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↳ 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭 'prologue'
━━ 𓄼 𓄹 ━━
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, 2002
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃 𝐀𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃 of them was empty. Sky near cloudless, the day hung with the fragrance of sage in the sunlight.
Getting her drivers license had been a long time coming. She had watched her oldest brother Max receive his, and then his subsequent refusal to drive her anywhere. When her brother Gabe's turn came around, her parents forced him to at least drive her to soccer practice. Now the keys were finally in Cameron's hands.
And it was potentially the most dangerous thing to happen to San Diego county.
In her periphery, she could see her passenger holding on to the door handle with a white knuckled grip. "You don't have to hold onto the door," she reminded him, pushing her sunglasses up into her hair. "It won't fly off if you let go."
Miffed, Bradley moved a cautious arm to balance on the edge of the open window. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't tell me you're scared of my driving."
"I'm scared of anyone who thinks that the speed limit is ninety miles an hour."
The speedometer was topping out at seventy-seven, and she made no move to ease off the gas. She grinned at him, completely turning her head. "There's no speed limit out here, not one that's enforced."
He put a hand on her cheek and shoved her head back to face the road. "You don't need to look at someone while they're talking to you, this is how accidents happen."
"It's a habit."
"A bad one. You just started driving, you're gonna break the record for shortest time with a license. I can see it now." He held out his hands in front of him in imitation of a news headline, laughing. "Two sixteen year olds accidentally launch truck off a cliff."
The road curved, hugging a rock face that rose to twice the height of the truck. Finally, they were out in the open desert, nothing on both sides except wide plains and the distant peaks of cliff sides.
