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There was silence from the backseat as Ethan turned onto the freeway’s on-ramp, merging into the light midmorning Saturday traffic.
"Sure, whatever," finally came the muttered reply, the words fogging against the car window.
Ethan sighed, shooting an apologetic glance at Jakob. "Sorry, he's — "
"A teenager," Jakob said; interrupting what sounded like Ethan attempting to apologize for something that was so completely out of his control, that it was almost funny that he would even try. Funny, that is, if the situation wasn't what it was.
"Don't forget — I've got one of my own at home already," Jakob reminded his friend. "This ain't exactly my first rodeo."
"Right," Ethan smiled. "Alex, you still have a phone and my number?"
There was a far more worrying sort of silence from the backseat of the car this time.
"Alex?" Jakob asked, turning around a bit in his seat to properly look at the kid.
A pair of light brown eyes — the color of a newly minted copper penny as they caught the sunlight streaming through the window — watched him guardedly from under those dark eyebrows.
"Left it," came the answer finally in a flat voice, all the emotion carefully drained out. "My Dad… He can track that shit, you know? Wiped it and hid it. Doesn't matter. All my stuff's backed up online, anyway."
Jakob eyed the limp and mostly empty backpack clutched tightly against the kid's chest, the state of Alex's torn clothes. Whatever Alex had decided was vital to take with him, important enough to risk getting caught and to keep out of his father's reach…
Jakob was betting it wasn't shirts and jeans and boxers stuffed into that bag.
"Ethan, let us out near the clothing shops, would you?" he asked as his friend turned off the frontage road into the utter chaos that was the mall parking lot on a weekend. "We'll grab a pay-as-you-go phone too," he told Alex. "You can add whatever contacts you need."
"Fine," the kid grunted, glaring out the window as Ethan pulled up to the curb.
Chapter 8
Jakob watched Ethan's car pull away, fully aware of the moodily shuffling teenage stranger standing next to him.
"So, which first — clothes or phone?" Jakob said in what he hoped was a reassuringly cheerful tone, considering he in no way was feeling very cheerful about their situation at the moment.
But the kid had far more than his fair share to worry about on his plate. He didn't need to know the adult he had been left with was about as at sea with this whole mess as he probably was right now.
The kid just shrugged unhelpfully in response.
"Phone first then, I think," Jakob said, turning to walk towards the mall entrance once it became obvious there would be no further answer immediately forthcoming.
People rushed around them as Jakob and Alex headed for the entrance doors, all merrily decorated with wreaths and ribbons over garish posters advertising some no doubt incredible sales. As well as big cartoonish yellow bells that turned out to be small speakers, each playing some synced holiday music once they'd drawn close enough to hear.
The crowd that passed them had their arms filled with shopping bags, and their attention filled with their phones or companions or just the thoughts in their own heads. Some would bump occasionally into Jakob's cane, turning around to glare at him as if it had beenJakob'sfault.
Alex trailed after him, like a lost little black sheep.
"I should have asked — do you have any prescriptions or medications you'll need that you don't have on you?" Jakob asked hesitantly.
But Alex just shook his head no, shoving his hands in his pockets. For all that he was almost the same height as Jakob, something about his hunched shoulders gave the impression he was so much younger than the newly minted eighteen-year-old Ethan had talked about.
Jakob took a deep breath as they exited the massive rotating door, the wash of cooled air hitting him full-on as he prepared himself for whatever other surprises today saw fit to throw at him.
"I hate to ask this right now, but — " Jakob said, already bracing himself. "Your mom, or… Is there anyone you want to let know you're alright?"
Alex scowled at a pair of giggling teens watching him and whispering to each other behind their hands as they passed.
"No," he snapped, then flushed. "…Maybe. I could… I should leave a message for my mom. The nurses could read it to her, at least. But… there's no rush."
"Okay," Jakob said, noting that piece of information away for later. "Anyone else to notify? Anything you think you need to do or get before we head to my place?"
