Abused

I open my eyes carefully. We’re finally here. At the hostel. It took us eight hours, a bit more, to get here. And it wasn’t easy. Hell. I almost got a heart attack, freaked out, and Zak almost killed himself by doing a stupid stunt. I roll my eyes. But he didn’t. Luckily. If he had died, I would’ve killed him. Yeah, again. Killed him twice. Once for doing the stunt and once for leaving me alone.

Aaron tries to find an empty parking lot for the van. I see him take a look at the rear-view mirror and grin. ”You’re all asleep, aren’t ya? I could just crash the van, you know, and there’s nothin’ you could do about it”, he says with a smug smile and an evil laughter. I meet his eyes. ”Just as I was gonna say that I finally have learned to trust you as a driver. But man, you just lost it.” He makes a pouting face at me. ”Nuuuuu-uh! I’m a good driver. See, we’re alive?”

Nick seems to be half asleep on the seat next to Aaron. No wonder, though, he’s driven for hours and hours today. All I’ve been doing is sleeping and laughing, cuddling with Zak and then more sleeping. We didn’t stop after that Starbucks and we’re all starving. No wonder.
”Oh gosh. How come all of these lots are full? I’m starving!” Aaron complains and tries to look harder. I snicker. ”I was waitin’ for you to say that.” I hear Zak cough and look at him. His eyes flicker open and he looks sleepy and confused. I lean in closer and kiss his nose gently. ”Morning, hot boy”, I whisper to him and he just laughs casually. ”Stop, you’re embarrassing him!” Aaron says and chuckles. ”Shut up Aaron”, Zak retorts and takes my hand. His hand is cold. I shiver.

”It’s ‘bout time you wake up, cinderella!” Aaron says to Zak who blinks a few times. ”Cinderella? I aint a sleeping beauty?” He asks and coughs again, pretending to be hurt. I wonder if he’s caught a cold or something, because he keeps coughing. I’ve to ensure that he’s nice and warm during the night. And I know just how to do that.. Aaron laughs. ”You aint a beauty, so you can’t be the sleeping beauty”, he then just states. I see Zak narrow his eyes playfully. ”Ouch”, he whispers.

”Well. It’s good that it’s so late”, he then says and looks at Aaron. ”How come?” Aaron asks and raises his eyebrows. ”We won’t need to waste any money on food cus princesses are going to sleep this time.” Aaron blinks a few times. ”Wait. What. Nuuuuuu!” He cries, batting his stomach with a hand. ”I’m starving, bro! This aint funny! I wanna eat”, he continues, waking Nick up with his attempts to cry.

”What’s going on here?” Nick asks sleepily and takes a look at Zak. ”Nothin’”, Zak replies quickly, looking at Aaron. ”Aaron’s just on a diet.” Nick takes a double look at Aaron. ”Why is that, then?” Aaron opens his mouth to say something but Zak shushes him.
”Okay, okay. Zak you’re a true beauty. Can I now have a pizza tonight?” Zak shakes his head. ”No way bro. I don't wanna be a beauty.” Aaron groans, slightly frustrated but mainly just amused. ”What do you wanna be, then?” Nick rolls his eyes and mimics shooting himself. I laugh. Just like in a car with three 5-year-olds.

”Guess. And if you guess right, I might wanna give you food tonight. Might.” Zak emphasizes the word ”might.”

”You’re.. Hmm.. Hot as hell? No?” Aaron tries and Zak just rolls his eyes. ”Thanks for stating the obvious”, he replies. ”Well.. Then you’re.. Fancy as a fuck?” I furrow my brows. What’s this now? A new game? ”Nope. Or I’m that, too. But it’s not the one I’m looking for.” I slap Zak playfully. ”You’re sexy as seaman?” Aaron then finally says and I look at him, and burst out laughing. ”What’s that?” Zak asks and looks at me funny. ”Nothing.” But Aaron laughs, too. ”Seaman. That’s what Zak is. Obviously.” Zak rolls his eyes, a frustrated sound leaving his lips. ”Like, honestly, how old are you two? Eight?” But I can hear the laughter in his voice.

