Zero

Approximately 3.4 minutes later, Liz crouched under a window sill, squashing the almost luminescent green grass under her white shoes. With fear of her friends’ parents suddenly appearing she stuck close to the wall. From the side of the small house, Liz could look left and watch Maximillion slightly bobbing his head to his music - hands still on the wheel.

Liz reached up fast, knocking the window pane once, sharply. Almost immediately the window was pulled up and a face - half done up with make-up - peered out.

“Blair!” Liz whispered

Blair cast her gaze downwards, confused, “What are you even doing on the ground? My moms aren’t home.”

“Oh, right.” Liz stood up, picking a small stick off her cotton jumper. Blair had retreated back into her room, applying mascara with one hand and pulling on a thigh length boot with the other. While watching her hobble to one side of the room to the other (To retrieve her purse) Liz admired Blair’s room - even from her obscured view and an only half illuminated space there was an impressive amount of Rubik's cubes and wall stickers.

Much more gracefully than Liz would have, Blair, exited out through the window pronouncing that she “Need not bother with the front door.”

Sliding open the back door of the minivan Blair lay across the back seat, her phone lighting up the dark car. An almost awkward but brisk shaking of hands occurred at the introduction of Max and Blair, Max shutting up completely at the arrival of someone new.

They left the suburbs and entered a long straight of the highway, it was mostly empty as it was growing close to midnight. There was something about the quiet of the night and the hills looming in the background made Liz realised she:

1. Was very hungry

2. Was very unsure over her life choices, up to and including her actions at that very moment

Focusing on the first problem she turned in her seat to pose the McDonalds question to Blair,

“Uh huh… Uh, Just 70 more miles…”

“70?!”

On cue Maximillions stomach rumbled, “Hm.” He muttered.

“Okay, well there is nothing until we get to the city” Blair held out her phone, displaying the google maps page as proof.

Max rummaged with his right hand through the various compartments of the car, not quite triumphantly he produced a handful of gum wrappers, a few coins and a singular mint. Maximillion took the mint.

“Hm.” Muttered Max again, with determination in his voice this time. He pushed down on the acceleration even further, the speed didn't make Liz nervous anymore but joyous and Blair was watching the speedometer increase with glee and a friendly grip on Maximillian's shoulder.

“Oh my god, I LOVE this song!” Blair squealed

The volume button was suddenly turned up from a dull hum to a spectacular roar, the iconic “American Pie” filled the minivan. Blair moved back from precariously balancing in the middle of the seat to the far left. She opened the window all the way down and lent out, screaming the words. The fierce wind automatically freezing her nose and sending her hair in wild knots behind her hair.

Even Maximilian was singing into the night as the clocked ticked over to twelve.