Long Way Home

13. Jade

13. Jade

I've got to admit, I didn't expect Theo to be able to help us cross the river. He was the weakest in the group, but I guess he was pretty smart.

Ollie rushed things too much and got frustrated when they didn't work. I would keep trying to do a task until I knew it wouldn't work. Nicole always tried several different ways of getting things to work. But Theo was different. He would sit back and think, watching everyone else as they tried their own methods.

When me and Ollie started arguing at the river, Theo was sat alone by the bank, trying to work out the problem. I admired him for that, if I tried to do that I would feel too pressured to be able to think straight.

Even when he froze the water he looked so surprised at what he had done I couldn't help but smile. His eyes were wide, his mouth hung open in shock.

After another hour of driving we stopped to stretch our legs and just take a rest for a while. Ollie stopped the Land Rover and turned off the engine, pulling the handbrake up to avoid having to run after it if it started to roll away.

All four of us climbed out and Theo and I slumped down at the right hand side of the truck, our backs pressed against the body of the vehicle.

"I'm impressed, Theo." I said and looked over at him, flashing a small smile. "I didn't know you had it in you."

Too busy studying his hands, he didn't seem to notice that I was speaking to him until I gave him a sharp jab in the ribs. He snapped his head up and looked at me and for a second he was wearing the same expression that Ollie always had on his face. However, it didn't really have the same effect on him. Ollie made it look threatening, Theo made it look strange.

"I said 'I didn't expect it of you'." I repeated and looked at him, a neutral expression on my face.

"Oh...sorry." He apologised, frowning slightly. "I'm just confused, that's all." He said to me and shrugged a little, staring down at his hands again.

"Does it feel weird?" My head leant back against the truck and I stretched my legs out in front of me, my feet moving from side to side slowly.

"My hands tingle a bit..." He pressed his lips together to form a straight line. "I would say it's probably normal, but nothing about this situation is normal, is it?"

"No. I just want to go home. I need to go home." I sighed and pulled my knees up to my body, hugging them tightly and resting my chin on top of them.

"Where are the others?" Theo asked curiously, trying to change the subject.

"I don't know, probably making out somewhere or something like that." I grumbled and looked down at the ground.

"Give them a break, haven't you noticed how much Ollie's changed thanks to Nicole?" He questioned me, raising an eyebrow. "As long as they're both happy I don't care what they do."

"Ollie, happy?" I snorted a little. "As if that's going to happen any time soon. He's so serious."

"He's misunderstood. He's a runaway. He's been homeless for the last few weeks." He tried to explain to me, using his hands as he spoke to try and get the point across.

"Misunderstood? I don't see what there is to understand. He hates his family I'm guessing, otherwise he wouldn't have run away."

"Yeah, his mum never paid any attention to him unless she wanted something doing, so he used to do all this stuff to get attention from her but it would never work." He shrugged and went quiet, obviously wanting to drop the subject, not to say too much behind Ollie's back.