”Anyway. I wanna have pepperoni pizza tonight”, Aaron just casually says and looks at Zak, who just rolls his eyes. ”Whatever, I’m kinda hungry too, so I guess it’s not fair to continue your diet any longer”, he then replies to Aaron’s comment. I sigh.

It’s getting pretty dark outside, and soon it’ll get pitch black. I shiver as I think about all the spirits and demons, watching us all the time, but we’re just unable to see them. Maybe tonight I can sleep without that nightmare. And tomorrow.. Tomorrow we’ll be in Italy. I smile and grab Zak’s hand, gently squeezing it in mine. Zak locks his eyes with me and smiles, too. ”Tired?” He asks, and I nod. ”Tired as hell, but it’s worth it.” Aaron looks at me from the rear-view mirror. ”Gonna be in Italy in..”, he takes a look at the clock. ”In twelve hours.” I smirk. ”Yeah. Unless.. The plane crashes.” Zak rolls his eyes. ”Nad..”, his voice has a slightly different tone. ”How many times we’ve talked about this?” I just chuckle. ”Not enough. It’s a fact. Planes do crash sometimes. And if that plane crashes, we’re dead. The end.” I hear Zak sigh, with a roll of his blue eyes.

”Hey, Nad.. Guess what? It’s a lot more likely that we die on our way to the airport, than during the flight”, Aaron states and smiles at me. I narrow my eyes at him. ”Nice. Thanks. That made me feel a lot better”, I reply. ”Yeah. Especially when you’re driving!” Zak retorts and then playfully smacks Aaron in the shoulder. ”Huh! I’m a good driver, unlike some of us”, he says and then winks at me and Zak. ”What the hell, Aaron. I can drive a car like everybody else!” Zak says. ”I’ve never even crashed my car”, he continues, a little proudly. I can hear Aaron mumble ”yet.” Nick shakes his head and rolls his eyes. ”Zak just drives too fast.” Aaron smirks. ”Yeah. So he can’t drive.”

Zak smirks. ”Is that a challenge?” he then asks, looking at Aaron suggestively. ”Hell yeah that was a challenge!” I shake my head in disbelief. Oh my fucking god, they’re not honestly going to do anymore stupid stuff tonight? For my opinion that dumb shitty stunt Zak did was enough. I don’t need anymore close-to-death experiences. Ever, if possible.
”Guys. Guys! Listen. No more dumb stuff tonight. We all wanna go to Italy, not end up in the newspaper headlines because of a major accident you two could cause”, Nick says and looks at me. ”Right, Nad?” I just nod. ”Yeah. So shut up, big guy!” I playfully slap my hand on Zak’s mouth. His breathing tickles my palm.

”Finally! There it’s”, Aaron sing- songs as he sees an empty parking lot nearby. It’s already getting dark around us. ”That’s it”, I hear Zak mumble against my hand. I grin and look at him in the eyes that now have the playful sparkle. ”The moment of truth”, Nick continues, and mimics cutting his own throat open. ”Hey. I’m gonna park like a king”, Aaron states and takes a look at the rear-view mirror, his brows furrowed. ”He’s gonna crash”, Nick says calmly. Aaron gives him a glare. ”Thanks for trusting me, bro.” Aaron chuckles, though. Zak tries to say something against my hand, but doesn’t really succeed. It sounds a bit like a complaint, or a sarcastic retort, or both. ”Sorry. Can’t hear you, bro”, Aaron comments and Zak tries again. This time I am able to make out the words ”crash” and ”shut up”.

