{{ this chapter took me SO LONG to write nd I'm sorry for the slow update! I'm beyond excited to write now because this story is reaching the climax so the end is soon, but there's so much more action still to come haha. I'm guessing there's probably between 5-10 chapters left, even though I suck at estimating these things. just wanted to give you an update! I'm so grateful to you guys who consistently vote / comment, I notice nd it means so so much to me. ily all and I can't wait to write more! }}
// twenty - nine //
The days unraveled behind them like asphalt disappearing beneath rubber tires, the time slipping away out of Ryan and Ella's grasp. It was impossible for them to pretend they were normal, now, because playing with ignorance was deadly. They had to get the rest of the money because time was wearing thin, and Ella could see how badly Ryan was affected by it.
She could see it in his hunched posture, in the dark circles beneath his eyes and in the constant haunted look that plagued his expression. Christmas day was drawing closer, and although Ryan hadn't said the exact date they had given him, Ella knew it was around the holidays. The people around them grew more cheerful and excited for Christmas time, while Ryan and Ella seemed to have the opposite state of mind, only growing more anxious and distressed as the holiday approached on hasty feet.
Ella had pushed their meeting with Kurt to the back of her mind. She had continued to think through the event over and over, and she'd become paranoid to the point where it didn't feel safe inside her own home. If she didn't remember the way Kurt had spoken to her and Ryan, the way he'd hinted that they knew exactly where she lived, then Ella didn't feel the constant tug of anxiety in her chest. It was easier to live in blind ignorance, even if it was only a little.
In the week after Kurt had seen them at the coffee shop, Ryan struggled to figure out where he would get the rest of the money. He had recounted what he'd gotten already, and he'd told Ella that he only needed around five hundred dollars more. Neither of them wanted to steal from another gas station after what had happened with the fake gun, but it seemed as though they had little other choice.
School was canceled that Tuesday due to a morning snowstorm, but the snowfall had stopped by noon and the cleanup crews were already clearing the roads of slush and ice. Ella left her house early that afternoon to drive to Ryan's, telling her parents that she was going to Mindy's house to make hot chocolate. Her mom had been less than thrilled – "The point of a snow day is to stay home" – but she didn't stop her, allowing Ella to take the white Honda out of the garage and into the street.
As she coasted slowly through partially iced roads and piles of slush, Ella began to think that making cocoa with Mindy sounded much better than what she and Ryan were going to do. Of course, speaking with Mindy beyond a few careful greetings in psychology alone would have been a pleasant change.
Julie's grey station wagon was parked in the driveway beside Ryan's truck. Ella shut off her own car and prepared to brave the cold, but Ryan was already hurrying out of the house towards her so she stayed put. She watched him nearly slip against the freshly shoveled driveway, his heather grey backpack slapping against his side.
A rush of cold air swept through the heated interior of her car when Ryan entered. He quickly slammed the passenger door shut behind him, holding the backpack between his knees. "Hey, Ella."
"Hi there," she said. Ryan rubbed his hands together and blew in between his palms, warming the skin with his breath. Somewhat teasingly, Ella added, "Slippery driveway?"
He snorted and grinned, "Shut up."
She backed out of his driveway and into the street, twisting the wheel and putting the gear in drive without another word. There seemed to be nothing else to say as Ella drove back down the way she had come, and Ryan did nothing more than stare out the passenger side window at the buildings passing by. The atmosphere inside the car was tense but not awkward, and Ella felt oddly comforted by the silence. The nerves would have resurfaced if they forced a conversation about what they were about to do.
The drive to the convenience store lasted just under an hour. It was nestled along a fairly empty road, a tiny building that contained everything a gas station would have – aside from the gasoline. Ryan had told Ella he'd stopped here years ago on the way home from a road trip with his parents, so he knew how deserted the road was. It was the only way he could convince Ella to do this during the daytime.
Ella parked the Honda to the right of the store's parking lot, partially hiding it from view behind a large pile of plowed snow. Ryan zipped open the backpack as Ella turned off the headlights, and he pulled out the two black and white handkerchiefs. He tossed one to Ella, removing the gun from the bag as he told her, "Put that one on."
"Why?" Ella asked blankly, but she was already lifting it to cover half her face. They had decided days ago that she wouldn't be going inside with him, despite how hard she had tried to convince him otherwise. His argument was that there was only one gun, so to have Ella there as well would only be dangerous. There wasn't enough time left for her to change his mind.
"Just in case," he said simply. "It's too light out. Someone could see you when we leave."
