Get Your Kicks

The pounding in my chest rang all the way through my body, from my toes to my ears. Beat after beat, the noise only seemed to grow louder. My only hope was that no one else could tell how nervous I was, even though most of them seemed just as scared as me.

I kept my eyes shut as tight as they would go, but it didn’t seem to help. My body still knew that the car was only getting closer to us, and it raised my heart rate even more in response.

I hadn’t intended for my seemingly harmless dare to push us into this situation. In fact, that was the last thing I wanted. It was supposed to be simple.

Taylor flashes boobs. Car honks horn. Taylor comes back. We wait for morning to get help.
That was it.

Instead, we were currently cowering in fear, waiting for the car full of axe murderers to come over and kill us. This was going to be my untimely death and I had caused. I was going to meet my maker in the back of an old beat-up VW bus with five screaming brits. Not exactly my ideal ending, but it would make the news.

Headline: Idiot girl gets One Direction killed, thousands of teenage girls jump to their death in response.

What an end to the brilliant story that was Brenna Dawson.

“What are we gonna do?” Ellie screamed, jumping directly on top of Taylor. “Someone do something.”

Louis reached over to her, cradling her hand in his. “Calm down. It’s gonna be alright, El.”

Darcy stood up as much as one could in the back of a crowded car. Taking a deep breath, she moved to the side door, sliding it open.

“Darce, are you insane? Get back in here, now.” My voice had sounded a tad bit harsher than I’d intended, but even that didn’t seem to faze her.

The blonde looked back at me, a large grin on her face. “Don’t be so afraid. They have a car, a running car, and what are we missing?”

“A running car.” Niall piped up from his seat in the back, stating the words simply.

“Exactly,” Darcy beamed. “They can help us. All we need to do is ask.”

She had a point. Darcy was very good at making points. With her bright smile and soft eyes, it was hard to say no to anything she said, especially when she made it sound so convincing.

“You shouldn’t go alone,” Harry said, pushing himself from his seat. “I’ll go with you.”

The curly haired boy took a long look at Darcy as he stood, almost as if he were sizing her up. It was obvious she didn’t stand a chance against any threats that could be out there, so it was a good decision on his part. I had to give him credit for that, even if he did have that odd twinge in his eye.

Darcy was the first one out of the bus, with Harry following seconds after. My mind quickly raced to thoughts of them being shredded to pieces, and I wandered if we should shut the door behind them for our own safety, even though it would mean leaving them out there to fend for themselves.

Luckily, I didn’t have to make that decision, and the door shut quickly behind them. Before they had even made it across the road, each of us had our noses pressed against the windows. Harry’s hand pressed against Darcy’s back as they walked, and I felt a twinge of jealousy in my stomach.

That feeling needed to stop, and it needed to stop fast. The only reason I was even feeling it was because I saw that look in Harry’s eye. He wanted Darcy, and what boy band members want, boy band members get. That was the way things worked in the world of One Direction.

I couldn’t let Harry have his way with Darcy, though. She was my best friend and I had to look after her. That pain in my stomach was anger, not jealousy. I wasn’t going to let my best friend be another notch on Harry Styles’s belt. Not on this day.

Pressing my hands against the glass windows, I pushed myself back to the other side of the bus.

“Where are you going?” Ellie asked, as she turned around to face me.

I flashed her a quick smile to calm the nerves I knew she’d be getting. “I just wanna make sure Darce doesn’t cause too much trouble. You know how she gets.”

Biting her lip, Ellie nodded her head as if to send me away. I took the nod as her agreement and approval, and pulled the sliding door open.

My feet hit the concrete, sending a sudden chill up my body. An odd mist formed in the air, one I could only attribute to the change in temperature that desert nights brought. It was reminiscent of The Mist, The Fog, and nearly every other horror movie I’d seen.

I wanted nothing more than to head back into the safe, locked van, but the thought of Darcy off by herself kept me going, and I was headed over to the street before I could give the idea any more thought.

Darcy’s head was popped into the car’s rolled down window, while Harry’s hand was still placed against her back. It seemed unnecessary now. They weren’t walking and she certainly didn’t need any type of guidance. Harry was going to learn the hard way that Darcy didn’t need any help charming her way into people’s hearts.

Whoever was sitting in that driver’s seat was soon going to be victim to the Evans Curse. They would be forced to do whatever Darcy wanted with just a simple wink of her eye. There was no doubt in my mind that Darcy could get the driver to take her wherever she needed to go.

I obviously couldn’t let that happen. There was no telling what kind of background that driver had. He could be a serial killer for all Darcy knew, but she was still swaying her hips back and forth as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

“What’s going on?” I shouted, gathering the attention of both Darcy and Harry.

The curly haired boy’s face was twisted into a glare, while Darcy wore her brightest smile. Whatever was going on appeared to be just hunky dory with the sweet blonde, but Harry couldn’t have looked any angrier if he tried.

Darcy beamed at me. “They’re going to give me a ride up to the diner so we can get a tow truck. It’s just a couple miles up the road, so I’ll be back in an hour, tops.”

Before I had a chance to voice my distain, Harry took it upon himself to do it for me.

“You’re not going with them, Darcy.” His voice was low, so the people in the car couldn’t hear him. “It’s not safe and I’m not going to let it happen. None of us will.”

Darcy groaned. “What is up with you people? This is supposed to be a vacation. Let’s live a little.”
“It’s not a good idea, Darce-“

“I’m going and that’s the end of it.” Darcy spun on her heels, to face back towards the driver, just as a voice spoke across the road.

“You’re going where?” Liam asked, with the other three boys behind him.

Ellie. I knew immediately that this was the work of Ellie. There was no way she could stand by and watch while Darcy ran off into the desert with some strangers. She must’ve seen the look on Harry’s face and sent the other boys out to help.

“I’m going to get help.” Darcy spoke as if there was nothing wrong with the situation. She clearly wasn’t seeing the bad idea that everyone else was. It was just like Darcy to put all her faith in someone she barely knew. She didn’t know how awful people could be, and I wasn’t going to let her find out. With any luck, the boys would help me.

The stranger’s car door opened, sending me three feet into the air. My heart was racing in my chest, as I watched his feet make slow contact with the ground. The scene unfolded slowly in my mind that I had almost no doubt that it was going to be the end for me. Those headlines would be right.

The stranger stood directly behind Darcy, wrapped in a leather jacket. He was young – about our age – and handsome. I suddenly wondered if Harry were less worried about Darcy’s safety and more worried about someone else shagging the girl he’d laid claim to. If God were taking bets, I would have put all my money on the latter.

Pushing his hair out of his face, the stranger spoke, his harsh voice sending another chill through my body.

“Is there a problem?”