Grab N' Go [Robin Arellano]

46: Always and Forever, Valentina Sanchez

"Did it work? Did you see them?"

Robin is the first thing Gwen sees after flinching out of her vision with erratic breathing. He is leaned over her with an intense expression, barely giving her enough room to breathe let alone regain her sense of surroundings. The next thing she notices is the sound of rain pattering against the window beside his bed. The noise helps soothe her racing heart beat.

Instinctively, she pushes him out of her space and sits up while trying to catch her breath and refocus on her surroundings.

"I heard him," she confirms with a hurried look. "I heard Finney...he was talking to Vance."

"Vance?" Robin repeats in confusion. "What...what about Valentina?"

She frowns, glancing off apologetically, "I...didn't hear her. Or see her...but! But! I did hear Vance say, 'put my girl on'. Or something like that. Maybe he was talking about her?"

Robin nods frantically, "y-yeah! Must've been. He didn't date anyone else, right?"

"Not that I know of," Gwen responds, trying to ease the boy. "We gotta go. I need to go check if that house is real!"

She hops off the bed, rushing towards the bedroom's exits.

He follows after her worriedly, "wait! Wait! You saw an address? Shouldn't we call the cops?"

She shakes her head, "I have to make sure it's a real first!"

"Wait, Gwen!" He tugs her to a halt. "I-I...I can't leave. There's an officer outside monitoring us. I'm not allowed to leave until the search party is back...or something like that."

"What?" Gwen asks in disbelief, face scrunching up. "Are you fucking serious? That's bullshit! They can't do that!"

"I know! That's what I said!" He agrees before flinging himself down on his bed with an exasperated sigh. "The only way I'll be allowed to leave is with an adult, and...my mom, well I don't really think she'll wanna help drive to a random address."

"Can you just ask? Maybe she will," Gwen urges with an insistent tone. "The address is 7741 Morrison Dr. It's only a few blocks from here!"

In a moment of consideration, he glances around his room. His eyes land on that damned crumpled up missing flyer, just straight enough to reveal the last few letters of the word "Missing". That immediately motivates him. So, with a heavy sigh, he pushes past her to go out of the room and stomp towards his moms. When he reaches the tattered door, he gives a few knocks before letting himself in with a sense of urgency.

His mom is sat against the headboard of her bed, legs kicked out in front of her as she smokes a cigarette. She turns to him with a raised brow and slight annoyance for barging in before allowed entry.

He couldn't give two shits less about her annoyance.

"I need you to drive me somewhere," he explains urgently. "Please, mom, it's important."

Her inquisitive look never leaves her expression as she asks, "where?"

"7741 Morrison Dr," he responds.

Her eyes widen.

She recognized that address! A little too well, actually. It's the address of Max Shaw- her long time on and off lover/coke dealer.

Her frazzled expression causes him to form his own quizzical expression, though nothing seems to click in his head. After all, why would he know that?

Still, she assumes the worst. She assumes he knows the truth. That he's trying to make a joke of her!