|CROSSROADS x LEAP YEAR | Eighteen-year-old April Lewis flees her troubled home, desperate to escape her emotionally distant, controlling mom, and seek out her dad.
Little does she know a chance encounter with her classmate will take her on a cross...
"Nah. I respect what you did." Dave's hand tightens on the steering wheel.
"You can be honest with me if you think I'm a fool and a spoiled brat."
He glances at me but says nothing, which spurs me to keep talking.
"Perhaps I am. Although I don't know how I can be. Spoiled people are used to having their way. I never had my way. To the contrary. I've always been told what to do, how to do it, when, why, and with whom."
"Sounds familiar." Dave lets out a deep throaty chuckle.
"If my mom saw me now, in this car, with you, she'd freak out."
"Well, you seem to be doing alright."
Rain lashes against the windshield, a relentless curtain blurring the neon glow of the roadside attractions. The Pontiac wipers thrum a frantic rhythm, barely keeping up with the deluge.
I stifle a yawn, and Dave reaches out, gently adjusting the air conditioning towards me.
That tiny gesture of his, ensuring that I'm comfortable, means so much to me.
Then the memory of what we did swipes its ugly paw at me, and my drowsiness is fully gone. I grip the passenger seat, a knot of tension tightening in my stomach.
We need to talk about this.
I've never been the one to keep everything inside until it boils over, and I'm not about to start now.
"Dave, what happened back there, in Clinton diner... I mean, that was crazy. Skipping out on the bill? That's not me."
A flicker of what I think might be regret crosses his face, momentarily hidden by the windshield glare.
"Yeah, I figured," he mumbles, his voice tight. "Sorry. I just... You seemed kind of worried and I wanted to shake things up. Do something spontaneous. Something fun."
My jaw clenches. In hindsight, it didn't feel like fun to me. "You could have gotten us arrested!" After the adrenaline wore out, it felt kind of mean. "Harold was kind to us and now he's stuck with our bill. I think I learned a lot from that short conversation with him."
Watch and learn. That's what one of Dad's letters says.
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"Not gonna lie, I feel bad about it, too." He runs a hand through his hair. "Look, it was a stupid idea. Honestly, I..." A flicker of sheepishness crosses his face. "I was trying to save some money."
My brow furrows. "Save some money? But you just filled the tank. And that wasn't exactly a cheap diner."
"Yeah, well." He avoids my gaze. "I... underestimated the cost of things."
An uneasy silence settles between us, punctuated only by the rhythmic roar of the rain.
