THE DRIVE

I blink several times when I wake up. A really bad pain inside my head, and my entire body is aching like hell.

The moment I sit up a bit more, I suddenly remember everything.

I remember how I was at my home and then these men in the attic which took me and Ethan--

Ethan!

Trying to look around, I gulp heavily as soon as I see nothing except for darkness, but am hearing breathing out of several directions from wherever I am in right now.

''Ethan are you here?'' I ask shakily, my throat hurting in every word I speak. Probably, because I didn't drink in a while, how I notice.

''Wait, Will?!'' I hear another voice from somewhere, which I don't recognize at first.

''Yeah, who are you? Where are we!?'' I ask confused, trying to stand up but am falling back on the ground when a shake goes through the thing I am inside of.

''It's me, Jaden. We had English together! Oh, and we are in a van.'' Jaden answers quietly, also with a thin voice.

''Oh hey-- wait-- A VAN?!'' I almost scream but suddenly feel a hand over my mouth which I push away fastly.

''Sorry.'' Jaden mutters and I recognize that he is right next to me.

''You scared the shit out of me dude!'' I breathe out and hear a quiet laugh from him.

''Guys...?'' Another voice is audible from the opposite of the Van.

''Hey new human being which is finally awake too.'' Jaden greets the unknown person and I think I know the voice.

''It's- it's me, Ethan.'' Ethan whispers and my heart skips a beat.

''Wait where are you at?! Like, are you in a corner or what?'' I ask loudly but Jaden slaps me a little on the arm as a sign to talk quietly.

''I think I'm in a corner..I don't really know.'' Ethan speaks with a shaking voice, and as someone who knows him quite well, I notice that he must be short before having a panic attack.

''Continue speaking, I'll get to you.'' I decide fastly, because panic attacks aren't that fun, when you are alone.

They aren't fun at all anyway.

''Uhm-- okay, I don't know, can you hear me? Wait thats stupid, of course you can, Sorry.''

While Ethan talks all of that quite fast, I arrive at the ''sorry'' part and try to feel after his arm or something, but am failing.

''Can you hear me close?'' I ask now and suddenly feel someone, probably Ethan, grabbing after my arm and pulling me down next to him.

''H-hey.'' He greets me and I know, even without really seeing him, that he is either crying or 'just' shaking a lot.

''Hey, are you like..okay?'' I ask insecure, not sure what else to say.

Ethan isn't answering, but I can feel how he is shaking his head while leaning against my shoulder. Without saying another word, I wrap my arms around him and not even a second later, Ethan is already sobbing into my shirt as quiet as possible.

''It's fine, it will be fine.'' I whisper into his ear and have to stop myself from tearing up, too.

We don't talk about, that it actually takes a lot to make me cry.

''Wh-what if it won't?'' Ethan sobs but I laugh a little because of an idea.

''If it won't, you don't need to suffer under my jokes any longer.'' I joke and hear a quiet laugh coming from him.

''Sorry.'' He apologizes for nothing again, and I frown.

''Stop that!'' I hiss and can feel him wince. Now I have the feeling, that I need to apologize.

''Sorry, didn't mean to speak like that.''

''Stop saying sorry then.'' Ethan gives back.

''No you.''

''Never.''

''Now you still have to live with my jokes.''

''Okay, sorry.'' Ethan says quietly.

I am already screaming internally, because of that again.

''Your serious?'' I ask, hoping he is joking.

''No-- yes-- maybe-- yes.'' Ethan admits and I sigh hopelessly.

''Shut up.'' I smile into the dark, for showing him I am joking, but realize too late he won't he able to see me.

''No.''

Woah, that took a turn.

''Yes, I don't wanna hear your apologizes anymore.'' I say honest, and roll my eyes.

''Well, I won't stop.'' Ethan insists and I sigh annoyed.

''Pleaseeee.''

''I don't wanna.''

I think this isn't going to end well.

''Then you still have to live with my jokes forever .'' I joke but am almost screaming on his next sentence.

''Okay, sorry.''

''Stop apologizing!'' I laugh while Ethan is shaking his head, still in my arms.

I already forgot how that ended up like this.

''No, you can't stop me!'' Ethan giggles a little and I decide to try something.

''That's gay.''

Let's get out of the closet lads, gents and nb's!

''No, you.'' Ethan walks directly into my trap and I get finally out, what I am trying to say since ages.

''Yes, you're right. I am, indeed, gay.''

''Wait, what?'' I feel how Ethan turns his head around and I chuckle insecure.

''HA, WELCOME TO THE CLUB BRO!'' Jaden suddenly screams and I burst out in laughing.

''OH MY GOD, YOU TOO?!'' We both are laughing and wheezing now, until we hear another voice.

''I feel surrounded by this giant gay energy.''

''Finn?! Is that you?!'' Jaden yelps and I am leaning back, listening to them.

''No, it's a new package with cigarettes for Parker.'' Finn laughs, and Parker lets out a short scream.

''Get over here!'' Jaden shouts to him but Parker interrupts him.

''But I'm already here....?'' He asks and Finnegan sighs, obviously annoyed.

''Not you! Finn.'' Jaden explains, talking real slow, but I don't get what he means anyway.

''OH!'' Parker shouts, while I hear how someone walks around carefully in the Van.

''Idiot.'' Jaden wheezes and Ethan sighs, understanding as much as me.

