"Where might this place be?"
"Turn left."
"Can't you take one of your girlfriends or something?"
"I could. But I prefer you."
"It's getting late, you know."
"If you don't want to go, by all means, take me home."
He stayed silent, his knuckles turning white on the wheel. "At least Nav it or something."
"Trust me, I know where it is."
"Out of any location in this state, why a goddamn forest?"
"Because I have something to show you."
"What?"
"It's a long story."
"It's a long drive."
I fell silent for a few moments. "Tell me about your family," I said suddenly and softly, curiosity burning in the back of my throat.
His face remained static. "I'm willing to make you a deal. I trade you a short and boring-as-fuck summary of my life, you tell me something in return."
"I guess it's a deal." I watched his face for any sign of discomfort, pain, something. But he stayed blank as a sheet.
"I'm an only child. Zilch on the siblings. The only thing my mom hates more than sobriety is my dad. The old pops has a spouse. Her name's Julia. They live in some fancy neighborhood called Windsor Heights or something, got some dogs and a couple kids of their own. They send me money every month just to, you know, 'keep me afloat'. I volunteer at a boxing studio and work at a mini-mart, as you so humbly know. That's about it."
His eyebrows were turned downward in anger. His raven-black hair hung low, dangling over his eyes in soft, straight tendrils. I wanted to speak, but couldn't. What could you say to that? I waited silently for him to say more.
"Now it's my turn. Tell me about that boyfriend of yours."
I tried to mask the surprise in my voice. "His name was Wyatt."
"'Was?' Did he die?"
"No," I said slowly. "We dated for two years. He wanted to major in film. He cheated on me at a party."
"That's all? We're girl-talking, you gotta give me some more--"
"Turn right," I cut him off.
"There's no street there."
"Yes there is."
"If my car runs into a tree on your faux road, so help me--"
"It won't."
He turned sharply to the right, almost ejecting me from my seat in the process. The narrow one-car road faded from pavement to dirt, and the sound of running tires soon dampened in the mud. I gazed out at the trees before me, the warm feeling of nostalgia flooding my insides. Outside my window I spotted the fenced entrance, equipped with barbed wire and all.
"You can park right here." I pointed to the side of the road. He pulled over without complaint and killed the engine.
"Do you have a flashlight?" I asked, turning to face him. The dim lampost illuminated his features, accentuating how severe and angular they were.
"In the glove box. What are we doing here?"
"I'm Dexter in disguise. Surprise, I'm here to murder you." I said sarcastically, fingers fumbling to find the glove box handle. I felt a dent and pulled it open with all my might, only to have at least thirty condoms pour out of the compartment, scattering all over the floor of the truck.
YOU ARE READING
Tourmaline
Fiksi Remaja"Some people are just simply and utterly unlovable." He fell silent. His breathing was rhythmic and manual, as if he had accidentally fallen asleep. I took a moment to listen to the soft whistle of his exhales, the sound of his fingers tapping a fas...
