Acrasia

Chris leaned his head against his hand, with his elbow propped up against the window and the other had on the steering wheel. It was late, but they had to keep moving if they wanted to get any closer to California. Every now and then the long stretch of highway became a small town, but they never stopped. No one was in the mood.

Kid was sitting in the back of the van, softly playing what sounded like Stairway to Heaven on the guitar. Rae was just watching him silently. Kid was better at it than either of them would've expected. It was soothing in a way, like their own personal radio.

Kid had gone completely silent, which was strange for him. Like Rae had said, he got these sudden moments of depression. Though he was smiling, it wasn't a happy smile. It was more of a delirious, sad smile. Chris felt like he should say something, but nothing came to mind. They drove past another town, and this time Chris decided to pull over.

He turned around and grabbed his wallet, fishing out quarters as Rae and Kid watched. He handed the quarters to Kid, pointing to a pay phone.

"Call your parents," he ordered. Kid turned pale, looking down at the quarters in his hand.

"Have you not called them yet?" Rae looked at him wide-eyed.

"No," he said softly. "I can't."

"Why not?" Rae frowned.

"I can't tell you," he looked up with sad puppy eyes.

"Call someone," Chris restated, getting a quick nod from Kid.

He hopped out, running across the street to the pay phone. Chris watched as he held the phone to his ear, biting his lip and nervously looking around. Someone picked up on the other end, and Kid looked like he was holding back tears as he talked to them.

Rae looked at Chris, horrified. "His parents don't know he's okay?"

"Nope," Chris muttered.

"How did you know?"

"If he had called his parents, police officers would be crawling all over the place, looking for him. By now, he'd already be home."

"Chris. Christopher Stuart Butler. You mean to tell me that you knew but didn't do anything about it? His parents are probably sobbing every night wondering if their baby is alive!" Rae glared at him.

"If there's nothing he can do, there's nothing I can do. Those people probably have an eye on his parents, and are probably looking all over for him before he gives them away. There's some really bad people out there, Rae," Chris sighed. "Some of them are real freaks. They'll do whatever it takes to make sure that sixteen year old boy is helpless."

Rae looked down, and Chris knew that she understood. It didn't make anything easier, but she understood. He looked back out the window at Kid, trying to read his lips. The only thing he caught before Kid hung up was "please don't tell". He felt terrible for him. Kid was a lot more scared than he let on. Hell, Chris didn't even know his real name. He wouldn't tell.

He put on a casual expression as Kid came back, looking nervous. He opened the van door, but stayed outside.

"Who did you call?" Rae asked.

"My... Mom," he mumbled. He was a terrible liar, but Rae didn't say anything more. In a way, Chris felt like she didn't want to know any more. “Can we kind of walk around a little bit? I need the fresh air and I don’t want to go alone.”

Rae got up right away, putting her arm around Kid’s shoulder and smiling down at him. He smiled back, trying to change the mood by telling one of his many stories of his recklessness as a teenager. He had quite a few stories to tell. Chris trailed behind them, staying back a few feet and listening.

“So then I asked Sarah McIntire to homecoming, but she said no because I was too nerdy for her or something,” Kid said, the color returning to his face as he became his self again. “And I thought that was kind of a bitch move so instead of going to the dance, my buddy Greg gave me the idea that we go egg her house. So we did. Turns out, her dad used to be in the military and he came out looking like the freaking Hulk and we freaking booked it out of there. Chris kinda looks like the Hulk, too. Except he’s not as vicious. He’s more of a Spanish soap opera star.”

Rae turned around to look at Chris, and then laughed. Chris didn’t know what a Spanish soap opera star looked like, but he figured it couldn’t be too bad. He stuck his hand in his pocket, looking for a little box he kept with him. It was something he had picked up at a gas station a few days back, but never intended on using. He waited until Rae turned back around before pulling out the little box of cigarettes.

Chris had quit smoking for two years, and hadn’t touched a single cigarette since. It was a bad habit he had picked up as a teenager, and one he let go of with much difficulty. However, he found himself needing it more and more with the sudden change in his life. When he bought the cigarettes again, it was a natural move that he didn’t think about. He still wasn’t thinking about it when he lit a cigarette, putting the lighter and the box back in his pocket. Rae turned around when she smelled it, raising her eyebrows. Chris didn’t know what to expect, but he just shrugged.

“I didn’t know you smoked!” Kid’s jaw dropped. “Are you sure you didn’t come straight out of an action movie? Or some weird story written by some teenage girls with too-high standards for men? You’re pretty much the coolest guy I’ve ever met.”

“Smoking doesn’t make you cool,” Rae bumped his hip, giving him a stern look. “And Chris doesn’t smoke anymore. I don’t know what he’s doing.”

“Call it a reward for being away from Roxanne for so damn long,” Chris rolled his eyes. “Rae, relax. I’m only going to have one.”

Rae stopped, holding out her hand. “Give me the box.”

“Calm down, I’m not stooping back to what I was before,” Chris stepped back defensively.

“Christopher, give me the box.”

Chris gave her the box, and watched as she put it in her own pocket. He would snatch it back later.

“Who’s Roxanne?” Kid asked, tilting his head. “That’s a freaking hot name.”

“A freaking hot name for a freaking hot lady. She’s out of your league,” Chris smirked.

Kid frowned, looking at Rae. Rae patted his shoulder.

“Roxanne is his car,” she explained. “I freaked out the first time, too.”

Kid smiled and shook his head, and looked down at his feet, trying not to step on the cracks in the sidewalk like a four-year-old. Rae hung back, holding Chris’s hand and looking up at him. He couldn’t read her expression. She looked confused and worried, mixed with something else that he didn’t have a name for.

“Are you okay?” she whispered.

“I’m great, don’t worry about me,” he smiled, kissing her forehead. “I’m only going to have one.”

“That’s what you said about the beer that one time we went out.”

“That didn’t end too badly,” Chris gave her a half smile. “It ended in the bedroom.”

Rae shushed him and pushed him away, but was laughing as he pulled her back in. Kid turned around and scowled. He hated it when Chris and Rae actually acted like a couple.

“Okay, I believe you. Just watch yourself, and tell me if there’s anything wrong, okay?” Rae squeezed his hand and pulled him down to give him a peck on the lips.

“Okay.”