bridges » david dobrik

5

"This place gives me the fucking creeps," David sighed as he exited the shower, dripping wet and a towel slung low on his hips. I was almost shocked by his openness, but quickly sobered up when I realized we had first met when I was the one half naked. "There's a fucking cemetery back there; did you know that?"

I didn't answer. I didn't know that, and the place was a touch creepy inside with tiny clown statues sitting next to the TV and a few sporadic clown paintings on the walls, but I didn't answer. Instead, I tossed the disposable camera towards him.

"What is this?"

"It's for you," I replied sheepishly. I felt a little dumb giving him a disposable camera when he just sold his thousand dollar one, but it was a nice thought. "You can get them developed later and at least have something to post. I will take pictures of you with the clowns tomorrow."

"Wow," he half smiled down at the camera, then back at me. "That's oddly nice."

"What do you mean oddly nice?" I scoffed in response, taking full offense to his words. "I've been the nice one this whole time!"

"Are you kidding?" he frowned, staring at me like I was insane. "You stared out the window the whole ride pissed."

"I wasn't pissed," I gasped. "I was just looking around. I've never been out of California. You weren't talking, and when you were, you were snapping at me."

"Because you're intimidating!" he yelled back, and we both winced when someone banged on the wall a few times, probably telling us to shut the fuck up since it was past midnight. "You look too cool for me."

"I have one friend and I work at the library," I laughed. "I am not the intimidating one here."

"Yeah, but you're different," he said with certainty in his voice.

"How so?" I raised my eyebrows in genuine curiosity, wondering what he could possibly say about me. "We've barely said ten words to each other."

"I don't know how to explain it," David chuckled when he realized he was still in just a towel. "Hold on, I'll be right back."

It took him a few minutes, but he returned in his black tank top and gold shorts. I had to laugh; whenever I didn't have a shirt, I almost looked like Janet. We looked like a couple, even unknowingly. I kind of wanted to sing Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me just to see what would happen, but I had more common sense than that. David and I could not, and would not, do anything on this trip.

I knew the second we got home this whole thing would be over, and I refused to let myself get caught up in it. I was normal, and he was... him.

I leaned back on the bed, kicking my feet up to say, "So... tell me how I'm different."

"You seem like the kind of girl who doesn't have an Instagram," he said, and that was it. His explanation of me being different and intimidating was him picking up on the fact that I didn't have an Instagram.

"That's your profound statement?" I laughed out loud, almost feeling bad when another harsh knock landed on the wall behind me. "I hate to break it to you, David, but I am like the other girls. I'm not unique or different. I'm just as stuck up and fake as everyone else from LA, whether or not I have social media."

"I never said you weren't," he sighed, crawling into the queen sized bed next to me. "I just think you're different."

"I'm not," I said, standing up to head to the shower. "All boys think that a girl is going to come along that isn't going to be worried about materialistic things and makes them feel different and alive, but people like that don't exist. It'll probably benefit you in the future to get over that idea. I'll be in the shower."

The hot shower cleared my distaste for David. He didn't know he was striking a nerve, and I felt bad for snapping at him. He obviously didn't take it to heart, because when I came back fresh and clean, he was sound asleep above the blankets, using his shirt as a barrier between his head and the pillow.

David woke up before me the next morning and packed our things up, which didn't take long considering our "things" consisted of car keys, the map, and the disposable camera. He woke me up at around ten and encouraged me to get out of bed, though I didn't want to, saying we'd never make it home if we slept all day. I finally got up and, upon looking at myself in the mirror and seeing my massive, tangled wavy hair and dark circles, decided there was nothing I could do to possibly fix it.

"We need to get gas today," I reminded him as we exited the room. "And I need some shoes."

"We'll ask whoever's at the front desk where the nearest station is," he responded, leading us down the steps and back to the clown filled main office. I cringed as we entered, the clown figurines no longer seeming whimsical with a full night's rest and no hangover. It was quite creepy. Bob, as nice as ever, was still sitting behind the counter when we entered.

"We're checking out, Bob," I smiled, dropping the room key onto the table.

"Did you kids have fun?" he asked suggestively. I felt bad for Bob and his loss of Roberta, so I did the only thing that I thought could make his day: grabbing David's hand and wove our fingers together.

"We did," I smiled, giving David a customary just go with it squeeze. "Is there a gas station around here?"

"Turn right out of the parking lot, and there's a rest stop a couple miles down. I meant to tell you last night," he added the last sentence as an afterthought, then continued, "If you're headed to Vegas, you'll pass the International Car Forest of the Last Church about thirty minutes down in Goldfield. If you're on a road trip, you should stop. It's pretty cool down there. Bertie loved it."

"We'll keep that in mind," I grinned. As promised, I took a few pictures of David with the clowns, and we took one together. I waved to Bob on our way out, hearing him call after us, "God bless you!"

"Why'd you grab my hand?" David asked as soon as we left the office, his hand practically forcing mine off of his.

"He thought we were dating," I shrugged. "I didn't want to disappoint."

"Sure," David raised his eyebrows like he didn't believe me, and I rolled my eyes.

Back to square one.

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goodnight i have to go to bed i have church tomorrow xoxo abby