I Want To Get Off Mr.Bone's Wild Ride

Stranger Danger

     A dark maroon car pulled up in front of the small 20th century home. Lily received a message, the driver saying he had arrived. She was already late to dinner, and did not want to be seen as a flake, made all the worse because she had been late to the last hang out too. She would take any driver so long as they got the job done.

     Lily exited the house, locking the door with the spare key her family kept under the doormat. The car was out of sight of the door, slightly pulled up around the cul-de-sac so she could take comfort in knowing the driver wouldn't know where the key was.

     The car trembled under the movement of the engine. Lily could hear it growling, a slumbering beast trapped in the hood of the car. She opened the door and sat in the backseat, opposite side from the driver so she could make quiet conversation if needed. The drive would only be fifteen minutes, but some people were uncomfortable in silence. 

     The profile of the driver was rather cheery, the skin around his mouth pulled slightly upwards in a subtle smile. His hair was messy, but nice, thrown up in a sort of kempt-bedhead style. He wore sunglasses to shield his eyes from the harsh Arizona sun, but the corners of his eyes were wrinkled with what seemed to be genuine delight with the world.

     The car pulled away from Lily's house, the growling turning into a roar. The interior of the car was incredibly pleasing to the eye, a black matte coating everything with subtle grey highlights lining the sights. A small row of LED's wrapped around the interior roof, to provide light during the night. They glowed a dull blue, similar to a wishing well.

     The inside of the car was dark, even with the afternoon sun glaring through the windows. The light seemed to become weak when traveling through the windows, leaving Lily in the shadow of the seat. Despite the pleasing interior, Lily felt a growing unease.

     The driver spoke, a beautiful warbling cadence to his tone, "So, headed to Zupas eh? A big fan of their quinoa myself, but I have to say their menu is quite superb in general."

     Lily sighed, the disappointment of having to talk to a stranger flashing briefly through her mind, "Yea, my friends and I eat there whenever we can all get together. It's just a nice place to sit down and eat sometimes."

    "Oh of course, it's just so rough having so much to do in the day, it is a great relief from the stress to sit down and eat a nice meal. You have a lot of stress lately?"

    Lily thought back to her own life, the events of the past flashing through her mind. Something in the man's voice just made her want to tell him everything then and there, but she quickly shook that thought out. "There's been a bit going on lately, so I've been hoping for a little of an escape I'll admit."

     The driver smiled at that, a hard to read expression given the topic. "Oh I've been in that situation before myself. Someone close to me was really quite bent on making my life difficult and I wish I had had some sort of escape at the time, but all I could do was wait for what came my way sadly. Horrific, how the world works sometimes." He laughed at that, seeming amused by himself. The laugh was melodic, sounding almost like music. 

     Lily sat in silence for a moment, lost in thought. She felt almost connected to the man, despite the ambiguity in his story. Her own life could be described in a similar manner. Just imagining the scenes in her head almost brought her to tears for what must be the millionth time that week. "Its just... I fucking hate how people have to act so shitty all the time you know? Like, my best friend, I just don't understand..." Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes, the past frustration threatening to spill over.

     "Oh sweetie, you shouldn't worry about it too much. People hurt each other and thats just the way of the world. I've long since come to terms with my own situation, but it took what feels like an eternity." The driver laughed again, a bit of spite creeping into it this time. "If you can accept what happened, even if it takes a little while, you'll be much better off."

     The man's words floated into Lily's mind, an idea she had long since had herself but simply couldn't bring herself to accept. It wasn't so easy to just forget and live with the pain of losing a friend. "It's just... I don't think I'll be able to get over it so soon. It's always on my mind and I just can't stop myself from caring..." She trailed off, her voice trembling slightly.

     "No no, don't worry about it for now, that's on me sorry. I believe it will take awhile before it stops feeling fresh, but I imagine you will have quite some time to get over it." Again, he laughed, the spite gone. His countenance returned to the delight it was before. "Do you have many other friends to support you through this rough patch?" He asked. 

     Lily felt the same unease she had earlier, despite the overall pleasing experience. The way the man asked about her, the innate persuasion he had when questioning, everything just felt off. "Yeah... I have a few." Lily stopped herself from explaining further, despite the almost intense desire to tell him more. It was worrying how badly she wanted to tell the man everything on her plate, she barely knew him after all.

     "What's wrong Lily, you seem hesitant. Is there something bothering you?" He hit the nail on the head, a situation that would be creepy if a seedier person was the focus.