They’d spent all day outside a repair shop in Forrest City, Arkansas, taking turns walking around the Walmart with John Wesley while Ladarius waited on the repairs to the old minivan. He wanted to make sure none of them got screwed as he believed he knew the most about cars. Turned out it was only a busted belt, but the cost of the repairs knocked them down to fourteen dollars and they didn’t get back on the highway until nightfall. TJ was driving now, Ladarius up front, with Holly finally falling asleep in the back with John Wesley. They’d bought some Oreos and Tostitos, Little Debbies, and some cracker and cheese combos. TJ wasn’t sure where she was headed but decided to continue on Highway 70 to Hot Springs, no other reason than she knew there was a state park up that way, maybe a place they could park and hole up for a day or two. She had in one of her daddy’s favorite CDs, Poison, singing along to “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.”

“You know folks think you’re crazy listening to that old-school shit,” Ladarius said.

“Old-school shit to you,” TJ said. “Classic to me. You hear that? CC DeVille. The band was never the same after he and Bret Michaels got into that fistfight at the MTV Music Awards in ’91. He was the backbone of Poison.”

Ladarius nodded, not giving two shits as he sunk lower into the passenger seat, thumbing through a new cell phone.

“You know where we’re headed?”

“Nope.”

“You know what we’re going to do?”

“We better dump this piece of shit and get us a new ride.”

“I switched the plates.”

“I know you did.”

“And bought this burner phone at the Walmart.”

“You told me.”

“We can’t keep going like this,” Ladarius said. “Riding around living off cupcakes and Oreos. Moving from town to town. Pretty soon we’re gonna run out of gas.”

TJ looked down at the fuel gauge, a little less than a quarter of a tank left. She lifted her eyes to the road. Her stomach grumbled as she hadn’t had anything to eat since the chicken biscuit in Memphis. She wanted to leave what they had left for John Wesley.

“You got an ATM card?”

“Shit,” Ladarius said. “You know what we got to do.”

“Holly says a lot of rich folks have houses up on some lakes.”

“Holly ain’t gonna go for what you have in mind.”

“We only take what we need,” she said. “Maybe grab a few things we can sell. TVs or jewelry. Holly knows our situation.”

“That keeps us going for what?” he said. “Maybe a day or two. Then what? Driving around until the police come for us and take you back home and me back to juvie.”