Revolution- Runaways 3 [EDITING]

Chapter 30: Luke

"Five Guys it is," I agreed. Daniel had finally suggested a restaurant that everyone could agree on.

"But there are six of us," Anderson countered.

"Very funny," Alex interjected. He swung the keys of the Acadia around his finger. The car was parked in underground garage below us, so he beckoned for us to pile in the elevator behind him.

He had offered to drive, even though there wasn't much of a choice. Driving legally hadn't been a concern to most of us for a while, but now the CCSA wouldn't let us near their cars if we weren't licensed. He and Daniel were the only ones that still carried theirs on them. Mine had been lost somewhere in Florida. Everyone else had either misplaced theirs or never brought it in the first place.

The Acadia was almost right outside of the elevator. It looked almost brand new, and the interior still smelled fresh. Daniel and I had been taking a Sedan when we went out unless we were walking.

Anderson claimed the front seat beside Alex, and Micaiah and Daniel were quick to take the seats in the middle. That left Eli and I crawling into the backseat. My legs pressed uncomfortably against Micaiah's back. "Are you okay?" I asked him. "I feel like my knees are digging into you."

"Don't feel a thing," he assured me.

Eli was a couple inches shorter than me, and his legs weren't as long, but he still struggled to fit himself in the small space. He shot me a look that said he already wanted to get out of this car.

"Is everyone buckled?" Alex glanced at us in his rearview mirror.

"Yes Mom," Anderson teased. Alex nudged him in the shoulder.

I clipped my seatbelt in as he reversed, jerking as he cut the wheel to the left. "Luke, duck your head. I can't see."

"It's not like there's anyone back there," I protested, but I ducked anyway. This was going to be an interesting drive.

By some miracle, we made it to the restaurant in one piece. Alex managed to parallel park us a few blocks down, although he was crooked as a dog's hind leg. "Okay, this is two-hour parking. I would hope all of you can down a burger and fries in two hours," he joked.

"Oh, I'll be five minutes tops," Daniel replied.

"Which way is the restaurant again?" Eli asked as we climbed out of the car.

"It's on that corner down there." Micaiah gestured toward a well-lit store displaying bright advertisements of fast food. A neon burger sat atop the awning. It was almost comical.

We followed him down the bustling sidewalk. People were hurrying both ways, creating a much more crowded environment than I was used to. I hadn't seen this many people in one public place in at least three or four years before we got to Vancouver. It reinstated the fact that America was behind on the times. The rest of the world had returned to normal after the pandemic four years ago. It made me wonder if our restrictions were even necessary, or if they had been another means to suppress us.

I propped the door open for everyone as we streamed inside. The restaurant was just as busy as the streets were, even on a Sunday evening. "This will be a great change after the CCSA food for the past few weeks," Micaiah remarked.

"You've got that right. I'm looking forward to something with flavor." Anderson chuckled at his own joke. It was nice to be outside of the facility, especially after the lockdown from earlier in the week. For once, it felt like we were just normal teenagers hanging out on our own terms.