8. Somber words would feign contentment

When we reached Newport, it was too late to do anything, so we rented a hotel room. Five in one room wasn't too bad, but there were only two beds, and so at least one person would have to sleep on the floor. I had a feeling it was going to be me. I didn't really mind, because I hated sharing a bed. I was always afraid I was going to move around in the bed too much and keep the other person awake, or kick them.


We all counted how much money we had, and together we had a whooping 200 hundred dollars. How the heck were we supposed to live off that? That wasn't enough to rent an apartment AND buy food. I wanted to voice that question, but I was too scared.


So I just asked “Um, so what kind of a place are you guys thinking of?”


“Well, I guess we were thinking we'd all share an apartment or something. You know to save money.” Jade answered.


At least they had done a little thinking, but still....


“Oh. So are we gonna head out first thing?” I pushed.


“Eh, we have all day,” Derek said


Honestly, how exasperating could this guy be? At least I finally knew I wasn't going to be dropped off by my little lonesome. But there was still an underlying fear that wouldn't go away, and it was growing. I couldn't put my finger on what it was though.


We ordered pizza and a liter of Pepsi. That set us back about twenty bucks. We needed to find jobs ASAP. I wondered what kind of job I could get. I didn't really know what I was good at. Back in Bowie, I was a cashier at The Home Depot and I babysat for the people I knew.

My mind was running at about 200 mph, thinking about everything and worrying over it all. But I knew one thing for certain. I wasn't going home. I couldn't and I wouldn't. I would stick it out even if it killed me.