Hunger

Rory: Ready

Two days later Blanca finally gets the approval to become Austin's temporary guardian, and right after dance practice I head over to see him.

Blanca's house is small but inviting. Her son is off at college, so Austin is using his room for now. The walls are plastered with basketball posters and book shelves are bowing under the weight of countless sports trophies. Austin is sitting on the made up bed. He hasn't unpacked his backpack and is doing something on his iPad. He looks ready to jump up and run at a moment's notice. His shoes are the only part of his clothing he's taken off.

"Tia said they're still processing paperwork. Pixie went back to Ray two days ago. I..." he closes his eyes and pushes the iPad away, barely looking at me. "I can't wait, Rory. Who knows what the hell has happened to her already."

"What are you going to do?" I ask, sitting down beside him.

Austin looks at me, his green eyes full of determination. "I'm taking the van. They finally gave it back to me, so I'm going to get her."

"Austin, it's too dangerous," I say.

I was expecting this and just hope I can manage to talk him out of this suicide mission.

"I don't care. I'm free and I have a car. I can't live with myself if I just sit around here waiting!"

"Then I'll go with you," I say suddenly. If I can't stop him, I might as well be with him.

"Rory, I can't let you-"

"You're not letting me. I'm going, whether or not you say I can," I say stubbornly. "And we'll take my car. Your van is too noticeable, and they'll be expecting it."

Austin studies my face for a long time and then finally sighs, resigned. "Fine. We leave tonight. You can't tell Blanca, Seth, or anybody."

"You know I wouldn't, and I'll take something with us that will ensure we get back in one piece."

"What?"

"My dad's gun," I say, swallowing hard.

Austin raises his eyebrows. "Have you ever even shot a gun?"

"I've never even held one," I say. "You?"

He looks away from me, some dark memory playing in his head. "Yeah. I've held one, but I've never shot one. Maybe we won't have to."

——————

It takes approximately three hours to drive from Dallas to Oklahoma City, if you speed, and we're speeding. It's one in the morning, and the freezing rain that's hung over Dallas like a ghost for the last few days must have started out as snow in Oklahoma. The empty fields blurring past my Mustang are spotted with snow that shimmers blue in the moonlight. It'll take much longer to get there if the roads are bad, and as the air gets colder, the road gets worse. I'm forced to slow down to a crawl as traffic inches forward on the icy interstate.

We don't talk. We don't listen to music. There's nothing but the sound of the road, slick with snow and ice, spinning out under the tires. Austin has told me about Oklahoma's legendary ice storms, but I've only seen a little sleet back in Dallas. Nothing like this.

"You okay?" he asks me after awhile.

I nod. "Yeah. This is just tricky."

"Just keep at a low speed and try not to hit the breaks. If you have to, tap them first. Do you want me to drive?"

I shake my head. "Nobody drives The Vader but me. Sorry." I force myself to crack a smile.

"I see how it is," Austin says jokingly, and I laugh.