Aaron manages to park the car without (unlike Nick and Zak thought) harming it. He then opens the door and hops outside. He yawns loudly. ”Pizza time.” I chuckle. ”The great first words after making it alive”, I comment and Aaron laughs. ”Yeah.” Zak’s still laying on the seat, refusing to get out of the car. ”Hey. Get your ass over here”, Aaron shouts at Zak, who’s laying on the seat, his head resting against the opposite door. ”Too tired to move”, he then just mumbles and closes his eyes. ”He’s hopeless”, Nick whispers. ”Go wake him up.” I shake my head. ”He refuses to get up and he’s too big for me to carry”, I reply. ”Hey. He’s got all the stuff we need to get the hotel room. You want to sleep outside when he’s nice and comfy inside the car?” Aaron asks and looks at me. I grin. ”I’m on my way”, I mutter as I jump into the car and place my cold hand on Zak’s warm cheek. I notice a shiver that goes trough him, but that’s all. So, he’s being difficult. Or as I like to say it. A dick.

”Get up, Zak!” I say and slap him gently. ”It’s morning and time to wake up.” But he doesn’t react to it. He isn’t really asleep. He’s just being lazy. I sigh and try something else. I shake him roughly, but that only makes him groan. I also try sitting on his chest, opening his eyes, kissing him, shouting in his ear, poking him.. But nothing really works. Like I said, he’s hopeless when it comes to waking up. Then I know just what to do. ”Wakey wakey”, I whisper as I silently walk to the door he’s resting against. Then, I open it. He almost falls on the tarmac and I grin from ear to ear. ”Fuck”, he mumbles. Aaron laughs. ”Good job, Nad. You woke him up.” Zak seems to be a bit cranky as he sticks his tongue at Aaron. But then I just wrap my arms around his waist and pull him close to myself. I plant a kiss on his lips, and I see him smile. ”That’s a better wake up”, I hear him whisper. ”Indeed”, I agree. ”Although it was nice poking and tickling you”, I whisper.

We walk inside, get our keys and make it upstairs. We’re all very sleepy, and not going to sleep too much in the following night. And, that combined with stress, excitement and Zak means almost no sleep at all. Yeah, the two of us are sharing a room, again. Mainly because it meant taking one room less, so it was cheaper, and I really need a cuddle right now. I just want to wrap my arms around him and fall asleep on his chest, the sound of his steady breathing as my lullaby.. And all that other romantic shit. But you get the point. I follow behind Zak, Nick and Aaron like a zombi. Luckily I only have a giant suitcase and one bag with me, and they’re killing me because I really don’t have too much muscle.

”Well.. Good night guys. See you in a few hours. Try to get some sleep”, Nick says as he unlocks his door. We’re on the second floor, and I can hear some of the traffic outside. ”Night”, I answer tiredly. Nick’s the mentally oldest. At least sometimes. Usually. He closes the door behind himself. I look at Aaron. ”Yeah. Night night, don’t let the bugs bite”, I say and he grins. ”Good night, don’t let Zak bite. Doesn’t look good on camera”, he replies and I roll my eyes at him. Zak lets out a huff. ”I’m going to bite you if you don’t get into your room now”, Zak mutters. Aaron makes a disgusted face at him. ”Eewww, bro. Gross!” He then chuckles as he closes the door behind himself.

Zak unlocks our door. I keep staring at the big, metallic 29 next to our door. My eyes feel dry, and it feels like a de-ja-vu. Why is it always so late when we finally get to our accommodation? I really don’t usually even remember too much about these evenings. I sigh and follow him inside. Then I just drop all my stuff on the floor, kick my bag in the corner and fall on the double bed. Zak laughs, and his laughter echoes in our room. ”You’re that tired?” he asks. I don’t even bother to nod. ”I didn’t sleep until the very last second in the car, you know”, I reply silently and yawn. ”Poor thing”, Zak whispers. Then, suddenly I feel the bed dip and he’s there, right next to me. ”Maybe we should go to bed, then”, he suggests. ”Aren’t we already?” I ask and hear him chuckle silently. ”You know what I mean.”

I feel him leave and make a frustrated sound. ”I’ve got to use the bathroom”, he says and I close my eyes again. The next thing I realise is that he’s taking off my shoes. One of them is on the floor already, and he’s struggling with one of them. ”Hell, Nad, how do you tie these?” he asks and finally pulls the shoe off. I just shrug. Then he falls on the bed, next to me. I don’t even get to say good night before I’ve already fallen asleep. And, indeed, I can hear him breathe somewhere trough the light dream.

