Jack woke up to the sun as he laid in the seat of the pickup truck. Mark had the music on low and was driving. Rubbing his eyes Jack pulls his body up.

    "How long have I been asleep?" he yawns and Mark glances at the clock.

    "About two hours,"

    "Two hours?" Jack whispers, "We have two hours left now?" Sighing Mark bites the inside of his lip.

    "Yeah. Just two hours," Rolling his neck he turns to stare at Mark as he drives, a deep sinking feeling spreading in his gut.

    "I don-" Jack starts before throwing his head in his hands.   
    "What is it darling?" Mark asks casting a glance his way.

    "I don't kn- know if I want to go," Jack mumbles out and immediately he wants his body to crumple into a hole.

    "You don't know if you want to go?" Mark asks a moment of confusion spreading across his face. "Wait? Do you mean Stanford?" He asks whipping his head to look at Jack who can only nod in embarrassment. "Jack why?" Mark whispers and Jack just simply shakes his head again.

    "I feel like I can't and then the money? What if that guy doesn't give it to us? For gods sake Mark I don't even know who it is and I'm only two hours out from meeting them," Jack cries as he yanks on the back of his neck in frustration. Beside him Mark just nods his head.

    "Right... that," he mumbles fading off.

    "That what? Is there no guy or something?" Jack asks raising his head in speculation.

    "No. Well yes... Jack, we aren't meeting anyone actually," he mumbles and Jack narrows his eyes.

    "Huh? Mark you said you 'knew a guy',"

    "I know what I said Jack but that key word is knew. I can't really have contact anymore with him," Mark mumbles, confused on how to put it down gently.

    "Mark just tell me who it is" Jack demands more concerned now. Had he just drove ten hours to go to Oklahoma for nothing? Sighing Mark shakes out his shoulders.

    "Can we pull over please? I can't do this driving,"

    "Mark just tell me," Jack insists.

    "Please Jack! Can we just pull over?" He practically shouts and shrinking back Jack nods.

    "Okay Mark. I'm sorry its just I'm a little overwhelmed right now," he mumbles and Mark looks guilty.

    "I'm sorry for yelling Jack. Just let me find a park or something," Looking over Jack nods again. Mark looks terrified. His face pulled tight but his eyes look so sad and... worried?

    It takes about ten minutes for Mark to find a park and pull over. Those ten minutes of silence so thick a knife couldn't have even began to slice it.

    Getting out of the pickup Jack follows Mark to a park bench. Sitting down Mark turns straight to Jack, who's terrified to say anything.

    "Ethan," Mark simply says, "We're getting the money from Ethan," Jacks heart speeds up immensely and he shakes his head. Ethan's dead?

    "Mark, you know Ethan's dead right?" Jack asks cautiously and Mark chuckles lightly, pulling his face away form Jack to turn to the park.

    "I'm not crazy Jack. I know he's dead,"

    "Oh. Okay," Jack says simply as he turns to look at the park too. "Then the money?" Jacks whispers feeling extremely guilty for thinking about the money.

    "Ethan was a particularly odd kid to say. He had dreams to travel the world. Run away and never come back," Jack turns to look at Mark, who's still gazing at the park. "However he had one issue. Never enough money to go anywhere. So when he was twelve he started a money box. He collect every bit of change or cash he could get a hold of," Chuckling again Mark looks down and Jack can't hep but wonder if this is the same box as he told him about earlier.

    "He only ever told me and I know he would have hated his parents knowing. The box was a crutch to him. When he felt lost he counted the money and suddenly everything was okay because he had a escape route if all things went to hell. Mind you he started out with very little but soon I started to help and eventually we build up a shit ton of money," Suddenly a puzzle piece clicks for Jack.

    "He liked Oklahoma best so you ran and buried the box there," Jack quickly says and Mark smiles.

    "Nice work Jack. Thats actually what happened," Mark chuckles as he pats Jack on the back. "But you missed a key detail,"

    "I did? What," Jack asks as Mark scoots closer to him, throwing an arm over his shoulders.

    "You missed Ethan dying," Tensing up Jack shifts uncomfortably.

    "You don't have to tell me Mark,"

    "No I do. I can't keep this all to myself because I know it'll only kill me," Mark nods to himself and shuffling even closer Jack rest his head on his shoulder.

    "Okay," is all he says before Mark starts speaking.

    "It was raining, way too hard for California and I had no idea how to drive in it," Mark begins. "And I had dragged Ethan along to go get cigarettes. I mean he didn't even smoke but here I was, a goddamn smoker, so I pulled him into the thunderstorm to get something he didn't even want," Mark says his voice cracking and Jack rubs a supportive hand down his arm.

    "I've never felt a car tires go before. It was weightless an- and I had no control so I yanked on the car wheel in panic," Jack winces as he thinks he knows what's to come. "It hit a tree Jack. Slammed right into a tree and we would've been fine if I hadn't have yanked on that stupid steering wheel,"

    "It wasn't your fault," Jack whispers and Mark chuckles as he wipes away the tears running down his face.

    "I'm not even done yet," he says bitterly, "I blacked out for a few minutes and woke up to the horrible smell of something burning. Jack it was awful. It smelled like someone was dripping gasoline straight up my nose. I didn't even think about Ethan as I opened up my car door and got me out. I didn't even think or check my best friend until I heard him screaming for me from the inside. His leg was stuck and he needed my help," Mark looks down and Jack tries to stay strong for Mark even if he can feel himself tipping.

    "Even after I heard him yelling I didn't move immediately. I kept gulping in gulps of air and by the time I began to crawl... It didn't matter at that point. The car burst into flames. They were bright and ugly as they lapped around the car and the heat was almost unbearable but the flames don't even matter. It was Ethan. He was screaming so intensely and horrible I wasn't sure if it was him or the car. It wasn't human. I heard him scream until the smoke eventually choked him to death and the flames melted off his skin. I could have saved him... I could have avoided everything if I hadn't wanted to go get smokes,"

    "Mark.." Jack whispers as he wraps his arms around him. "You never could have known,"

    "He warned me Jack. He warned me about driving in the rain," Mark chokes and Jack just hugs him tighter as he sobs.

    "I know he did Mark. I know," he answers rubbing a hand down his back.

    "So I have to put what he worked so hard for to good use," Mark says pulling back and Jack furrows his eyebrows down.

    "But why me?"

    "Because you deserve the world,"

    And that's what finally breaks Jack Mcloughlin...