After pretending to do my 'history homework' we had dinner, and again Rose started talking about Steve and how we will look so good together. At this point I just listened to her, I didn't say anything, I'm just tired of always fighting with her.
Ruby fell asleep really quick, while I couldn't, not after hearing my mom sobbing in the middle of the night. I wonder if she is crying about my dad. He hasn't even called after our 'disappearance'.
After all, he's a cop, he has ways to find us. Maybe he just doesn't want to.
My thoughts make my throat tighten. Stop it, Hanna, just get some sleep.
Sleep.
Sleep.
Sleep.
Sleep.
Sleep.
I kept repeating that word until my thoughts started fading away.
***
¨God what should I do?¨ Rose asked, letting out a shaking breath.
I dont open my eyes since I dont know where she is looking at.
¨A girl should never tough bad of her...¨ Before she finishes her sentence, the doorbell sounds.
My mom closes the door of my room and I open my eyes.
A girl should never tough bad her, what? Try to think of some words that possibly were the ones she was going to say, but I'm not sure. The frontal door of the trailer opens and hear my mom talking with the mailman. Not even two minutes and she's already making her to our room after.
I stretch as if I was just getting up at the moment I hear the handle of the bedroom door open.
¨Good morning honey.¨ Rose says meeting eyes with mine.
¨Morning mom.¨
¨I will take you to school today, Ruby has the day off today.¨ I nod at her words to get down from my bed.
Today is a very warm day in Hawkins. Thank god I choose to put on something more summer-like, I can feel the sun burning my skin even through the closed window of the car. It's impressive how it only took us 15 minutes to get to school while taking the bus almost takes an hour. What the hell?
As my mom finally founds an available place to park, I placed my backpack on my shoulder to get out of the car, I have physics in the first period. The teacher is a real pain in the ass, and we don't get along so well, it's better if I get early to her class.
¨Anna?¨ I was about to get out of the car when she spoke.
¨Yes?¨ Rose loos at me. I could see a glimpse of fear in her eyes, something unusual on her.She looks down ¨I forgot.¨ She giggles.
Mhmm.
¨Let me know if you remember.¨ I close the door after that.
Walking to the entrance of Hawkins high, I feel someone placing an arm around my shoulders, so I stop walking.
¨Morning princess.¨ Eddie Munson of course.
Just like yesterday, I started feeling something on my belly.
¨Hey...¨
He analyses my face as if he wanted to get a look at every imperfection I didn't cover with makeup.¨Did you sleep?¨ I shake my head.
¨ Let's skip.¨ I offer without thinking. Well, I dont feel like I can make it to half of the first period so why not?
A grin appears on his lips.
¨Follow me.¨ He says basically dragging me with him because of the hold his arm has on my shoulders. Eddie directed us in the opposite direction every student walked from. We get farther from where we were. As we walk from my peripheral vision I see him struggling to take something out of his front pocket. Car keys. We came to stop as we turned to the back of the school, where some cars were parked. We stop in front of a rusty minivan.
¨No bicycle today?¨
¨Not today princess.¨ The nickname does something to me. I bite my cheek to not smile.
He opens the passenger door for me to get in first, closing the door he runs to the side of the driver and gets in. As soon as we were on the road, I felt my eyes getting heavy, the sound of the motor howling in my troubling head.
Even though Eddie is a complete stranger and I shouldn't let myself fall asleep, but...this stranger makes me trust him somehow.
¨We are almost there, dont fall asleep, ¨ Eddie says placing his hand on my thigh, shaking it a little to wake m up.
¨Just five minutes.¨ I mumble more asleep than awake.
I didn't hear if he answers me since I fall asleep after my words left my mouth.
It was as if as soon I closed my eyes they were open again because the door of the car slamming shut makes me abruptly open my eyes, confused for a moment about where I was.
An Eddie with a grocery bag in his hand and what seems to be half of a bar of airheads in his mouth.
¨Hello sleepy head.¨ He says taking the candy out of his mouth lacing it above the radio of the car and putting the grocery bag in the space between our sits.
¨How long have I been out?¨ I ask, rubbing my eyes.
¨30 minutes.¨ He says checking his watch.
¨Felt like less. What do you have on the bag?¨ I point out.
He looks at the bag, then at me. ¨Food if we get hungry.¨
The simple act caught me off ward but do not make it too obvious I mouth 'oh'
¨So what is the plan?¨ I ask him if I wasn't the one who had the idea of skipping school.
¨I have to get some customers their drugs, do you want to go with me?¨ He looks unsure about even asking me.
¨Sure.¨ He wasn't expecting my relaxed answer.
Eddie Munson
¨You have been around drugs before, don't you?¨ I ask a little more surprised than I wanted. I mean, she smokes, but tobacco is a very common drug so that doesn't count.
¨Don't be surprised Munson, after all, you don't know me.¨ She says with her cocky attitude at the same time taking the candy that not even a minute ago was in my mouth to replace it in hers. I swallow at the simple act.
Yeah, I dont know you, but you make me want to get to know every single thing of you, Hanna O'Connell.
