Never sleep, Never wake

“Where ya’ headed?” she asked softly. I noticed her voice was shaking.

“Upstate,” I lied whilst I closed the gas cap. “gotta get going now though.. Uh. Stay safe.”

“Can I bum a ride?” she proposed, cupping her hands together somewhat innocently.

I hesitated, racking through my brain to find the most polite way to reject her.

“... Just up the street; not far from here,” she meekly stated, clearly attempting to up her odds. “Please?”