**
Beep. Beep. Beep.

What is that beeping sound? I just try my best to ignore it and squeeze my eyes shut. But I keep hearing it trough the light dream. It bothers and annoys me. Why in the hell it can’t just stop?
I hear someone walk across the room I’m sleeping in and soon the room gets brighter. Too bright. The beeping sound fades away, but now the light bothers me.

”What the fuck is this?” I groan sleepily. I hear an amused chuckle somewhere and then I finally open my eyes for a second. But, obviously I am still asleep. Because I can see Zak, who is wide awake and happy, even though it’s an early morning. This isn’t really happening. Zak doesn’t wake up that easily. He hates early mornings, waking up and doesn’t even bother to get up if he doesn’t get coffee immediately. I roll my eyes. So, great. This is still a dream. I squeeze my eyes shut. ”I’m dreaming”, I mutter aloud.

The imaginary Zak laughs, again. I furrow my brows and whisper angrily: ”Go to hell. You’re not real. It’s just a dream.” I hear him walk across the floor again. It sounds so realistic. Then I feel the bed dip. His voice is low and slightly sleepy. ”What makes you think this is not real?” He crawls closer to me and touches my hand gently with his thumb. ”You. You’re awake already.”

He crawls on top of me. I try to push him away with my left elbow, because it’s obviously just a stupid dream, and I’m too tired for this. His warm breathing makes me shiver. ”Zak”, I whisper gently. He just leans in and kisses my cheek.Well, since I’m dreaming, I might as well enjoy this. ”It’s time to wake up, sweetie. We should get going.” I just yawn lazily. ”Where are we going, then?” I finally open my eyes completely to meet his blue ones. They look a slight bit confused. ”To.. Italy”, he then says. ”Oh.”

And then I’m awake. Right. We’re going to travel to Poveglia. Today. I push him away and sit up. ”Poveglia”, I then say and a shiver goes trough me. ”Yeah”, he replies, an excited tone in his voice. He’s like a kid in Christmas. Honestly. ”So get dressed, because I need coffee.” I playfully hit him. ”You jerk. But this time we aren’t stopping at a Starbucks if there are any puddles around. I don’t trust you,” I jokingly comment. ”Nah. I’ll be good”, he promises.

I hug my pillow and close my eyes for a second. Before I even get to think about falling back asleep , he steals my pillow and hits me in the head with it, giggling like a girl. ”Hey!” I shout and step on the cold floor. It’s fucking freezing in here. And, obviously I’ve slept with my jeans on. And a hoodie. ”Dick..”, I then mutter. ”You dick.”

I chase him to the small kitchen nook of our hotel room. He’s trapped, holding my pillow in his hands. And I want my pillow back. Now.

I keep eyeing him. He has an annoying grin glued to his face. ”Fucking smug bastard”, I mumble and he raises an eyebrow amusedly. ”What did you call me?” he asks. I just huff. ”I said you’re a bast-..” But that’s when he attempts an escape. He’s not fast enough, though. I trap him between my arms and a wall.

”Now.. There’s only one thing I want right now. Give. Me. My. Fucking. Pillow. Back.” He just shakes his head a no, an innocent glow in his eyes. ”Make me.” There’s that one sentence that should be illegal. I ask him to do simple things. Take off your jacket. No, make me. Give me my pillow. No, make me. Aghh. I am going to lose my mind with him.

I just want to go back to sleep. So I quickly lean forward and try to capture him between my body and the wall without using my hands. I need them for something else. Because there is this one thing he hates more than anything else. And that happens to be.. ”Tickle torture!” I scream and tickle him. He’s so ticklish. A devilish grin spreads on my face.

He laughs so hard his face turns slightly red, like a tomato. ”I’m sensitive! Nad. Nad! Stop!” he tries to mutter trough the laughter. But, he’s talking to deaf ears. I just tickle him if I want to. And I really fucking want to revenge. Maybe he’ll stop using that ”make me”- thing. Even though I really enjoy torturing him sometimes. (Who wouldn’t?)

