Page 28 of Broken By It

I send back a text,

WHAT TIME FOR SNACKS?

No notification update.

Fuck.

Come on Hollis, what is going on?

What feels like forever but is only moments, the text changes to say delivered. As I begin to text him with shaking hands his message comes through.

MOM IS ACTING WEIRD. WE R N THE CAR. SHE KEEPS MAKING ME PUT IT ON AIRPLANE MODE. I’M N A BATHROOM @ A GAS STATION IN GEORGIA. I FELL ASLEEP AND WOKE UP 2 SEE THE SIGN. DON’T TELL DAD. I’LL TOUCH BASE NEXT STOP. ALL SHE SAYS IS FLORIDA WILL MAKE US FREE. I LOVE YOU, ZIZI. COME GET ME PLS. I NEED TO GET HOME BEFORE DAD KNOWS.

What in the actual fuck! I quickly pin his location as I text back. Once he’s in airplane mode I won’t be able to follow him again. At least this will give me a starting point. My mind is racing as I want nothing more than to get to him.

HANG TIGHT, I’M HEADED SOUTH NOW. KEEP ME UPDATED.

The text says delivered. I try my luck to send another.

I LOVE YOU, HOLLIS.

Blank.

Not delivered yet. He’s back to airplane mode which means they are back to the road. My heart literally hurts. I feel like I’m shattered into a million pieces.Please let him be okay. That’s all I can think, is no matter what let Hollis be okay. We can deal with whatever Anna has gotten into, but I can’t even think of something being wrong with Hollis.

Dia noticing the change grabs my hand, “Maritza, what’s wrong?”

Tears well up in my eyes. “I gotta go.” I say jumping up from the stool, grabbing my purse as I head to the door. I don’t look back, I don’t think. Hollis needs me and he’s smart enough toknow if Dillon finds out Anna took him out of the state, he might just kill her.

At my car, I look up to see Dia opening the passenger door.

“What are you doing?” I ask as I get buckled. I don’t have time to argue.

“You gotta go, I gotta go. This is how the sisterhood works. You ride out, I ride out.”

I start the car and take off, “I don’t even know where we are goin or how long we will be there.”

“Road trip, got it,” she says not missing a beat and getting comfortable with her seat and seatbelt.

I fight back my emotions and worry. Handing her my phone, I explain, “Hollis is at the pin. Keep that location and make sure I’m headed towards it. Watch for any message from him. He will keep me updated as he can, and we need to get to him.”

“Anna took him!” she screeches as she stares at my phone. “Karma will flip the fuck out!”

“I know, that’s what Hollis doesn’t want to happen. As much as I can’t believe Anna has done this shit. I can’t let Hollis go through more with his parent’s hating each other.”

“Why?” Dia asks as we fly down the road in the dark of the night.

I shake my head, “good question. I have no idea. It doesn’t make sense. She has been good with him for like years now. We have a system. Why take him out of the county, the state, and break the custody agreement? Nothing makes sense.”

“Drive on,” she encourages with her face glued to my phone, treating it like the lifeline it is.

Hang on Hollis. I’m on the way.

The dive motelisn’t the worst I’ve ever seen. Why does Anna have him here?

Driving all night we are both exhausted. Dia turned her phone off and we set mine toDo Not Disturbexcept for Hollis and blocked my location to everyone but him. I can see the notifications that everyone has called and text the last few hours, but we haven’t responded to anyone but him. He’s managed to keep his phone and location going to me for an hour now.

This stop has been the longest and tied to this motel. I guess Anna needs to sleep. Either way, Dia and I are now standing outside of the door to room seven.

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