Ella tied the fabric behind her head and didn't protest. Ryan had done the same with his own handkerchief and was zipping the backpack shut, gripping the straps tightly in his hands. He sucked in a shaky breath, and Ella reached over to squeeze his shoulder. Softly, she told him, "I'll be right here when you come out."
Ryan didn't say anything. He nodded with his eyes fixed on Ella's, and he didn't glance away even when he opened the car door and twisted in the seat to leave. He only looked away when he stepped out into the cold, and the moment his eyes left hers, Ella felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach. This didn't feel right.
But Ryan had already kicked the car door shut and was rounding the snow pile into the open, and it was too late. Ella gripped the steering wheel and stared at the rearview mirror, watching his figure sprint across the empty lot towards the convenience store. It was difficult to breathe through the material covering her mouth and nose, and Ella felt stifled as she watched the glass door swing shut behind him, the awful feeling in her stomach only intensifying by the second.
It seemed Ryan had only just entered the store before Ella was seeing the glow of headlights appear from the street beside her. She immediately slouched in the driver's seat as best she could, sliding down against the worn leather so her car would appear empty to anyone passing by.
But the car wasn't just passing through. It pulled into the lot of the convenience store and parked in one of the empty spaces, the engine cutting out abruptly. Ella watched through the side view mirror, her heart pounding in her ears, as a twenty-something man stepped out of the blue Toyota. She was frozen in fear, every limb rigid as she watched him start for the glass door, wallet and car keys in hand.
Ella didn't think. She shoved open the driver's side door and threw herself out of the seat, not even bothering to shut the door behind her as she started across the lot. Her boots slipped against the ice but she kept running, unsure of what she thought she was going to do – except that she needed to get inside.
She'd moved so quickly that the young man had only just entered the store by the time she reached the glass door. Ella shoved it open and only had milliseconds to take in her surroundings: the store was cramped with the counter just two feet from the aisles, the young man was standing frozen just before her, and Ryan was pointing the gun at the male, late-fifties cashier. The older man was putting money from the register into the backpack, and neither of them had noticed yet that Ella and the younger man had entered the store.
Ella shouted something to Ryan, and he looked up with a start. She watched in slow motion as he turned the gun towards the man in front of her, and the man started to raise his arms slowly. Ella's eyes landed on the cashier, out of Ryan's view, and she watched him reach for something beneath the counter.
What Ella did next didn't occur like it had when she'd robbed the gas station on her own, when she'd gone through the motions almost in an out-of-body experience. She felt everything as she lurched forwards, making every decision as she shoved the younger man out of her way. She grabbed blindly for something from the aisle beside her, feeling the hard curve of glass beneath her palm as her hand wrapped around some kind of jar.
She threw it at the cashier just as he raised the gun that had been hidden beneath the counter. The jar – whatever it was, mayonnaise, spaghetti sauce – flew through the air towards the counter. All Ella had wanted to do was distract him, but her aim was better than she'd planned.
The jar clipped the cashier's forehead, just above his right eyebrow, and smashed into the wall behind him. The close-range rifle was loose in his hands as he fell, crashing backwards into the rack of cigarettes and cigars behind him.
Ella cried out an apology before she could stop herself, but everything was happening too quickly for her to be sure anyone had heard. She hadn't meant to hurt him.
Ryan moved so rapidly that his figure became a blur. He swiped his backpack from the counter and sprinted towards the exit, just as the younger man launched himself at Ella. She stumbled backwards but Ryan had already reached them, barreling into the other man with his arms locked around his waist. The man landed on the dirty tiled flooring with Ryan on top of him, but the breath had been knocked out of him from the impact and all he could do was gasp for air.
Ella grabbed the fallen backpack and screamed to Ryan, but the sound was white noise in her ears and even she wasn't quite sure what she'd said. But Ryan was standing as she shoved open the glass door, and he was already right behind her as she stumbled outside.
Someone was yelling after them as they both sprinted back across the lot, but neither of them turned to see. Ella clutched the backpack with everything she had as she ran, and Ryan did the same with the gun as they reached the plowed snow pile at the edge of the lot. Ella threw herself into the driver's seat and immediately put the gear in drive, hands shaking and mind reeling so badly that she wasn't sure what was happening anymore.
"You fucking shits – I'm calling the police – "
Ryan had scarcely gotten into the car before Ella was slamming her foot onto the gas pedal, the engine roaring and tires screeching with burned rubber against icy asphalt. Adrenaline and guilt were hot in the back of her throat as she whipped the car away from the snow pile and over the curb.
The car slammed into the street and Ella floored the gas, peeling away from the curb and leaving the convenience store behind in the distance.
Neither of them looked back.