''Asshole.'' Parker insults back from what Jaden apparently scoffs.

''Bitch.'' Jaden says in a very kind way from what Parker gasps.

''I'm not female.''

''You act like you are.''

''What's that supposed to mean?''

''Nothing.''

Parker sighs dramatically, and a small slap is audible. From what me and Ethan wince at almost the same time.

Bad experiences and so.

''I hate you.'' Parker groans and Jaden laughs.

''I love you too, bro.''

I am not longer able to hold myself back and shout what is in my head.

''BROZOOOOONED!'' I laugh and Finn's voice, which is now on a different place, is speaking loudly.

''STOP THE FLIRTING, THAT'S TOO GAY!'' He screams and I laugh. If that idiot would know.

''YOU ARE LITERALLY A BISEXUAL FI--.'' Jaden yells but gets interrupted by something. No idea what.

''That's disgusting.'' Parker makes a voice, like he is throwing up and another slap is audible.

''Stop slapping me!'' Parker cries out again and a muffled voice, Jaden's, is speaking up.

''I have a fucking hand over my mouth.'' He muffles and Finnegan laughs.

''That's still disgusting.'' Parker says and Ethan facepalms, obviously thinking the completely wrong thing about the situation.

''Are you okay?'' I ask Ethan, who slightly sighs before he answers.

''I don't know. I just don't want to be left alone, wherever we are going.''

''You won't be left alone, why should you?'' I ask back and feel how his grip around my arm gets a little tighter.

''Who knows.'' Ethan sighs once again and I hug him again.

''You are not alone.'' I whispers and close my eyes, knowing that it wouldn't change a thing, because it is anyway too dark for seeing something.

''Thanks, Will.''

°°°

''Do you want to speak again?'' I laugh and Jaden nods, before I finally put my hand away.

''Disgusting.'' Parker scoffs and I roll my eyes.

He is such a pain in the ass.

''Hello?'' The voice of someone new appears and Jaden next to me jumps a little.

I know that voice. I swear I do.

''Caleb?'' I ask and several people start to talk quietly.

I hear things like 'misfit' or 'weirdo' and to be honest, they all just don't know him and Will never really cared about him or anything anyways.

Will is chill, but he only cares about himself.

Well, mostly.

''Yeah..where the fuck are we?'' He hisses and I feel how Parker flinches and I roll my eyes again.

''In a van to Neverland.'' Will laughs and I can already imagine the look on Caleb's face when he hears his voice.

''Shut up.'' Caleb tries to speak calmly, and I can hear Ethan whisper something really quiet to him from what Will sighs annoyed.

''Uhm, what the hell?'' Aidan's voice is suddenly a part of the conversation, and I don't know if I should laugh or cry about that.

''Dude?!'' I ask and Aidan laughs sarcastically.

''Bro, how the hell did we end up here?'' He asks back and I can't even think of the reason, how we actually ended up here.

''Men in black in real Life and in negative, huh?'' I answer ironically and some people laugh.

''This is so messed up.'' Jaden whispers and I nod slowly.

°°°

The moment I yawn and open my eyes again, I recognize, that I had fallen asleep for a few moments. Maybe even hours. I don't know.

But that isn't the only thing I notice. I also feel how I am basically lying in Will's arms and my cheeks are flushing quite fast as soon as I realize.

''Will?'' I ask quietly but have no answer. So I am guessing he is asleep or something.

''Guys?'' I ask into the round, but there also no one answers me. Which is kind of suspicious if you ask me.

How can everyone but me be asleep? Maybe I should just try to sleep again too...

I am fastly finding back the comfort from before, and nestle myself a bit closer onto Will. Of course only because it is quite cold inside of here.

Without thinking about it, I close my eyes and feel somehow how I am falling deeper and deeper into a new, guessingly endless, sleep.

°°°

''OH MY GOD we NEED to get out of here!'' Maddison screams in a high voice and causes even more panic, while I am not letting go Leah. I just found her, so I won't give her away again.

I told Aidan I am gonna find her, HA!

''Guys calm down--!'' Carmen, the nerdy theatre kid tries to 'safe' the situation but it isn't working at all.

''I DON'T WANT TO DIE!?'' Amanda suddenly shouts and the girl named Diana groans.

I am actually just listening to the entire situation because it is amusing.

''WE ARE ALL GONNA END UP AS PRESSURED PROSTITUTES!'' Maddy screams again and Leah next to me facepalms while I have to hold back a laugh.

''NO WAY!'' Amanda screams back and Carmen and Diana already give up the entire situation and are now talking to each other quietly.

''Did they do drugs or something?'' Leah whispers to me and I shrug.

''We all got drugs because of these men, ya know.'' I say and am convinced that Leah stopps breathing for a second.

''Oh.'' She breathes out and I smile a little.

She is different than the others. I don't know.

''Where are the others though?'' Leah suddenly asks out of nowhere and my thoughts go to Jake for a second.

''I don't know.'' I sigh and it is quiet for a moment, until Carmen begins to talk.

''I'm sure they are fine.'' She laughs insecure and my heart feels like it's falling apart.

It is not just Aidan! The others are probably all gone too!

''I'm somehow still tired.'' Leah, who is next to me, yawns and I snicker a little.

''Then sleep.''

I suddenly feel how she leans against me and I tense up a bit, before I am relaxing more.

Why are we here?