Chase The Skies

Chapter 1

Football Games, first dates, scratched new car, new state, senior year, clean slate, pass the finals, graduate. These things that seemed like such a big deal before, have faded in importance. They're nothing but a foggy memory that I can barely remember. Why it was so important for me to win that football game against the rivaling school, I'll never know. Why did I waste my time chasing after girls, who cares? I don't.

I'm not a very poetic guy, usually, but that was before I made the turn for the better. I don't have some crappy back story, or inner turmoil raging inside me, or anything like that. I simply didn't get it. My mom said I needed a job to have a stable life - a life already cut for me from the day I was born.

You see that guy right there, walking along the side of the road with his thumb up? That's me. Shaggy light brown hair and tanned skin, freckles and all. People in high school used to say I looked like an Australian surfer, I found it pretty ironic since I couldn't swim. But yup, that's me, and I'm searching for one of life's biggest questions, why?

This may seem pretty pathetic considering how vague that question is but trust me, I'll know the answer when I hear it. I was about three days into my journey of why, hitching rides from truckers and walking on the shoulder of gravel roads. Three days of not talking to my mom or dad, friends, nobody. They didn't know where I was except that I was searching for why?

I tilted my face up towards the hot Texas sun. My face already felt raw from walking under the intense heat all day and I'm sure that I had terrible farmer's tan, but I was going to stick this out.

Walking with my eyes closed I didn't see the person sitting on the ground until it was too late. I tripped over them.

"Hell buddy, watch where your going!" Was that an English accent I just heard? I was desperate to hear something else other than Texas twang.

I scrambled onto all fours and came face to face with the owner of the accent. A petit female with short black hair, her small nose scrunched, and big pouty lips. Yes, something different.

"Sorry about that," I offered my hand to help her up and she stared at it like it was covered in fungus. She got up without my help. I stood back and admired her long tan legs, tiny jean shorts, and cut off T that showed off her flat midriff. I may be getting a little too excited about this girl.

She cleared her throat in a not so subtle way to get my eyes off her body and on her face. "So, what are you doing sitting on the side of the road?" I asked.

"I don't give information out to strangers, you could be a creep for all I know," She retorts with a jut of her hip. Her shirt rides up to expose more skin and I can't help but stare at it. "Are you done?" She asks in an amused yet annoyed tone.

"Just give me a minute sweetheart," I make a big deal of ogling her breasts and then look into her amused eyes.

"Sweetheart? That's not my name."

"Well then, why don't you tell me your name so I can stop calling you sweetheart,"

She runs a hand through her hair in an attempt to remove the dark tendrils off her face. "Maggie."

"Chase The Skies," I respond automatically.

"That's a mouthful," She laughs and I join in because her tinkling laughter is infectious.

"My birth name is Chase Skies, the name I go by was made up a long time ago, with a long backstory." I inform her.

She hugs herself and looks around before responding with, "I got time,"

I'm surprised that she wants to hear the story behind my name, but don't hesitate to tell her. Picture this; A grade four version of me sets to swing all the way over top of the swing set. Many have tried before, including another boy three years older than me named Frank Polliod who broke his arm, but that wasn't going to stop me.

The first time I tried I got stopped by a teacher, and after that I tried after school - I heard all the moms within a mile radius have panic attacks. So I was resorted to the weekend. Everybody showed up wanting to see the great Chase Skies go where no fourth grader had gone before.

It took all off ten minutes for me to go over the top and another ten to puke my guts out, but I'd done it. Someone had the smart idea that it looked like I was chasing the sky, and since that sounded an awful lot like my name, kids revised it. The day of my graduation the principal called me up as Chase The Skies.

"So you really went over the top of the swing set?" Maggie had been very interested in my story, had she never heard of kids trying to do this?

"Yeah," I nodded and she nodded along with me.

"Wow," She had a look of either disbelief or awe on her face, I wasn't sure which one.

The sun had began to set a little over halfway through my triumphant story, giving the sand a golden hue. "It's really beautiful out here."

I sucked air in through my teeth in a so-so way. I'd seen this many times before, but I guess if I wasn't from here I'd be amazed too.

"Where are you headed?" She asked. We'd been walking for awhile now, but were slow enough that I could still see the spot where I tripped over her.

I cleared my throat and sent my voice high in a way of imitating what she said earlier, "I don't give information out to strangers, you could be a creep for all I know."

"I don't sound like that," She deadpanned.

"I don't sound like that," I scrunched up my nose like she did when I first met her and swayed my hips from side to side, mimicking the way she walks, "Now lets get some crumpets and have a tea party,"

My faliure of a British accent made her laugh so hard she snorted, then stop in shock of what she'd done, and began to laugh harder because of it. Soon we were laughing so hard we were doubled over, in no condition to continue walking. I felt my side start cramping, but it was a good cramping, in fact I greeted it with open arms.

We were so busy laughing that we didn't see the semi pull up beside us. Our laughter died off and the driver poked his head out the window. "Need a ride?"

"Hell yeah!" Maggie ran over to the passenger side and got in with her bag beside her.

"Not you, just her," The guy told me I started climbing in. I looked at Maggie, expecting her to get out, but she buckled her seatbelt instead.

"You're really going to go without me?" I asked in shock. She couldn't be serious, she didn't seem that stupid.

"Tough luck," She clucked her tongue and slammed the door leaving me on the other side.

The truck started to pull away, then back up and the window rolled down. I knew she wouldn't leave me behind, after the story I told her we were in too deep to separate now.

"Chase The Skies! I think you should know that I..." And the rest of her words are cut off in the wind.

Never in my life have I hated the wind more than I do now. Was she telling me she liked, or was she being rude and telling me she hated me. I stood there, astonished, until the truck drove out of site.

A little while later a beat up Chevy pulled up beside me, the window rolled down and an elderly looking man said, "Jump in." I put my bags in the back and sat down on the ripped seats. "Where too?"

I had to stopped and think for a minute. Where was I going? Why was I going? Oh yeah that's right, I'm leaving to figure that out.

I decided on the best suited answer to my desired location, "To why."

"You been drinkin'?" His country twang being just what I needed to mend my partially cracked heart. It's not like I new Maggie well enough for her to break my heart, but something happened on the side of that road. I wasn't sure what, but I figure life while tie up all the loose ends soon enough.

"I'm just goin' where your goin'," I reclined the old seat and jerked back into a laying position. "Do me a favor?"

He made a grunting noise that I took that as a 'what can I do for you', "Wake me when we're there."

[A/N: This is a short story and is already written, so I'll be updating every day or so. Recommend this to friends and family. If you like this and want more like this then read my other story Unspoken Love. Enjoy!]