Gasoline
I Think We're Drowning In Holy Water
"You look at me, it's like you hit me with lightning." - Ellie Goulding
Will’s car smelled like cigarettes and his cologne, a scent that made Cody tired as she watched the faint lights of houses and stores flash past while Will drove out of town. She did not ask where they were going, because she had a strange feeling Will would not answer her. She leaned back in the car seat and turned up the volume on the radio, which was playing an old pop song.
“I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words how wonderful life is while you’re in the world…” Cody sang quietly, her gaze still fixed out the window.
Suddenly, Will laughed. “You like this song?” he asked as he turned up the radio even louder. “My mom used to sing this to me all the time when I was little,” he said quietly, his fingers rapidly changing the radio station so that Elton John’s voice was replaced with someone advertising car sales at the speed of light. Cody’s gaze flickered to Will, who was staring dead ahead as he drove down a road through the forest.
“Are we there yet?” Cody asked quietly. They had been driving for miles, putting more and more distance between themselves and the sleepy town where they lived.
“Almost,” Will answered. He turned onto a road that led up a steep slope, and Cody realized they were driving up the mountains that she could see from her bedroom window. She rolled the window down and let the cool autumn air blow through the car, whipping her hair around her face. She glanced at Will again, his dark hair now moving in the breeze from the open window.
Cody thought of Jude, and his tone of voice when he asked what she had been doing with Will. She knew Will was the kind of boy parents kept their daughters away from, but she didn’t really see that in him. He was as mysterious as she was; it was the mystery that inspired thoughts of danger, but it also inspired desire. The car slowed as Will rounded a final turn and parked the car along an overlook. The entire town glittered below them like jewels in a box, houses and stores and streetlights shining in a circle of forest and mountains. It was really breathtaking.
A sudden feeling of confinement caused Cody to push open the car door and walk around to the front of the car, where she leaned on the warm hood of the vehicle. Will followed her moments later, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket. He lit it, Cody’s eyes glowing as she watched the flame from his lighter.
“Why does everyone in this town seem to think you’re dangerous?” Cody asked, turning away from the view to face Will.
He sighed, exhaling a long stream of smoke into the dark sky. “I guess I kind of built up that reputation for myself,” he said. He did not look at her; he was staring out across the valley, but Cody knew he wasn’t really seeing any of it. “It started out with small things – smartass retorts to everyone, not doing homework, stuff like that. Once I got to high school, I started cutting class… at first, I’d just go out back to smoke, but then once I could drive I started leaving campus in the middle of the day and just driving around. For a while, I was pretty into graffiti, but I dropped that last year after I got arrested for it. I’ve had a couple speeding tickets, I’d gotten caught at a few parties – taken in for underage consumption, and then there was this one time I got in a fight.” A smirk flashed across his face as he recalled this memory. “My nose was bleeding all over the place, but this other kid… I ended up cracking a couple of his ribs, and he had a black eye for weeks. Everyone knew it was me, but I never got caught for it because he wouldn’t admit a sixteen-year-old had beat up a college sophomore.”
Will took another drag on his cigarette and pushed his dark hair away from his eyes. “And I’m pretty sure the smoking doesn’t help,” he added. He turned to look at Cody, a sarcastic smile on his face. “I guess all those things have added up against me. People just know me as this kid who’s always in trouble and never going anywhere.” He shrugged. “And I’ve never done anything to prove them wrong.”
Cody nodded, watching the smoke drift up into the stars. “I mean, I guess if I’ve known you my whole life I might be more willing to believe you’re such a terrible person,” she said. “But I’ve only known you a few weeks. I know how the past makes you who you are.” She took the cigarette from Will’s fingers and brought it to her lips, inhaling and exhaling slowly. “But I don’t think you’re a bad person, and I’m definitely not scared of you.” He took the cigarette back, taking a final drag before dropping it on the ground. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to start avoiding you now that I know all these things you’ve done.”
“What about you?” he asked, pushing himself up to sit on the hood of his car. “You hardly talk to anyone, and I feel like I don’t really know anything about you.” Cody jumped up to sit next to Will. “What dark secrets do you have?”
Will’s gaze was fixed on Cody, the way her pale blond hair shone silver in the moonlight and her large gray eyes stared out across the valley, reflecting its light. For a long time they sat in silence, until Cody finally said, “It’s a long story.”
“I’ve got all night,” Will said quietly, putting his hand on top of hers and weaving their fingers together.
“I’m not sure I’m ready to tell it,” she replied just as quietly, pulling her hand away.
“I understand,” he said. “Your secrets are yours to keep.” He took out another cigarette, pausing before he lit it. “But if you ever need to tell someone, I’m ready to hear it.” He grinned at her and lit the cigarette, the flame briefly lighting both of their faces. In that moment, Cody wished she had someone else to talk to, that what had happened in her past had not caused this sudden and irreversible change in her life.
