a plan is made, an ally is acquired, and hair dye is bought
The phone yields some useful information. For example, his location! Everyone say hello to good ol’ Springfield, New Jersey.
Which is actually pretty relevant, thanks to the sweet li’l fact that he lives in New Jersey.
Lived. Past tense. Not that that matters, because the point is still there. He may not know where Billy is, but he does know where his brother was. And Westview seems as good a place as any to start his search!
Now he just has to hope that Billy had the same thought, and that by some miracle when he gets to Westview his brother is there waiting.
Google Maps continues to be a lifesaver, helpfully informing him that his hometown is only an hour and forty minutes away, drive time. Which, considering he can run insanely fast, is hardly anything! Even if his actual route to get there is a little more convoluted- curse Google Maps for not telling him the walking time between Springfield and Westview. Surely he isn’t the only person who’s needed to walk between the two, huh?
The next problem reveals itself pretty much as soon as he’s left the town, namely this:
He needs some food. Like, now. His powers take a ton of energy, and he...
Well, he sorta threw up everything that was in his stomach.
Oops.
Okay, that’s fine! He stole all that cash for a reason. He just needs to... find a gas station or something! Google Maps to the rescue again- here’s one like, five minutes away. Bingo!
He takes the time while he walks- slowly, because he doesn’t have the energy to spare, and yes, that is just completely annoying -to try and actually plan his next course of action. First off, food. And maybe a phone charger, too, because this thing doesn’t have much battery.
Wait, he doesn’t have a way to charge it anyway. Nevermind, then, guess the phone just becomes useless when it dies. Whatever- he’ll manage.
The gas station’s door dings, when he pushes it open, but the woman at the counter doesn’t look up. And-
Wait, shit. He’s never been in a store before. Not a proper one, at least, not anything more than like. The ice cream parlor downtown that, now that he’s thinking about it, probably isn’t really an ice cream parlor, is it? Point is, he’s never been to a gas station, or a grocery store, or anything of that sort because what use would that be when you have nowhere to drive and a magically stocked fridge?
Ugh. Stupid Hex. Now he’s gonna look like an idiot in front of the register lady, because he’s pretty sure kids his age are supposed to know how gas stations worked- what age that might be, though, is still up in the air. Whatever, not the point.
“Excuse me,” he finally says, because just asking for help getting food seems as good a plan as any. “Do you-”
And hooray, he’s saved from embarrassing himself! Also boo, because that saving grace comes in the form of the cashier looking up, immediately narrowing her eyes at him and reaching for her phone. “Running away again, Shepherd?”
“What?” he squeaks, shrinking back. “No, I-”
“I’m serious,” the woman insists, ignoring him, “I am calling the police, Thomas. This is your third time this month, I don’t know why you keep-”
“I’m not Thomas Shepherd!” he yelps, holding his hands up in hopefully a more-or-less innocent way. “Look, lady, I have no clue who you are, or why Thomas Shepherd would run away, but I’m just trying to find my brother!”
“Nice try, kid,” the woman snaps, typing in a number, “but I’m not falling for the worst excuse you’ve ever tried to sell me on. Now-”
The door dings open behind him, and Tommy thanks- wait, he isn’t religious. At least, he doesn’t think he is. Maybe? It never got addressed in the Hex, at any rate, so he doesn’t even have a god to thank. Ugh, okay, so a general thanks then. To the universe, he guesses, or like. To his mom, wherever she is. She’s a bit like a god, anyway, so.
He turns around, meets the girl’s eyes, and mouths as legibly as he can, please play along. Then he whirls back to the cashier, and grins wide.
“Okay, fine, I’ll cut it. But I’m really not running away, I swear! I’m going on a trip with my-” a glance at the girl tells him they can’t pass for siblings, so “cousin!” He nods, tucking his arms behind his back and trying to look non-suspicious. “My cousin.”
“Your cousin,” the woman repeats, with a dubious look on her face. “I thought you didn’t have any other close family, Shepherd.”
Once again he thanks Fietro for his curse word vocabulary, and mutters a quick, “Well shit,” beneath his breath. Luckily, the girl cuts in, and oh gosh Tommy would’ve laid down his life for her at that moment.
“Actually, ma’am, it’s a long story,” she says with a laugh. “This is actually the first time we’re seeing each other in like, years! I can call my dad, if you want some proof, ha!”
“Huh,” the woman says, seemingly unimpressed.
“I just sent him in to stock up on snacks for the trip,” the girl presses, sending a quick glance his way. “I should’ve known he’d manage to get in trouble. My fault, I suppose.”
“I have no clue why you’d ever want to be in charge of that problem, even just for a trip, but whatever,” the woman mutters. “Fine. I’ll believe you, Thomas. But don’t you dare try anything in my store again.”
The girl looks at him, clearly confused, and he shrugs. You and me both, hun. “That’s okay,” she says slowly, “I’ll send him back out to the car to be sure. Tommy, what was it you wanted?”
Even if he knows it’s only because she’s trying to pull off their lie by appearing familial with the nickname, it feels so good to hear his own name come out of someone’s mouth. “Uh, chips,” he replies, trying to ignore the blooming emotion in his chest. “Cheetos. And an energy drink- a Monster. Um, and one of those snack packets. And some jerky.” He hesitates, rocking on his heels, but he is so sick of not quite looking like him that he blurts out, “And hair dye! White. If that’s okay. I, uh, can pay you back in the car?”
The girl takes it in stride, nodding along. “Geez, your mom wasn’t kidding about you being a stereotypical hungry teenager, huh? Yeah, no problem. Now go out to the car before you get the cops called on you-” her turn to pause briefly, clearly considering her story before adding “-again.”
Rude, he mouths back, but the cashier just huffs. “You know, I do not know how your family manages to keep him out of juvie. Or at least makes sure that his stays are short. Seems impossible, truly.”
...aaalright then. Filing that under what he knows about Thomas Shepherd- dead, owner of many a scar and converse shoes, and also apparently a convicted criminal.
Geez, Billy, what sort of body did you put him in?
“I’m working on improving,” he says instead, which makes the woman roll her eyes. He looks at the girl, who- after a second of clear deliberation -decides to trust him enough to hand him her keys. “Bye, cuz.”
Kate, she mouths, and he grins. Real, this time. “See ya in the car, Katie-cat!”
She rolls her eyes, and for a second it really is like they know each other, like they’re friends. “Go, Tommy.”
He goes. And the second he’s alone, he grins up at the sky.
“I’m coming, Billy. I’m coming home. Just hang on.”