Cherry already has a bad feeling about the gas station. She isn't sure why, but looking at it makes her feel anxious. It could also be because people are there.

"You okay, Cher?" She looks over at him, taking a moment for her to hear the nickname to her nickname. A dopey smile forms on her lips.

"Yeah. Just not a people person," she says. She walks towards the gas station, and she and Sean follow Daniel.

"Were you ever a people person?"

"Meh. Not much to like with most people."

He takes in a sharp breath, almost making a hissing sound. He places his hand over his chest. "Ouch."

"You, Daniel, and Lyla are the exceptions." He smiles softly at her words.

"Good, 'cause this would be an awkward trip if you didn't like us." He knocks into her gently, a grin forming on her face.

  "I've been so hungry for some real food," Daniel says, gaining their attention.

  "I got enough money for food if you want to try to get us supplies," Cherry states, giving Sean a glance. He smiles, nodding his head gently.

"I hear you, Daniel," he says, giving his brother his full attention. "We're going to get food, water, plus a map. So we can find the best route."

"Okay." The two can practically hear the pout on his face. Cherry speed walks to catch up with the boy.

"We'll have a better day today. I swear. Besides-" she leans down to whisper loudly, "Sean said he'll get you a Chock-o-Crisp, remember?"

"Oooo!" Daniel tries to wiggle his eyebrows, failing miserably. Cherry has to bite her lip not to laugh.

"How about we go wash up first?" Sean says, butting himself between the two. "You got some dirt right there." He wipes his finger across his brother's face, making him whine.

  "I'll wait for y'all," she says, moving to sit on the bench.

"Don't worry, we won't take long," he reassures her. He moves his brother into the single bathroom before locking the door behind him, leaving Cherry with her thoughts.

He washes his face, as does Daniel, and the two complain about how cold the water is. For a moment or two, he stares at himself in the mirror. He feels he's aged so much in only a few days. It doesn't help his eyes are heavy with sleep. Him waking up in the middle of the night to help Cherry probably wasn't the best idea. But then the thought of their hug and how she felt against him and it makes his stomach bubble. Or he could just be hungry.

The two walk out of the bathroom, seeing Cherry sitting in the exact same position. Sean can see her eyes look hazy. He places a gentle hand on her shoulder, and the cloudiness in her eyes seems to disappear. She gives an awkward smile, seemingly knowing she's been caught.

"Sorry. I was daydreaming."

"About what?" Daniel asks, sitting beside her, and Sean does the same on the other side.

"My mama." A wide smile forms on her face. "You would've loved her, Daniel." She ruffles his hair gently. "She was sweet like honey. Gave me my hoodie. But she could chuck a shoe at you from a mile away." Sean laughs while Daniel looks a bit scared.

"That sounds terrifying." Cherry laughs at the look on his face.

"That was rare. She was a lover, not a fighter."

"Are you a lover or a fighter?" he asks. She takes a moment to answer, brows furrowed in thought.

"I fight, but only for those I love."

"So you love me? See, Cherry loves me, Sean." All she can do is roll her eyes.

"I love both of you idiots. Now let me go try to fix myself." She gets up from the bench, and the two continue to banter as she leaves.

The bathroom door clicks behind her. She almost doesn't recognize herself when she spots herself in the mirror. Her face looks filthy, and her hair is knotted terribly. She washes her hands and faces first, getting the easy stuff out of the way first. She then soaks the end of her hair with water before detangling the best she can with her fingers. She winces and groans as some knots feel like they're pulling her hair follicles out of her scalp. Soon, though, it is somewhat maintained enough for her to braid. She braids it all the way down the ends of her hair, hoping she won't have to deal with it again for a while. She gives herself another once over in the mirror, feeling better than when she came in before leaving to find the two boys.

She finds the two playing a claw game, Daniel losing his grip on the prize inside.

"How many times have you done this, Danny?" She raises a brow at Sean, the boy shrugging at her.

"Twice. Maybe one of you should try?" Both she and Sean shake their heads at him.

"It's always the third time you get it. You got it." She ruffles his hair once more, a grin forming on his face.