Will’s car smelled like cigarettes and his cologne, a scent that made Cody tired as she watched the faint lights of houses and stores flash past while Will drove out of town. She did not ask where they were going, because she had a strange feeling Will would not answer her. She leaned back in the car seat and turned up the volume on the radio, which was playing an old pop song.
“I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words how wonderful life is while you’re in the world…” Cody sang quietly, her gaze still fixed out the window.
Suddenly, Will laughed. “You like this song?” he asked as he turned up the radio even louder. “My mom used to sing this to me all the time when I was little,” he said quietly, his fingers rapidly changing the radio station so that Elton John’s voice was replaced with someone advertising car sales at the speed of light. Cody’s gaze flickered to Will, who was staring dead ahead as he drove down a road through the forest.
“Are we there yet?” Cody asked quietly. They had been driving for miles, putting more and more distance between themselves and the sleepy town where they lived.
“Almost,” Will answered. He turned onto a road that led up a steep slope, and Cody realized they were driving up the mountains that she could see from her bedroom window. She rolled the window down and let the cool autumn air blow through the car, whipping her hair around her face. She glanced at Will again, his dark hair now moving in the breeze from the open window.
Cody thought of Jude, and his tone of voice when he asked what she had been doing with Will. She knew Will was the kind of boy parents kept their daughters away from, but she didn’t really see that in him. He was as mysterious as she was; it was the mystery that inspired thoughts of danger, but it also inspired desire. The car slowed as Will rounded a final turn and parked the car along an overlook. The entire town glittered below them like jewels in a box, houses and stores and streetlights shining in a circle of forest and mountains. It was really breathtaking.
A sudden feeling of confinement caused Cody to push open the car door and walk around to the front of the car, where she leaned on the warm hood of the vehicle. Will followed her moments later, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket. He lit it, Cody’s eyes glowing as she watched the flame from his lighter.
“Why does everyone in this town seem to think you’re dangerous?” Cody asked, turning away from the view to face Will.
He sighed, exhaling a long stream of smoke into the dark sky. “I guess I kind of built up that reputation for myself,” he said. He did not look at her; he was staring out across the valley, but Cody knew he wasn’t really seeing any of it. “It started out with small things – smartass retorts to everyone, not doing homework, stuff like that. Once I got to high school, I started cutting class… at first, I’d just go out back to smoke, but then once I could drive I started leaving campus in the middle of the day and just driving around. For a while, I was pretty into graffiti, but I dropped that last year after I got arrested for it. I’ve had a couple speeding tickets, I’d gotten caught at a few parties – taken in for underage consumption, and then there was this one time I got in a fight.” A smirk flashed across his face as he recalled this memory. “My nose was bleeding all over the place, but this other kid… I ended up cracking a couple of his ribs, and he had a black eye for weeks. Everyone knew it was me, but I never got caught for it because he wouldn’t admit a sixteen-year-old had beat up a college sophomore.”
Will took another drag on his cigarette and pushed his dark hair away from his eyes. “And I’m pretty sure the smoking doesn’t help,” he added. He turned to look at Cody, a sarcastic smile on his face. “I guess all those things have added up against me. People just know me as this kid who’s always in trouble and never going anywhere.” He shrugged. “And I’ve never done anything to prove them wrong.”
Cody nodded, watching the smoke drift up into the stars. “I mean, I guess if I’ve known you my whole life I might be more willing to believe you’re such a terrible person,” she said. “But I’ve only known you a few weeks. I know how the past makes you who you are.” She took the cigarette from Will’s fingers and brought it to her lips, inhaling and exhaling slowly. “But I don’t think you’re a bad person, and I’m definitely not scared of you.” He took the cigarette back, taking a final drag before dropping it on the ground. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to start avoiding you now that I know all these things you’ve done.”
“What about you?” he asked, pushing himself up to sit on the hood of his car. “You hardly talk to anyone, and I feel like I don’t really know anything about you.” Cody jumped up to sit next to Will. “What dark secrets do you have?”
Will’s gaze was fixed on Cody, the way her pale blond hair shone silver in the moonlight and her large gray eyes stared out across the valley, reflecting its light. For a long time they sat in silence, until Cody finally said, “It’s a long story.”
“I’ve got all night,” Will said quietly, putting his hand on top of hers and weaving their fingers together.
“I’m not sure I’m ready to tell it,” she replied just as quietly, pulling her hand away.
“I understand,” he said. “Your secrets are yours to keep.” He took out another cigarette, pausing before he lit it. “But if you ever need to tell someone, I’m ready to hear it.” He grinned at her and lit the cigarette, the flame briefly lighting both of their faces. In that moment, Cody wished she had someone else to talk to, that what had happened in her past had not caused this sudden and irreversible change in her life.