Desperate times cause for desperate measures. I had one of two options, try and sort it or delete the story. Deleting it meant I would have let you all down and I do have ideas, it's just the wrong part placement. Blah blah. So if anyone read the chapter called Learning curve, please forget about it.

Like Adam had been forgotten in hell. - See what I did there 😉

Now time to fix this story and make it read-worthy for you all.

+++++++++

"Mrs Winters, were concerned about her..."

"All children develop differently."

"Is she a mute?"

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"Maybe she's an alien?"

"There is no medical reason why your daughter cannot speak."

"There's something wrong with her."

"She needs to be in special school."

"Freak! Freak! Freak! Freak!"

I jump out of my sleep shaking the voices in my skull away, my eyes flick down to the chairs where Billy and Bacon were both once sat. Worried that they had witnessed my troubled sleep. But they were now empty...

"It was a nightmare." Zak spoke making me lift my head off my hand. "You didn't say anything. Just a lot of mumbles and head shaking."

I lower my eyes and sit up as he approaches holding out a bottle of water. I look up to him skeptically causing him to roll his eyes and crack the bottle open before taking a large gulp.

"Happy?" He asks.

"Where's Bacon? Where's Bi-"

"Dicks."

I pull back. "I beg your pard-"

"The store. It's behind you."

I crank my head back to indeed see the store sat behind me. "Huh."

"I stayed because well.. Because I wanted to speak with you. In case you woke up."

"About?"

My eyes narrow instantly when he picks up the book off the side. Not where I left it.

"Who's M?" He questions making my blood boil.

"You've been going through my things?!"

"Woah, just the book."

I snatch it from his hands and inspect the cover. It seemed pointless now he's totally destroyed the book. But it had its value, its sentimental value.

"Why are you so attached to it?"

"Why don't you keep your beak out of my business and I'll do the same in return?"

He shakes his head and exhales "I'm trying to be civil."

Throwing the blanket off me, I rise to my feet "Well don't. It doesn't suit you. Luckily for you. Being an asshole does."

I move down the RV and take a refuge in the passenger seat before fishing out the earphones from my pocket, pushing them into my ears, I plug them into my phone and find some songs that I know will ease my anger where that man was concerned.

'When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell!' Screams into my ears making me sink into the seat with my feet on the dash. Smiling to myself, all I had to do was ignore him and wait for Bacon and Billy to return.

I was finally feeling some comfort in the music when the earphone was removed.

My jaw clenches but before I can snap at him, twizzlers land on my lap along with an Xbox controller.

"Stop being a little bitch and come and shoot me in the head."

"Tempting.." I speak looking out the window.

"Well, I guess it proves what I thought. You're not cut out for this. Clearly scared you're gonna loose." He goads making my eyes snap up.

"Set me up."

He grins and heads over to the leather seats making me follow.

I'll show him scared.

"Can you play COD?" He asks.

"I'll shoot you on any game." I reply sitting down beside him and clicking my fingers.

"Uh huh. Don't go crying when I win."

"You keep telling yourself that cupcake." I bite making him chuckle.

Within a minute into the game, he was down.

Delilah 1. Zak 0

"Try and keep up." I jibe as he is re-spawned.

+++

"I think my control is broke! I fired at you like 50 times and not a single bullet hit you!" Zak argued as he shook the control in his hands.

"Or you're crap at aiming?" I suggested making him glower at me.

We'd been playing for over 40 minutes and both Bacon and Billy had yet to returned. I had began wondering if they were avoiding the RV until Zak gave them the all clear to come back.

"I've played this game a thousand times! It's because you've got my controller."

I had to laugh. "Yes it has to be that."

"It is! It's my lucky controller." He frowned at it.

"If it's lucky then why give it to me?"  I ask.

"Because I thought of you won you'd be happy and maybe even give a genuine smile. It seems to be working... I didn't bank on being this crap with another controller." He admitted making me look over at him as he pulled a little lint off his top.

"I'll swap if it makes you happy." I decide.

He shakes his head and looks back at the LED TV hung from the ceiling in the RV. I had to admit this was probably the most lavish RV I had ever seen. The bed was comfy and I planned to sleep on it before the gibbon demanded me off it. But the couch was just as good.

"How's your knee?" I question seeing him absentmindedly rub it.

"I'll live..." He replied trying to find me on the map. I took aim and shot his character on the screen. "Maybe not."

"Can I let you in on a secret?"

This grabbed his attention instantly and I wondered if it did because I was divulging in information or if it's because he wanted to know more about me.

"I have this game at home.."

He cocks his head to the side with a surprised smile. "Well that explains everything. What are you, some gamer?"

"Nope. Just someone who likes to shoot shit." I speak and take out his leg on screen before ducking behind the helicopter blade.

"You should come out with me and Billy when we go shooting." Zak suggested.

I blinked as my character fell to the floor.

"Got ya!"

"Distraction technique. Sly..."

"Got to be one step ahead, always." He grins.

We're playing in silence when he speaks again.

"That person.. Who bought you the book. Did they mean a lot to you?" He asks distracting me enough to throw a grenade at me.

I stiffen and feel my hands tighten on the controller "Where are they both too? They've been ages. We should hit the road."

"The driver needs his break, something to do with regulations and things. They are most likely having dinner... Does the M stand for Mom?"

"Let's just play the game."

"So your mom bought it?"

"Get ready.." I warned running around the back of him to do a sneak attack. But he wasn't listening to a word or watching the screen.

"What did the quote mean? Is the book some kind of metaphor? A comfort blanket? Do you always carry a book with you? Does the quote mean that you're trying to escape something? Is it–"

"Just stop!" I snap interrupting him. "Please let it rest. Just play the game.."

"I'm curious, I want to know." He insists.

"Yeah well, we don't always get what we want." I reply slashing his throat on screen.

+++

"Oh Zak! Come on bro!" Billy laughs as Zak is down again. They had returned after almost an hour and a half, funny enough after Zak sent a text to someone..

"Give up?" I ask as I offer him he tissue box.

"Fuck no. Ready?" He questions with determination.

I nod and zone out focusing completely on making sure my bullet ends up in his body.

So far he was losing, and what a sore loser he was too. Occasionally he'd catch up, but then I'd take off with the scores.

"You're clearly cheating!" He shouts as I wait for him to re-spawn again.

"Uh huh. Go change that tampon." I tease.

He'd managed to get me a few times, but my score was tripling his and boy didn't that make him mad.

I watch as he drops to the floor again when he rises from the seat with an irritated look on his face, his lips pursed together as he got ready.

Running my player into an open area, I let go of the controller and look at Billy's who's about to speak when I give him a wink.

Zak sees his opportunity and tries to unload a while cartridge into my body.

"Change your gun." I advice him.

"Don't tell me how to play my own game." He bites.

"The recoil is taking you off your aim."

"Delilah." He growls.

Sure enough as he is firing, half the bullets are flying into the sky.

"Fiiiine. More interested in shooting air." I took my controller back and shot him clean in the head.

"DAMMIT!" He yells making me snigger.

"You know it would be better if you played as a team." Billy spoke no doubt seeing the trouble a versus match was causing. But what he failed to realise was that Zak's skulky mood had taken hold after I refused to answer his questions.

We may be in better grounds. Minus the outburst at my score compared to his. But I wasn't ready to divulge in that piece of information...

I don't think I'd ever be ready.

I think this chapter is better. 💁🏻