7:40am

"S? Hey, Saige, wake up. Can you drive for a bit?" Gently shaking my arm, I open my eyes to see Miles' face inches before mine. "Hi. Good Morning. Sleep well?" As Miles relaxes back into the driver's seat, I can tell he's exhausted. Dark bags under his eyes consume his face. His hair is messy; standing up in every direction. There are 3 granola bar wrappers scattered on the ground.

"What time is it?" I say as I rub my eyes, squinting as the bright sunlight beams over the top of the mountains. I assess our surroundings, awestruck by the spectacular view around us. We're pulled over on the side of a long, straight road. Covered in healthy, lush green pine trees, there are two huge mountains looking over us on both sides. Admiring the golden hue of the sun rising over the mountains ahead of us, I stare in awe. "Wow." I say under my breath; compared to the dull highway I fell asleep to, this is something I've never seen before. "Where the fuck are we?"

Miles chuckles at my anticipated reaction."Its 7:42am. I'm sorry Saige, but I didn't have the heart to wake you. You looked so peaceful. You're a cute sleeper, if you didn't know that already." I blush, knowing whole heartedly that is NOT true. I'm a deep sleeper. I snore, and boy, do I ever drool. "And after that phone call, you needed a rest." Smirk on his face, Miles wrestles with the map he has placed on his lap. Its huge, and he has it upside down. "We... are..." Turning the map right-side up, he traces his finger along a road. "Here."

I lean over to see. In the middle of the map, Miles taps his finger against a straight line. Assuming that's the highway we are pulled over on, we've come so far from home.

"Jesus Miles, you were supposed to wake me ages ago. You've been driving for 5 hours now. I thought we agreed on a schedule," I eye him, annoyed, and a little embarrassed I missed my shift. "Why didn't you wake me?" Wiping the drool that's spread across my cheek, I un-do my seatbelt. "I'm rested. Your turn."

As I open the passenger seat door, the cool morning air slaps me across the face, waking me up immediately. Too exhausted to argue, Miles and I switch seats.

"Just keep going straight, and follow any signs that tell you different. And use the map, too. We've got another 4 hours until we reach Camille." Miles yawns.

"Camille?"

"It's a small town. We need to pull over and grab some food and water."

"Oh, right. I knew that. Go to sleep, thanks for driving." When I look over at him, he's already crashed. A small snore comes from his mouth, and I can't help but laugh. "Goodnight, Miles."

______...______

8:30am

I like driving. It calms me down. Keeps me focused.

Usually.

Right now, it certainly does not. My mind wanders, thinking how at this exact moment, school is starting. My parents are awake, leaving for work. Brae should be in English class. But are they? I doubt it. Did they find the note on my bed yet? Has Brae checked her voicemails?

Unanswered questions fill the void in my head, pulling me in curiously. To distract myself, I flick on the radio. Keeping the volume low--I don't want to wake Miles--I flick through the available stations. Most are in and out of static, only audible at certain points. Frustrated at the quality of the Golf's radio, I turn it off. Sighing, I wish I had headphones. A good Audio book would satisfy my boredom.

______...______

12:02pm

Surprisingly, time goes by fast as I drive. The changing scenery keeps me mezmerized, and before I know it we're rolling into the small town of Camille. Miles was right, the route was simple. Straight, a few turns here and there, but easy enough.

Camille is small. Wouldn't take longer the 10 minutes to pass straight through it, but food is a necessity. And so is gas.

As I pull into the gas station, Miles begins to stir.

"Hey," I whisper quietly, unsure if he's ready to get up. "We're in Camille. Just getting gas. You want anything from the store?" I ask, motioning to the ESSO corner store. An ad from Tim Horton's plastered in the window catches my eye. Coffee is at the top of my list.

Stretching his arms, this fists hit the top of the golfs ceiling. "Should of got a bigger car." Miles sighs. "Good morning, beautiful. Coffee would be great."

Great minds think alike.

"I'm on it. Anything else?"

"Surprise me."

To say that opening the door and standing for the first time in 9 hours feels good would be an under statement. My legs are numb, and back is killing me. Stretching, I let out a yawn. The cool air engulfs my breath and a cloud forms in front of my face. Heading to the door of the small ESSO feels great as my legs slowly begin to regain feeling.

Opening the glass door and a chime goes off, welcoming me in.

"Good morning, Ma'am." Greets the cashier, as she takes her feet off the counter, and puts down her book. Her smile is genuine, she looks happy to see me. She looks to be about my age, maybe a little younger. Chewing gum, she looks me over. "Cold out there? Cute shoes. You live around here?"

My eyes narrow in her direction. I don't trust strangers. She's too nice. Eager. She looks bored, I can tell she wants a friend, a conversation, she wants all the things I'm not willing to give her. "Hi. Yes. Thanks. No." I say blankly. My face hardens, and I walk to the coffee machine.

My reaction sets her straight, and the smile sinks off her face. The look she gives me is all to familiar. I hate doing that. But at the same time, I don't really care. I never have. I'll never see her again anyways, there's no point in starting a conversation. Unnecessary conversations aren't my thing. Sorry to disappoint.