• 3



    I had no idea where I was going.
    I didn't really care, either. I wanted to get as far away as I could, anywhere I could. My feet ached and my eyes were dropping, yet I refused to stop.
    All I knew at this point was, I was on a highway, somewhere. Very few cars were driving by so I was safe on the very side.
    I looked down. All I had was a bag of few belongings, and a very limited resource of food. I kind of felt like an idiot, now, walking out so fast like that. I couldn't help it though. I was going crazy.
    I did bring one thing I was proud to have remembered. I brought my list of words.
    Words.
    The essence of my life, the simple things to make me feel better. I don't know why, but I kind of had an obsession with words. I never wanted to use the wrong one to explain anything. Does that make me weird? I don't really care. Words were my passion, like singing or dancing to another.
    Like, this night. This night was so, negative.
    I knew that wasn't the right word I could have used, but there was no time to stop and think about it, which made me frusterated.
    A loud sound came from behind me, nearly making me scream.
    I turned to find a truck. The headlights were nearly blinding me. What did it want?
    "Hey girl," came a low, husky voice, "What are you doing in a place like this all by yourself?"
    I gapped. "Uhh," I hesitated, "I was sent on errands for my mother, but, we don't have a car. So I have to walk." I pronounced my words slowly, as to get every single one correctly used.
    There wasn't a response for awhile. I thought maybe this guy had forgotten I was there.
    "You want a ride?"
    I didn't exactly know what to respond. I, of course, had always been told never to take rides from people I didn't know. I especially knew the dangers from all the movies I had seen with kidnappings and rape from hitching a ride. Yet, I don't think I could go on much longer on foot. My left foot was still aching from stepping on the glass-framed picture, which probably meant a piece of glass was lodged in there, somewhere.
    "Well?" The voice came again, having a hint of aggrivation in it.
    "I guess," I said slowly with a deep breath, "How far can you take me?"
    "I thought you were running errands girl, don't you just need a ride to the grocery store or somethin'?" He said.
    My face flushed. How was I supposed to do this?
    "Well, I am running errands," I thought, quickly, "I have to go to my aunt's house to drop this off," I lifted my backpack, "She lives in a town somewhere far away."
    Oh god.
    What kind of answer was that? I felt so stupid, no, humiliated.
    "Oh, okay. Hop on then."
    I nearly laughed. This guy must be an idiot, taking a story as lame as mine. Nevertheless, I walked up to the side of his truck, opened the door, and stepped up to a leather seat combined with a musky smell. This guy drank, and smoked. Big time.
    He smiled a crooked-teeth smile at me. I smiled a pained one back. The car began to accelerate.
    "So what's your name, girl?" He said, trying to make small talk, obviously.
    "Lilly," I hesitated, should I give him my real name? Maybe not. Too late.
    "I'm Lloyd. Nice to meet you. Been workin' all day in lumber, haven't really talked to anyone for awhile, really."
    I nodded. I didn't want to seem rude. "I noticed the logs."
    He chuckled. His laugh sounded like a mixture between Santa Clause and some creepy monster on one of those cheesy horror films I used to watch. The weird thing is, it made me feel more comfortable. I was no longer in a state of awkwardness, trying to figure out if I would make this trip alive or still a virgin. I felt better knowing I would be fine. I also felt proud of my ability to decode the sound of a voice to see the real person behind it, and what their intentions are.
    "How old are you girl?" He said, breaking the short silence I was kind of enjoying.
    "Sixteen," I responded, "Turning seventeen next month."
    He looked at me. "Yeah, you look about sixteen, I would have guessed."
    I bit my lip. This guy was funny. I felt kind of bad though, knowing how much of an idiot he must be.
    No, I'm being mean. This man is nice, I mean, he's giving me a ride to, "a town far away", and not having any bad intentions about it. That's rare to find.
    I was staring out the window beside me, watching the yellow lines go by over and over. I watched the tall trees pass by and the small cabin's that they engulfed.
    Driving was soothing. No yelling, no fighting, no loud bangs of the door slamming or crash of beer bottles. Just nice, quiet, and safe.
    That's when everything went black.