AN: Do NOT skip the note at the end. I also need your opinion, guys.

Dedicated to: @DuskMintnight

•CHAD•

I'll admit. The reason I annoy Brad is because it distracts him, and sometimes also makes him smile. Plus, it makes me look like I hate him.

Billy: I cannot beat that sense of humour, Chad. Wow, most logical way to make someone happy.

It's also fun, okay?

After a few miles of silent driving, Ron spoke up. "Nice weather, huh?"

I raised an eyebrow at the mirror so he could see my 'stop talking' face. Brad was still grumpy and he had his jaw clenched for more than half an hour.

"Who pissed in your baby food today?" I asked, kicking my feet up on the back of his seat and putting my hands behind my head.

He grunted.

I chuckled and put my legs down. "Stop being a gorilla, would you?" I ruffled his hair, just to get —

Ew, his hair is soft.

Billy: That's a good thing?

No, rough hair is more manly.

"Ugh dude, your hair is soft." I voiced out.

"It's better cthan wearing a cactus on my head like you." He said in a low voice.

"Cactus? I don't remember letting you sit on my head." I said.

"This will be fun." Ron muttered under his breath, showing an amused smile.

"You shouldn't let anyone sit on your head with that cactus head." He said.

"The only cactus I see in this jeep is you, Brad. Seriously, what's wrong?! You're acting like a Grumpy Porcupine." I said, frustrated.

"I am not grumpy or angry! Shut the hell up and go back to playing your stupid flappy bird." He yelled.

"I –"

"I have a Swiss Army Knife in my pocket and I will not hesitate to cut your heart into a million pieces and throw it in a volcano."

"O–"

"Oh, wait. You don't have a heart." He snapped.

"Okay." I said in an almost inaudible voice. I had sunk into my seat, not wanting to make Brad angrier.

Ron whistled and drummed his fingers on the wheel. There wasn't much traffic, and I could tell we were getting close to the countryside. He turned on the radio, to lighten up the mood.

I wanted to murder the radio when the song started.

"Perfect." Brad said under his breath. He leaned on his window with fingers punching the bridge of his nose. I could also see his pulse on his forehead.

Billy: Someone's gonna burst an artery.

Shh. Don't breathe so loudly.

Billy: I'm not breathing, you idiot.

Shh.

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"Pit stop!" Ron said as we neared a gas station. I got off the car eagerly with Ron and Brad.

"Do you have any money on you?" I asked Ron. I carried a hundred dollars in cash, just for snacks or something.

"I have my credit card." He said.

"I think we should stop by at a hotel or something to chalk out the plan more carefully." I said.

"You're right. We need to call the others up to see what distraction they're planning."

Brad was being his grumpy self; he didn't say a word since he shut me up. His behavior is really confusing.

Why is he so moody? Aren't we going to rescue his mom? Is it because of his dad?

I looked over my shoulder to see where Brad is. He had his arms crossed and he was staring at the gas machine. I could tell he was worried about something; that must be why he was acting all grumpy since morning.

"Ron, could you get us some soda?" I asked.

"Since when did you like sodas? I thought you hated them."

"I, uh need to talk to Brad. Alone. So if you could make yourself busy with -"

"I get it, brother." He said and purposely bumped my shoulder before leaving. Idiot.

Once he was gone, I turned around to see him cursing at the ground. I physically took a step back.

It was harder than I had thought.

I took slow steps on my toes towards him. After a few seconds, I was only ten meters away from him.

Okay, how do i approach him? 'Hey, what's up!' Nah, too cheerful.

'What's wrong, buddy?' Too friendly. He would probably throw me into a volcano.

'Hi.' Too cold.

This is hard.
Brad is very scary when he's angry. Or stressed out. Or both.

"What do you want, Chad?" He asked rather calmly. Too calm even for normal. Each word was pronounced slowly and carefully, as if he was trying his best not to swear at me.

"I-I-I uh, do you like soda?" I asked lamely.

Billy: So much for consoling him.

I'm trying!

"I hate soda."

"Cool, me too! So, what's up?" I asked, leaning to the side so I could see him.

"Nothing." He grunted. At this, I got frustrated with his coldness. Does he not see me screaming, 'Tell me what is wrong! I am here to help you!!'?

I went in front of him and said, "What crawled up your ass?"

"Your face."

I gagged. "I don't remember doing that."

"Are you even going to listen to me?" He said, a bit too loudly.

"I am listening to you. Stop yelling."

"I'm not yelling! How dare you accuse me of yelling?!" He shouted.

I grabbed his sweat shirt and dragged him to a less private area. That place so happens to be behind the gas station, surrounded with walls to form a dead end.

I made him stand against a wall and put both my hand son his shoulders.

"Calm down, buddy." I said.

He took some deep breaths and whispered, "I'm calm."

"Good. Now explain." I said in the same tone.

"This isn't going gto work out." He said, dropping his shoulders.

"Why not?"

"Don't you think it all sounds stupid? We're on a jeep, for goodness sake. What if –"

"This is not stupid, Brad. The only thing stupid is your lack of trust in me." I said.

"I trust you, Chad. But you're risking too much for something that would obviously not work. We're amateurs. We know nothing about kidnapping or rescuing. And we're facing well equipped, well trained kidnappers for the second time, as if the first time wasn't horrible enough. Look, I'm willing to die for my mother but —"

"I'm willing to die for you, Brad. But trust me, it won't come to that. We will save her and get revenge." I said and offered a smile. I spread my arms open after looking around to see if anyone is watching us. Coast clear.

Brad pushed himself off the wall and took my hug. He pressed his eyes on my shoulder while I kept rubbing circles on his back.

"Did you just pull my hair?" Brad asked, still not letting go.

"Nope." I lied, pulling his hair again.

He brought his knee up and kicked my chest. "Dude, you can't even hug properly." I laughed.

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(Idek if people are still reading this, but I'm still updating. I'm not dead, yet. ;))

I wanted to ask if you guys would be interested in reading a spin off to this book, titled....

*drum roll : DRUM DIM DUM DUM DIMDUMSUM DUM DRRRDDDDMMM DISHHHHHH!*

SPIKE AND TYKE.

It's going to be about Alex and Rose, but I still haven't completely figured out the story plot YET. There are many plot holes in my head, so I need to fix them first before I can even post a summary or something.

Also, I wanted to make it a stand alone book and probably add more action to that book and make —

You know what, I won't spoil it for you guys. ;)

But tell me if you all are interested or not.

*hands Skittles*
~Skittolate

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Date: 29/7/2016
Time: 11:45 PM.