His eyes get watery as he laughs and laughs. ”Mercy! Stop! Nad. I can’t..” He finally relents and lets go of the pillow. It falls on the floor. I just ignore it and keep tickling him happily. ”Hey! The fuck! I gave you your stupid pillow!” But he doesn’t really seem to mind. He’s still got that grin on his face.

I grab his wrists with one of mine, but he doesn’t really resist as I walk him to the bed. I push him onto it. As he sits on the bed, I stop tickling him. He obviously needs some time to catch his breath, and it’d be dangerous for him to get too much out of breath. He’s got asthma, after all. Or maybe I’m just being a stupid over-protective girlfriend, but better safe than sorry, though.

So, I just huff, walk to him and quietly sit on his lap. He chuckles silently as he wraps his arms around me. I gaze at him and then, gently touch his full lip with my cold thumb. It’s an old habit. I do it every time I’d like to do something else than what we’re supposed to do. I’d just like to spend the day here. With him. On this fucking bed. Maybe he’ll relent and..

I lean closer to him and kiss his neck gently. He allows his eyes to flicker quickly closed and he licks his upper lip. ”Zak?” I whisper agains his neck. He doesn’t reply right away, just sighs. ”Yeah?” I smile against his skin. ”Promise me that the plane doesn’t crash.” He laughs, but I cut his laughter off by biting him. ”I’m serious”, I then mutter. He grins. I roll my eyes.

I bite him again, forcefully this time. ”Ow. The fuck Nad!” he cries. But then he just chuckles. ”Okay. Okay! That fucking plane doesn’t crash. Happy now?” he rolls his eyes. I lean away from him and nod. ”Very.” As I lean back to kiss him again, he just pushes me on the bed with his hands and sits up. ”We need to get going. Nad.” I sigh. ”Baaaaaaaaah.” I roll on my stomach and squeeze my eyes shut. ”I refuse. I’m not moving.” I hear him exhale unsteadily. ”Wow. You’re being stubborn.” I nod agains the mattress. It has his scent in it and I sigh again. ”I’m sure I could make you relent and we’d stay here.” I tilt my head to gaze at him over my right shoulder. He blinks twice and then lets out a laugh. ”I’m sure you would. But, it’s Poveglia. So get your ass off that bed and let’s go!”

I grin devilishly at him and shake my head a no. ”Guess what, Zachary?” I raise my eyebrows. ”Yeah, Nadine?” I try to suppress my giggles. ”Make me.” I just look at him with my best puppy eyes. I see him breathe in deeply. I assume he’s counting to ten or something. Then, he exhales over-dramatically. I don’t have even enough time to say his name as he attacks like a tiger. He springs to the bed, wraps his arms around me and picks me up. ”You asked for this”, he mutters as he turns towards the door. ”Hey. Unfair! Fuck. Let me down! Put me back on that fucking bed! Jerk.” I am laughing so hard my chest and stomach hurt. ”Let me go! Noooo!” I try to kick and hit him playfully, but I don’t really succeed. ”Don’t you even try, sweetie. You asked for this, and I’m just doing what you wanted. So, we’re going to the fucking airport now.”

I shake my head. ”No! Hey. I.. I look like shit. Hell. I need to do my make up and hair and.. And.. My stuff isn’t packed and..” He just laughs. ”I packed your stuff last night when you fell asleep.” I narrow my eyes at him. ”That ain’t fair. Dick. But thanks.” He laughs. ”But you’re still a dick.”
”And. You look fine, Nad.” He leans in to touch my nose gently with his. I freeze and get lost in his eyes. 

”You sure?” He nods. ”Yeah.” He then carries me to the door. ”Gonna put you on the floor. But don’t’cha even bother attempting anything, missy.” I grin. He places me on the floor gently, but traps me between his body and the door. I feel his chest press against my back. ”You stay right here”, he breathes against my neck. I just nod, paralysed. ”Yes, sir.” He chuckles quietly and I hear him walk to the other side of the room. I wait patiently. He then returns with two bags and gently pokes me in the side. ”Ouch. Fucker”, I mumble and laugh. ”Let’s go, Nad!”