***
We arrived at the place we are going to meet the last client of the day, the guy is someone new I never sold before and because of that, Hannah is coming with me. I don't want to leave her alone in the van. Doesn't matter if I didn't park the van close to the place. I just don't have a good feeling about this place. This needs to be quick.
The house of this guy is on the outside of Hawkins, that much of a bad feeling I have that I parked the van at the gas station a kilometer from here. Hanna wasn't that plastered to walk under the warm sun of the day.
Not only the guy lives beside a river, but it's also like the place hasn't been habited for a long time. You can see it by the overgrown weeds.
I tilt my head to the side just enough to catch a look of Hanna walking behind me. Hanna wasn't anywhere close to me this time. I widen my eyes, feeling the panic in my chest. I turn my whole body to the direction we came from just to see her looking at the river as she stays ten feet away from me.
¨Son of a...¨ I exhale. ¨Hanna! What are you doing?¨ I ask from my place.
Hanna places her left hand on top of her forehead to block out the sun.
¨I think I saw something on the other side of the river!¨
Nah, I'm not liking this.
¨Hanna come on, I want to finish with this already.¨ Hanna start walking towards me and I dont move. ¨Stay close to me.¨ I say once she stands beside me.
We walk some more until we are in front of the house, but not too close. As we get close enough not even a second and the door of the house is being open. I was expecting to see a guy around our age but instead, it was someone around my uncle's age. The man I've never seen in my life tilts his head.
I grab Hanna's hand as she stays behind me.
¨You must be Ray, right?¨ Not only do I change my name to sell, but I wear a baseball hat to cover half of my face. Hanna wears one too.
¨Yeah, I'm Ray.¨
¨Do you have my drugs?¨ The man asks in a demanding tone.
¨Do you have my money?¨ I answer in the same tone.
¨I do, come inside the house, and I will give it to you. Plus I don't want my drugs to get warm in this sun.¨ He offers as if I was an idiot.
Rule number one of being a dealer: never get inside the residence of your buyer unless it is someone really close to you.
¨You will burn them anyway so we will wait here.¨ His facial expression turns a little frustrated as I'm not accepting his offer.
¨Fine, just wait in there.¨ I give him a nod.
As soon as the man gets inside the house, I turn my head to the side.
¨We run into the woods in three.¨ I tighten my grip on Hanna's hand just enough to put her on alert without hurting her.
¨What? Why?¨ She says in a whisper.
¨1...2...3...¨ I pull her by the hand as I start running. ¨Freeze!!!¨ At the exact same moment, the federals appear some feet away from us. And for obvious reasons we accelerated.
It was like Hanna and me, flee through the woods, we were running as fast as our legs could drag our bodies. I could feel Hanna's grip getting tighter every second. Just as if we were in a movie. Five to six cops chasing us around the woods. Two underage teenagers running their asses up, because if they catch them, they will be really screwed up.
I was one step in front of Hanna while running, I had my right hand intertwined with hers and the other one pushing the branches and bushes that were in our way.
¨Shit, shit, shit!¨ Hanna shouts in fear.
¨I'm sorry Princess.¨ I shake my head regretting leaving the place as soon as I had a bad feeling. ¨Son of a bitch!¨ I swear that the motherfucker that talked will regret it.
This was a race between three things; luck, us, and the cops. I dont even want to turn my head to see how close they are getting to us. My dumbass may trip over something and we will be for real screwed.
Jesus Christ, what do we do now?! I get even more worked out by watching how all our surroundings look the same. Some threes, shrubs, and plants. Then I remembered.¨Hanna, can you check how close they are, please?¨
Silence.
¨Hanna?¨
¨I think we lost them.¨
Her answer was supposed to calm me down but it was all the opposite.
¨Do you remember where did I park the van?¨ I'm praying that she does.
¨Uh- I think so.¨
¨Could have been worse.¨ I hold the side of my torso with my free hand as I feel a pinching pain from the lack of breath and the fact that I'm talking while running doesn't help. ¨Ok, so this is what we are going to do. I will wait for the cops to appear and you will take this.¨ I instructed her as I take my radio out of my waistband. I even forgot that I have it with me as how used I am to carry it there. ¨You just have to turn it on and call Dustin, he will help you. Just don't stop running until you are on the van, do you hear me?¨
¨What! But they may catch you, Eddie.¨
The concern in her is something new. In every aspect.
¨Nah princess. They will never catch me, not unless I want them to.¨ Like they say. Fake it until you believe it.
She was about to say something else but I stop dry in my tracks, letting go of her hand to place the radio. Hanna kept running but she wouldn't turn her head in front of her. The fear in her face was eating me alive.
¨Dont stop!¨ I need to make sure she keeps going. Hanna slightly nodded to then turn her head in the direction she is running I kept taking care of her with my eyes until she was becoming smaller as far she was getting from me.
Son of a ... bitch! I whine seeing how wrong I was by thinking the pain going through my side couldn't get any worse. I hate running.
¨There he is!¨ Ahhh couldn't you wait five minutes!?
I swear after this I should get a marathon trophy.