Harley

Two

"Where ya headin'?" Harley glance into the open door at the bearded man smiling back at her. He looked like a stereotypical trucker with old cap, sunglasses, and long beard.

"Nashville."

"That's a little out of my ways, but I'm head towards Arkansas if you wanna ride." Harley stood there staring at the man deciding if she wanted to actually get into the truck with a stranger. She clearly hadn't thought this out completely. She'd jumped into plenty of big rigs with people she didn't know, this was Baskin after all, most of these truckers had shown there face around so someone knew them. However, after she'd seen a documentary about some big rig serial killer in Texas, worry began to sit it.

"You getting in or not? I gots ta go girl."

"You know Scoot Boudreaux?" The man snatched off his glasses and furrowed his brows.

"White hair, mean looking sum a bitch?" She nodded her head.

"Yeah." He picked up his TB radio, brought it near, and began to speak into it. He repeated until Harley heard Scoot's familiar voice calling back. "Scoot I have a girl askin' bout you out here in Baskin." Scoot quickly responded as Harley climbed into the big rig's cabin.

"Scoot don't be mad, but I'm leaving Baskin for Nashville and I couldn't wait for you to come back. I'm riding with..." She glanced over and waited for the man next to her to fill in his name.

"Bubba."

"I'm riding with Bubba to..." She waited for him to fill in the blank again. "Jackson, Arkansas." She let go of the button to talk, and waited for Scoot.

"What did your mama say?" Harley could hear the annoyance in Scoot's voice.

"She thinks I'm riding with you, but I promise to tell her when I get to pay phone. You know she'd come driving down the rode chasing me down if she knew it was any other way." Scoot's end went silent long enough for Harley to wonder if he was still there.

"Bubba you take care of my little girl as if she was your Ann. You hear me. And Harley when I get the chance I'm going to have a hard talking to you. Your hardheaded just like your mama. You call me when you get the chance." Giddily Harley smiled and turned to Bubba. "I love you Tyke."

"Love you too." With that Scoot ended the conversation and Bubba started the truck back up.

"We best to get going then." Bubba smiled and eased his foot on the gas.

Beau Theriot was the name of the boy had given Harley butterflies since 9th grade. As a freshman Harley would walk to class with her backpack full of books and hiked up to the back of her neck, and just seeing Beau would make her want to drop it and take off in the opposite direction.

He had that effect on just about every girl. If he didn't make them nervous, he made them fawn over him.

First of all, he was tall. As a junior he towered over most of the senior boys, and even some of the teachers. Second, his sun-kissed skin seemed to perfectly complement his chocolate hair that framed his face which looked more like it belong on the cover of a magazine rather than walking the halls of a high school in middle of nowhere Louisiana. Third, everyone knew he was going places. As a sophomore he was a first string varsity football player, and next in line to take Dylan's place as captain. In fact, he was so good that he was being scouted as a freshman for college, and professionally.

Both Beau and Harley knew each other, they didn't run in the same circles, but being that Beau and Harley were both raised in Baskin, it was inevitable. She knew he was Pastor Jo's nephew, and he knew that she was Dylan's little sister. However, that was about as far as knowing each other as it got. The tables turned one day when he passed her by and instead if looking through her, like he'd done every day for a year to stopping, smiling noting that she was in fact Dylan's little sister. She couldn't help but smile for the rest of the week after that.