He throws his bag on his shoulder, and then grabs my hand. ”Come on come on come on”, he repeats. I chuckle. ”Someone’s a little impatient, huh?” He grins. ”It’s fucking Poveglia in fucking Italy!” He has giant legs so he walks quickly down the stairs. ”Wait. Slow down. Zak.” He suddenly stops, and turns to face me. He then eyes me from head to toe and drops one of the bags. He picks it up with another hand and unexpectedly throws me on his shoulder. I let out a surprised, amused scream. ”You were being slow”, he states as he carries me outside.

There I see the guys. Aaron is next to their familiar white van, Nick is probably inside it at the moment. Aaron waves at us. ”Hey! It’s ‘bout time you got up, Nad, lazy bum!” I give him my best glare. ”Well, fuck you too.” He laughs. ”Grumpy, huh? Didn’t you sleep enough?” He grins, though. I narrow my eyes at both him and Zak. ”You’ve seen each other already? Like, what’s the time?” He laughs. ”Don’t worry, Naddie. You’re not that late. Zak didn’t have the heart to wake you up, because you looked so ”adorable when you were asleep””. He draws the quotes in the air with his fingers. I just huff. But inside my head I kinda aww. Because, it sounds cute.

The air smells so fresh and exciting. I feel this lump of fear inside my chest and I swallow hard. Plane. Flying. Italy. Poveglia. Darkness. Death. Demons. But Zak. Zak’s so good that all of that shit doesn’t really even count. I squeeze his shoulder gently. ”You’ll protect me if the plane crashes.”
Aaron laughs and rolls his eyes. ”Nad. Don’t worry! If the plane crashes, we’ll all be dead before you know it. ‘cause you know the plane usually explodes in a matter of seconds and..” I shoot another glare at him. ”If I could, I’d hit you right now. That really doesn’t help at all!” But I can’t help chuckling at him, anyway.

Zak puts me down in front of the van. Nick steps outside and stretches his arms, accompanied by a loud yawn. ”Hi, guys.” I mumble my greeting. ”So.. This is it, then. The big day.” Zak nods like an idiot. ”Yeah. This is it.” I look at him. Zak walks to the van to get our stuff inside. I jump excitedly. ”Where’d you now find that energy to jump around, Naddie?” Aaron suddenly asks. I freeze and stare at him. ”What energy?” I just yawn. He laughs. ”Nothing. Drag your ass inside. We got cookies.” I blink a few times, trying to pretend that I’m not really interested. But, too soon I give in to the temptation. ”What cookies?” I ask as I open the door and step inside. ”Oreos and that other great shit”, he says as he opens another door. He doesn’t go and sit in the front like I excpected him to, but sits with me in the back, instead. ”Hey. Who’s gonna drive?” I ask as I see Nick sit on the front, but not on the driver’s seat. ”Guess”, Aaron grins. I narrow my eyes. ”You’re really gonna let Zak drive?” I hear Zak chuckle in the front. ”Hey, a little trust, please, honey. We’re gonna make it nice and safe, and most of all, on time.” I roll my eyes. ”You’re gonna get us all killed.” I catch his eyes in the rear-view mirror. He looks excited, his eyes sparkling beautifully. ”Nah. I’m a good driver.” I furrow my brows and try to look like I’m frowning. ”Besides.. I want you here with me.” I reach out my hand towards him. ”I wanna sleep, you bastard.” He laughs.

