Flowers and Their Crushed Petals (ryden)

Chapter Three: Alabama

I had been driving for a while and had finally made it in North Carolina. I was in the small town of Gatesville, it was around 3:00 and I was starving. I pulled into a small diner's parking lot and walked into the restaurant. It was empty except for a group of people about my age in the back booth. I sat two booths down from the group who were all laughing and telling stories. I order something small and starred at unimpressive town. The group behind seemed to be finishing up. A thin blonde girl stumbled next to my booth and smiled at me. Her hair was wild and matted in parts, she wore a ripped flannel and denim shorts, her run down sneakers had multiple holes in them, and she looked more happy than anyone Brendon had ever met.
"You've been driving." She said with one look at him. The rest of her group made there way towards the exit, she looked at them but payed it no mind. "For at least eight hours."
"How did you know?" I asked starring at her eyes. Her eyes were wild and told million stories. They told of times of good and times of bad. They told of times of dancing in the rain for hours, and climbing rocks on the side of the road.
"I just know." She smirked. Her smile was warm and made me want to know her whole life story. "I travel a lot, so I guess I have an eye for it." She sat down across from me and starred at me.
"Are you traveling right now or do you love here?" She let out a roar of laughter and then sighed.
"No I don't live in this shit hole. I'm traveling. Well I'm always traveling."
"What you just drive around the country all year?"
"Yup, my friends and I. We were in Europe last year. We just drive around and find odd jobs to make money, and he live in that van." She pointed at an old VW van that had flowers painted on the side.
"That's funny, I'm doing that right now. I... I actually ran away yesterday." I said looking down, I had no idea why I was telling this stranger this. She was just so easy to talk to, like she could give me wisdom to fix my situation.
"Really we're all runaways!" She said with a smile and a slap on the table. "Malcolm there saves us all from a life on the streets." She pointed to guy who looked about thirty, leaning against her van smoking a cigarette. "He picks up kids from the street and teaches them worldly wisdom through living. He doesn't make us sit in a classroom and read textbooks, but takes us places and shows us!" She said with her eyes growing even more wild.
"Isn't that a little...cluty?"
"It sounds like it," she let out a laugh. "But we're pretty much just a group of friends traveling." She smiled and my worries seemed to melt away. "We're going to Alabama to meet a friend and then we're going into Louisiana, do you want to come with us? We have an extra spot in the van."
"I actually have my car, but I would love to follow you guys." I smiled and saw her face light up with joy.
"Oh my god! Yay, are you ready to go? Because I think my friends are." She smiled and stood up.
"Yeah." I put a twenty on the table and climbed out of the booth. I followed her out of the diner and out to her four friends. They all greeted me with a warm smile and a weave. "Hey, I'm Brendon." I said breaking the silence.
"Hey, I'm Malcolm."
"Hi, I'm Carmen." Said a small brunette girl with a face covered in freckles.
"Hey, I'm Jackson." Said a tall guy with bread.
"And I'm Connor." Said the last of her friends.
"Nice to meet you guys." I said nodding at them. "You know I never did get your name." I said turning towards her.
"Oh my god, I totally forgot! I'm Dylan." She said with her warm smile. "Guys he's gonna follow us into Alabama!" She said cheerfully. They all said nodded and jumped into the van. I said goodbye and walked over to my car. I got in and started to wonder what I was doing. Why was I following these group of odd people I just meet. I hesitated when they started to pull out. Should I go? I decided to go. What could I loose? I have nothing. So I could loose nothing.