Finding Camden

Chapter Six

Hour 12

        After several hours of consistent sitting in a car, I plead for us to stop. We get off an exit to find a rest area.  We stop for a bathroom break. It's a tiny cinder block looking building that looks like it's hardly been occupied. I walk around to the left side of the building. An open entry way with a wooden makeshift sign that says Ladies in black petite letters.  Cobwebs lather around the entrance, making it look unpleasant. I unlock my phone and use the flash light. I search on the left and right side of the wall for the light switch. I finally find it after several dreading minutes of trying to find it. I flip the switch and the lights come on making a faint buzzing noise. There is on body mirror next to the sinks and I gaze into it. My hair drapes down my left shoulder. A few pieces obey and seem to curl and twist in every which way.

        I really don't have to use the bathroom, but I just needed to stretch out and be alone. I walk back outside and I look for Darrell. He stands by a Palmetto tree with his back leaning against it for support. He fiddles with his fingers. He's pleasant to look at. Not a Hollister model kind of pleasant to look at, but a cute innocent kind. He turns his face towards me. He offers a small smile. The moonlight makes his eyes sparkle, forcing me to smile back. We buckle in and leave shortly after.

Hour 16

We have switched back and forth over driving. At the moment, I am driving. It's morning and the traffic picks up. I look at licence plates finding mostly southern states. Louisiana. Georgia. Alabama. South Carolina. North Carolina. Florida. I can't keep my self from thinking of how we are going to find him. If we will find him. How will we even find him? Go door to door? I've finally realized how difficult and how disorganized this is.

"Darrell, how are we going to find him?" I look over at him. He's staring out the window slouching.

"I-I don't really know. Police station I guess?"

"We could, that's an option. I was hoping for maybe a better suggestion but oh well." He didn't look at me or reply. He just continued on looking out the window like the Fields were the most fascinating things in the universe. I just sat there while the hours passed. I waited and waited for him to say something, but it never happened.

"Are you alright? You've gone all like, depressing and pissed off all the sudden."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Still has not made an effort of eye contact. He hasn't looked at me since last night.

"Bull. Shit. What in the bloody hell is wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Well the feilds and the damn window must be pretty damn amusing, eh?"

"Shut up."

"No, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong! At all! I'm fucking okay. I feel absolutely grand right now. Just don't fucking talk to me." He finally made I contact. I understand why. Because he didn't want me to realize he was crying. His eyes swollen and his face blood red. I wanted to know what ever possesed him to cry. Especially since he's a guy. I began to wonder if I should have just came alone.

"I'm sorry." His voice was dry and solid. He didn't have much expression. The statement was meaningless. I didn't reply and dind't care. I just focused on the road. I put my ear buds in and drove. And drove and drove. An focused on nothing but the road. It was the only way to get to Cam. The faster I drove the faster I'd get there. I accelerated. I kept going. Faster and faster. Passing each and every car becoming a blur. I slowed down at some point, I just don't remember when. But I did.

Hour 26

The hours seem to pass leisurely. I was still driving. I didn't know if it was okay or not to talk to Darrell.  So, I proceeded. He eventually fell asleep with his seat reclined backward. I looked at him. He had a somewhat big nose, but it suited him. His eyebrows were thick. My mom always called them Caterpillar eyebrows.

"I can feel you staring at me. I'm not really asleep." I felt my face get warm because of embarrassment

"So you have had your eyes shut for three hours? For no reason?  What happened to the fields that just grasped you attention so wonderfully."

"Ha ha. Very funny. I do it a lot actually. It's kind of like daydreaming."

"So you've been thinking for three hours? About what?"

"Stuff."

"Oh."

"Shayla."

"Yeah?" His eyes still closed.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Camden."

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault."

Hour 36

The hours didn't seem to budge. I was now sitting in the passenger seat with  bag of hamburgers and fries in my lap. I swear, the bag almost burnt a hole through my jeans. I sat the bag on the floor after I gave Darrell his food. We were eating our food quietly not really talking.a

"Floh-dah!" Darrell shouted with his mouth full of food. I look to my left. A green sign with white letters on it. Yup, we were in Florida. We only had a few hours until we were in Victor. We'd actually be there seven hours earlier than planned. Which was kind of weird. I guess I really suck at basic math. We had small talk. Not really saying much. I felt a little bit happier considering that it would be only a few hours until we were there. The moment I would see him was slowly approaching closer.  I had tried to plan how I'd greet him. I'd probably just run up and hug him. I'd ask him why he had run away foolishly. Making us think that he had just been kidnapped and held captive.  We'd have a nice little reunion.

"Don't hit the deer dumbass!" I shouted. It was late evening. A deer had just jetted through middle of the highway making Darrell swerve. He then slammed on the brakes.

"You my friend are lucky that 1. That you didn't kill that deer. 2. You are lucky I don't have to kill you because of the damage you would have done to my car. 3. That there are no motherfucking cops around." He was laughing. He was full of hysteria. I don't get why the hell he's laughing. I was being legit.

I shook my head. He's one blessed asshole.