"Okay, one more go," Sean says, putting one more dollar into the machine for Daniel. There's silence for a bit, the two teens watching him as he meticulously moves the claw. And then it lowers, and it snatches the prize in one quick swipe.

"Yes!" Daniel exclaims, jumping up and down.

"See, I knew you could do it, enano." Sean claps him on the back while Cherry ruffles his hair. He grabs his prize, pulling out a miniature chibi bear figurine. He gasps in excitement.

"It's Power Bear! Look, Sean!" he exclaims, waving the toy in front of his brother. "I beat the machine!"

"Bet you're the first one to get a prize out of here, too," he hypes Daniel some more. "Told you nobody beats a Diaz!" Daniel walks off with his prize, showing it off to the lady at the register. The teens grin at his enthusiasm before Sean speaks again. "You braided your hair?" Cherry looks back to him. "It's not bad. I was just wondering is all," he spits out quickly, hoping he didn't insult her. She smiles at him.

"My hair was a mess. This will hopefully keep it together for a while," she shrugs. She finally gives herself a chance to look at the gas station, seeing a row filled with food. It makes her stomach growl.

"Well...it looks nice on you, Cher." His words come out soft and quiet. He feels his face grow warm, feeling embarrassed at his own words. But then she gives him a grin, and his mind goes blank.

"Let's get some supplies." He nods in response, the two going to different aisles to find what they need. Sean immediately goes for the camping supplies, looking at the sleeping bags. Cherry goes for the Chock-o-Crisp, placing it in the pocket of her hoodie so her hands don't get full, before grabbing a bag of bread and some cans of food, which she also stuffs a few in her hoodie pocket. She then goes to the back of the store, going to make each of them a hot dog before she hears Daniel talking to someone.

"Hi," he greets someone. "What are you looking at?"

"Oh, hey there." Cherry finally looks over and sees Daniel talking to some guy on his computer. "Well, I'm actually doing research." She looks at his screen, getting a whole view of someone in only their birthday suit. "It's uhhh..." he gives a glance at his computer, "not for you."

"Why? Like dirty stuff?" Daniel tries to take a peek at the computer, forcing Cherry to step in.

"Hey, Dani." She bends over, wanting to be at his height. "Can you make three hotdogs for each of us, please?" He grins before nodding his head.

"Can I have two hotdogs?"

"Yes. Then make four in all."

"Sweet!" he exclaims, moving to do as she asks. She gives him a quick glance before looking back at the man with his computer.

"Sorry about him," she says. She tries her hardest not to look at the computer.

"Don't be. He seems cool. Besides, he's just a kid. Always curious about the world and how it works, you know?" Despite what he has on his computer, Cherry feels somewhat at ease with him due to his cool demeanor. "I'm Brody."

"Christina, but everyone calls me Cherry."

"Did your hair use to be red? Is that why they call you Cherry?" She goes to answer, only for Sean to join in on the conversation.

"Wait, why do we call you Cherry?" he asks. He carries a sleeping bag in one hand, and another is hooked to his bag. He spots her staring. "I don't have enough money for a third. We can split this one." She shrugs it off, knowing the sleeping bag will probably make her overheat.

"I'll be fine, Sean." She bites her tongue, wondering how Sean will react. "But why people call me Cherry..." she slows her words, anxiety etched into them, "is because some people think I sort of blew up Brett's toilet with a cherry bomb." A moment passes before either of them speak.

"Wait, what?"

"You did what to Brett?!"

"I didn't do anything!" she exclaims, raising her hands up. "People just think I did. The cops got called and everything. They finally let me go when like 20 people saw me chilling out on the patio while the toilet exploded. Brett still thinks it was me, though. That's why he had it out for me." She sticks her hands in the pocket of her hoodie, her face going warm with embarrassment. "I'm going to go pay for our food," she smiles, but Sean can see it doesn't go to her eyes. "I'll be outside with it and Daniel if you want to get anything else." She moves past Sean, walking back to Daniel to help him carry the hotdogs to the counter. The whole time, she can feel his eyes on her.