”Don’t worry; Zak. I’m gonna take good care of your girl. Naddie, don’t worry. I’ll save you when Zak crashes the car and it sets on fire.” I laugh. ”Well, thanks a lot. That makes me feel so much better.” He chuckles and then wraps an arm around my shoulders like a brother. ”I’m gonna keep you nice and safe for Zak.” I see Zak roll his eyes at Nick. ”We’d better get going now. The traffic can be really.. You know.” Aaron pats my shoulder. ”See you in the spirit world, Naddie. Zak’s totally killing us all.” I take a look at Zak. ”Don’t you dare kill us. Or I’ll kill you. I swear. No. I’m fucking haunting you for the rest of your existence.” He just waves his hand in the air and laughs. ”What good does it do if he’s dead too?” I narrow my eyes at both. ”Well hell. But, be very afraid of me Zak A. Bagans if you harm the car or harm us.” Of course I trust him more than anything and I know he’d never do anything bad, or anything that could harm us. He loves us, and protects us. In fact, he’s a bit possessive and over-protective sometimes. So I’m not worried. But I’m a bit mad that he doesn’t sit with me because I really wanted to place my head on his lap and sleep all the way to the airport, just trying to forget about flying.

I lean on Aaron. ”You’re gonna be my pillow, then.” I feel him laugh under my head. ”We didn’t discuss about that in the contract.” Zak just chuckles. ”Yeah, well.. It’s part of the duty.” I nod against Aaron’s shoulder and close my eyes. ”Good nite bro. Don’t move.” He playfully hits me with his shoulder in the forehead. ”Fuck”, I mumble. ”Stop wiggling or Imma bite you.” Aaron laughs. I hear Nick and Zak laugh, too. ”Zak! Your girl is being violent.” I poke him in the stomach. ”Ouch! See?” I open my eyes for a second and catch a smirk from Zak in the rear view mirror. It almost makes me miss him even though he’s just a few feet away. ”Stop it, Nad. We don’t support animal abuse”, Nick states and bursts out laughing then. I hear him high five with Zak. ”One zero Nick”, Nick then says and high- fives himself. ”Hey! Not cool, bro. Not cool!”

I squeeze my eyes shut again. ”Just kidding Aaron. We luv ya. Wake me up when we get to the airport.” He huff amusedly. ”Awww. I luv you too, Naddie!” He then shuts up and I try to fall asleep. The dream wont come to me because I am too excited about.. I’m not saying it. I don’t think about it. Planes. Flyi-.. Shut the fuck up, Nadine.

Just as I’m about to fall into the peaceful darkness and the conversation Nick and Zak are having fades away, Aaron slaps me and chuckles. ”Hey! What the hell.” He pokes me. My eyes flicker open angrily. ”Oh. You’re so dead, bro. Dead.” I feel him move under me. ”Nah. I don’t think so. We’re there.” I forget everything about killing Aaron. There? At the airport? Already? I swallow thickly.
”Zak’s just about to park the car, and then we’ll get going. Italy!” Aaron sings.

”Well fuck”, I mumble and gaze around. Zak’s parking the car in between two other vans. ”Yeah, so.. I made it here, fast and safe. And, you’re all still alive”, Zak says and looks smug. I roll my eyes at him. ”For now. You haven’t parked yet.” He chuckles. ”Now I have”, he says and the car quiets down.
”I don’t want to go yet. I’m too tired”, I complain. ”Lazy bum”, Aaron whispers. I narrow my eyes at him. ”No. I’m not lazy- just tired.” He then laughs. ”In other words lazy. You’ve got plenty of sleep.”

”I’m not a fucking bat like you three. If I stay up in the night, I’ve got to get some extra sleep.” He laughs. ”Zak ain’t a friggin’ bat. Nah. He’s a vampire.” I hear Zak huff in the front. ”How come?” Aaron opens the door and I fall on the seat. ”Based on the marks on your neck, you see. I’ve got this theory and after doing some investigatin’ I’ve arrived to the conclusion that he’s got to be a vampire”, Aaron innocently states. I just burst out laughing and try to throw a small pillow at him but I miss. Zak opens my door and gives me his hand. ”Time to go!” I sigh. ”Honestly. If the plane crashes, you’d better hope that you’re really immortal. Or fireproof at least.” He laughs as I grab his hand. Oh my gosh. The f-word. And I’m talking about flying here.