I wrapped my arms around him, “I don’t wanna leave you.”
“I don’t want you to leave either. Why don’t you just quit?” he sighed.
“I like my job,” I pulled my arms back and looked at him.
He crossed his arms, “I’m just saying. Wouldn’t it be better if you got a new job?”
This conversation came up frequently. It didn’t matter what job I had, he always wanted me to quit. I was a bartender during college and he made me quit because he thought people were constantly flirting with me. I worked at daycare at one point and my hours weren’t always regular, so he made me quit.
Never once did he allow me to make money myself. He always told me that he would provide for me. All great in theory except I wanted to work and when we break up every other day, it made no sense for me not to work.
I turned away from him, “You can leave now.”
He wrapped his arms around me from behind, “I’m sorry babe. It’s just stupid that I can’t see you all the time.”
I sighed. “I know, you mean no harm but I have a life outside of you.”
“Obviously I understand that but it’s normal to want to spend all your time with your partner,” he tried to reason.
“Johnny,” I warned.
“Yes, yes, I’m aware.”
“How can I make you happy, that doesn’t involve me quitting my job?”
He pondered for a second, “Come see me as soon as you get back.”
I laughed, “Yes dear.” I kissed his cheek.
He grabbed my bags that were sitting next to me and placed them in the trunk of the car. This next mission could easily last a couple weeks. For the first since I got here, this felt like our first official mission. There was no supervision and we were expected to make all the arrangements.
Lucas and Keira basically handled everything while Clarisse and I did as much research as we could. I wanted to do more for the group. I felt more like a lackey than a part of the time. Lucas and Keira were control freaks though and didn’t let us near anything important. It was very annoying.
The others were already in the car by the time I said goodbye to Johnny. Keira looked oddly annoyed. It’s not my fault I’m in a relationship and she’s not.
I sat down next to Clarisse. For the first time since Carter’s accident, she actually looked happy. For the most part, she had been somber. She thought she could fool us by fake being happy but we all saw right through it.
“It feels so good to finally get back to work,” Clarisse said as Lucas started driving off.
“I know right?! My muscles have been itching for some action,” Keira grinned.
“Getting paid is also nice,” I chimed in.
Keira scoffed, “If you decided on this path for the money then you’re sorely mistaken.”
I looked out the window, “Believe me, I’m aware.”
We were going around six hours west outside of town. Six hours in a car with these people was going to be exhausting. It was vaguely reminiscent of a road trip I had with an ex-girlfriend during high school.
Senior year we and another couple decided it would be fun as a last hurrah to go on a road trip. Everything was great until the car broke down and someone stole all our things.
I looked back at the windshield. Keira looked like she was whispering something to Lucas. He kept ignoring her but she was relentless. He finally agreed to listen when she started poking him.
“By the way, there’s someone we have to pick up,” Lucas said at last.
“What do you mean?” I crossed my arms.
“You can do the explaining,” Lucas spat at Keira.
Keira cleared her throat, “We found someone to replace Carter.”
I clenched my fist. I knew this was coming eventually. We couldn’t have less than five members on a team. I just thought that we were good enough to not need another member. How could they possibly assign us another person after what just happened?
Carter is still unconscious. He was excited to go on missions with us. How could we replace him as if nothing happened? We could handle ourselves without someone butting in.
“Glad it was so easy to find someone to replace him,” I commented.
“I don’t want this to happen as much as you,” Lucas chimed in.
“You’re both idiots. It’s all temporary. By the time we go on our next mission I’m sure he’ll be awake,” Keira added.
“Really? We’re idiots?” I started, “Look at yourself. Do you even have a heart?”
I thought after everything she’d told me that she’d be on our side. Shocker, that Keira was just as shallow as I thought she was. She’s just totally fine with everything. Just like a dog, she’ll follow whatever someone tells her. Is there even an original thought in her head?
“Are you done?” she rolled her eyes, “You’re acting like a child.”
“I’m acting like a child?!” I shouted. “Shove off. You have the emotional maturity of a child.”
She rolled down the window, “Your words don’t bother me, Lydia.”
I snapped my fingers shooting a fireball her way. Somehow she saw it coming and snuffed it out with her vines.
“Good idea. You almost made the car explode,” Keira criticized.
“Ok, guys. Let’s end it here. The mission will never be successful if you guys keep arguing,” Clarisse brought up.
I looked at her, “Fine.”
The car was silent for the next hour. Clarisse and Lucas were too awkward to say anything after the argument and Keira should keep her mouth shut. Maybe Johnny was right. Quitting didn’t seem so bad after all.
We stopped off at a rest stop. I knew our next stop was where we were going to be meeting our new team member. Lucas refused to give us any information about him. It was up to us to decide for ourselves if we liked who they were.
This new team member of ours did not inspire confidence. I was expecting someone who looked like they had been in a fight or two, not some kid. He black slicked back hair that went down to his shoulders. His skin was olive-colored and he was significantly taller than all of us. He was the definition of lanky with almost no muscle. He was wearing a graphic t-shirt with some character I didn’t recognize, with jeans and converse. This had to be a joke.
Keira hopped out of the car to greet him. He looked nervous. This job wasn’t a place to be nervous at. There was no way that this guy was going to fit in.
The two of them put his stuff in the trunk before getting in the car. He sat behind Clarise and me and barely looked like he fit because of how long his legs were. He looked out the window immediately.
“Go on, introduce yourself,” Keira smiled.
He continued looking out the window, “I’m Stefan Bakuta.”
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