truck-"

"But I'd recognized that smug face anywhere."

"Did she see you?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know," Liam answered. "Probably not, otherwise she and whoever her new boy toy is would have tried to run us down. They drove by just as we were leaving."

Luce craned her neck forward, trying to see far enough past the wall of the restaurant to the alley opening. As if on cue, a glinting white truck rolled by, two dark figures in the front seats.

Liam and she flew back against their seats at the exact same moment looking at each other in alarm. They didn't take a breath until they were sure no one was coming down the alley to investigate.

He cleared his throat. "Um...how about you pass out the food? I'll just check-"

"Liam Michael Stewart," Chubs and Luce said in a stern tone, earning raised brows from the others. Luce had a firm grip on his arm while Chubs gave him a stern, warning look.

Chubs spoke, "If you step foot out of this minivan, I will order Green to run you down with it."

"Don't think I won't," Ruby warned. She knew what he was going to do without a doubt. It was obvious to them all. When Luce released her grip and Ruby handed him a Styrofoam container, he slumped back in his seat, accepting defeat.

The food that was ordered was a simple meal of scrambled eggs, bacon, and two pancakes without syrup. The others dug in, not wasting any time on the meal that was seen as being eaten once in a lifetime. Ruby gave her pancakes to Zu before Liam or Luce had the chance to.

edited