The fifth hour
Trixie was wiped out from the day's excitement, so she fell asleep as soon as we continued our journey to Boston. If Pax was tired, he didn't say anything, and he was driving so he didn't have the choice to fall asleep. As for me, my thoughts entertained me enough.
We sat in silence for a while until Pax broke it.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked me.
"I don't know," I sighed. "My thoughts are a jumbled mess at the moment."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
We sat in silence for a little longer, watching the sunset in front of us.
"We've officially known each other for twenty-four hours," Pax said, breaking the silence again.
This made me smile. "It seems like so much longer, with everything we've been through."
"Yeah, it does."
We sat in silence again.
"Hey, Pax?" I asked, this time it was me who broke the silence.
"Yeah?"
"Do you think we will get to Cameron in time?"
"Is this what you've been worried about?" he asked, taking his eyes off the road for a split second to look at me.
"Partially, yeah," I replied.
"Well, we've made good time," he answered honestly. "We're an hour ahead of schedule, so at this rate, we will get there on time, but we will need time to come up plan, so I don't know."
"Okay," I said.
Cue the silence again.
"Is Cameron your ex?" Pax asked.
"Oh, no, no, no," I said with a little laugh. "Don't even bring up my ex. He was an awful guy."
"Okay," he said and gave a little laugh. "So who is Cameron?"
"Oh, Cameron. He's my best friend. I've known him even longer than Miranda, and he's honestly a better best friend than her. He was there for me for my first wipeout on the surf, when I got my first heartbroken, and even when my mom died." I felt my eyes begin to fill up with tears. "I- I was so focused on missing Miranda that I didn't realize my real best friend was right in front of me. And now, now he's going to die knowing that I don't even appreciate him." By now I was sobbing, but it wasn't just over Cameron, it was over everything. My mom's death that's finally just hit me, Miranda betraying me after all these years, and how I dragged two random strangers into my problem. Everything was my fault, all my fault.
I was barely aware that Pax had stopped the car until he was opening my door and was pulling me out into a huge bear hug. I sobbed into his chest as he pet my hair and whispered, "it's going to be okay," over and over again into my ear. I had no clue why I was sobbing, but I couldn't stop either. I think the lack of sleep and days events had finally caught up to me, and this was my way of letting it all out.
Once I had let all of it out, Pax held me out at arm's length and looked me in the eyes while wiping away some stray tears. "You okay now?"
"Yeah," I sniffed and gazed down at the ground. "Sorry for dragging you into my drama."
"No, don't apologize," he told, tilting my chin up to look him in the eyes. "I will always be here for you, no matter how big the problem, no matter the time." He glanced down at the ground, looking like he was trying to decide on something. When he looked back up at me, he inched closer and gently pressed his lips against mine.
I will admit, it shocked me at first, but when I got over that, I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, and he moved his to hug me around the lower back.
It was the most amazing kiss ever. No kiss that I have ever shared with Asher or anyone else could have compared to this. It was like that moment when your team is behind in the championship game, and you score the game-winning point in the last few seconds, or that moment when you're in Disney World, and you see the fireworks exploding in the air. Yeah, it was magical.
Pax pulled away from this kiss, and I stood there in his arms, my eyes closed, taking it all in. When I opened them, I saw Pax staring at me with a blissful smile.
"Someone enjoyed that," he teased.
"Someone sure did," I teased back.
"Please guys, no more PDA," Trixie scolded us from the car.
We both turned to look at the sassy ten-year-old, and she was shaking her head at us in shame. We both started laughing at her and, she giggled along with us.
"What did I tell you guys," she said. "It's about time you two got together. Seriously, anyone could see y'all liking each other from a mile away."
That made us both crack up again. "All righty then," I added with a giggle.
"Let's get back in the car," Pax said, unwinding his arms from behind my back. "We want to make sure we get to Cameron on time."
"Yes! Cameron," I said and hopped back into the car, and we took off.
"So, while we are still in the mood, is there anything else you would like to get off your chest?" Pax asked me after driving for a couple of minutes.
"Oh, I don't know," I replied with a sigh.
"Spill the beans," he practically orders me, which was kind of adorable. "Did you think I was kidding about what I said back there?"
"No," I said.
"But?"
"I'm not sure," I replied with a laugh.
"Okay Bri, enough stalling, tell me what's up."
"The roof of the car."
"Briana," Pax said with a warning.
"Alright, alright, it's just, when this is all over, like getting Cameron and beating some bad guys and all that, where am I going to go?"
"You're going to go home of course! Why wouldn't you?"
"Well, when the police came to take me, Asher, my ex, called me a monster, and I'm worried that is all anyone will see of me when I get home."
"Oh," Pax replied. "I see. I know how you feel. I used to live in Raleigh, North Carolina, but we moved because people found out about my ability to control minds. They started calling me freak and cheater and other words like that. The worst part was I was an eleven, so it's hurtful when someone throws words like that at you in the first place, but when you aren't even out elementary school, it really hurts." He sighed. "I had to control my dad to make us leave Raleigh, and after that, I didn't use them for another five years." He glanced at me. "Not until you came along."
"Wow, I, I don't know what to say," I said, kind of laughing at myself. "It makes me feel stupid that as a sixteen-year-old, I'm acting like a crybaby when you were made fun of as an eleven-year-old."
"No, no, no, that's not why I told you that story. I want you to realize that you can trust me with anything and that we are alike, and I can help you. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, not at all."
"Okay, but what do I do?" I asked. "Everyone is still going to see me as this freakish thing."
"No one is going to see you like that," Pax said. "You're beautiful and have an amazing heart, and if people can't see that, it's their fault."
"But Asher called me a monster, everyone is going to hate me," I explained.
"Well you know what, screw him," Trixie said from the back. Crap I forgot she was in here.
I whipped around to face the little ten-year-old in the back, who I might add, had a proud grin on her face.
"Where did you hear that from," I asked. I was completely shocked to hear that from a ten-year-old.
"Oh, you know," she answered. "Around. But I'm being serious. If that jerkwad-"
"Language."
"Sorry. If that butt face," she continued as I sighed to myself. I tried. "Doesn't see that your powers make you extraordinary and not a monster, then he's a reeaallyy big dumb head. And that goes for you too, Pax." With that, she curled up in the back seat and started snoring.
I turned back around and faced the front. "Well then."
"I think we just got taught by a ten-year-old," Pax said.
"I think we did," I agreed.
"But she is right. If that Asher guy can't see you for who you actually are, then he sure is missing out on one heck of a girl."
I started to blush, badly. "Thanks, Pax."
"Any time."
We sat in silence for a while, before I could feel myself starting to nod off. I didn't want to sleep, because it had to be annoying for Pax to be driving this whole time with nothing to do. So I sucked it up for a couple more minutes before he noticed.
"You should go to sleep," he told me, taking his eyes off the road only for a second to look at me. "You look tired."
"I'm not," and then I had to yawn. Curse you uncontrollable body. "Tired."
"Mmhmm," Pax said, smirking to himself. "Go to sleep Bri. I'll wake you up at eleven so you can drive."
"Well since you begged me," I said, giving in. I let my head rest against the window, and I was soon asleep.
Authors Note:
Sorry for the dramatic chapter I promise the next one will have a lot less crying in it.