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“We can’t do that again, Leigh.”

“Well how else are we going to get there,” the aforementioned girl asked, holding her thumb out to the road and tugging her suitcase behind her. Julian stared at the outstretched hand with a look of apprehension. Julian knew she couldn’t let Leigh go through that again. It wasn’t worth it. She would walk the rest of the way to Los Angeles, if it meant Leigh would be safe from that.

Cars breezed past them without even slowing, and Julian was halfway grateful for their dismissal. She got her hopes up too soon however, and a rusted silver beater pulled up next to them. The window rolled down, and a girl around their age with hair the same color as the sky grinned out at them, “Heading somewhere?”

“Los Angeles, but if you could even get us a mile up the road that would be awesome,” Leigh leaned over, crossing her arms on the edge of the window. The girl used the button on her door to unlock the rest of them, and gestured for the two girls to hop in.

“Luck for you, I’m heading home to Vegas. I can drop you off at a hotel there, then after that you’re on your own,” Leigh gave the girl a grin and shelled out a twenty for gas.

“That would be perfect. My name is Leigh, and this is Julian.”

“I’m Carrie. I knew you two looked familiar. I saw you guys on the television. No worries, I won’t rat you out. Running away?” Carrie grabbed her cigarette from the ashtray and took a drag. She saw Julian’s look of longing in the mirror, and offered the rest of the stick to her. Julian accepted it with near-tears, almost finishing it off with one drag.

“Nah. Big mission. We’re on a grand exodus to California to find Julian’s dad.”

“He walk out?”

“He was kicked out, technically,” Julian offered from around the cigarette in her lips. Carrie laughed a bit, and glanced at Julian through the rearview mirror.

“Yeah? Well, good on you, girlie. Good luck, you’ll need it. L.A. is a jungle.”

***

After exchanging phone numbers, Carrie dropped the two girls off at a small motel and wished them luck once again. After their chauffeur peeled out of the parking lot, Julian and Leigh spent a good chunk of their leftover money on a room. Staring dismally at her wallet, Julian sat on the bed and counted her spare change.

Leigh rummaged through the room’s drawers and desk, throwing notepads and bibles across the room. Julian looked up when Leigh let out a cry of triumph, seeing her friend clutching a complementary tourist pamphlet. On the front, a photograph of a Greyhound bus was prominent, with text explaining a shuttle bus between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

“How much money do you have?” Julian showed the contents of her wallet, and Leigh snatched the few bills out, “I’ll be back, I’m going to get us these tickets. Stay beautiful, don’t miss me.”

After Leigh left, Julian flipped the television on and watched the local news again. After a few reports on crimes, the familiar pictures flashed on the screen and they began to drone about the two missing girls. Hurriedly, Julian flipped the television off and waited for Leigh to come barreling back to the room.

“Julian, I saw the report at the bus station!” Leigh practically kicked the door down, and locked the bolt and chain behind her without missing a beat. Julian stood up, and found herself holding the only bus ticket that Leigh came back with, “There was only enough for one. Here’s the leftover cash. I have a plan!”

“I’m not hiding you in my suitcase, Leigh.”

“Well, shit. Time for Plan B, I guess,” Leigh peeked out the windows briefly before closing the curtains and casting the room into artificial light from the ceiling, “I’m going to be your distraction.”

“What.”

“Tonight, the bus leaves for Los Angeles. We wasted out money on this room, but whatever. While you’re going to board the bus, I’m going to go to the police station and turn myself in. When they ask about you, I’m going to say you’re still back in Salt Lake City.”

“Leigh…”

“Don’t even try, Julian. This is the only way. They’ll ship me back off to Wisconsin, and then go on a wild goose chase around Salt Lake City for you. While that’s happening, you’re going to be riding comfortably to L.A. and right into the safety of your Dad’s home,” Leigh held up a hand to stop Julian’s protests, and leaned forward to hug Julian.

“Julian, you’ve been my best friend for almost my whole life. For that entire time, I’ve seen how desperate you’ve been to know your Dad. This is your chance, Julian. I’m not going to let that slip away from you. Even if I go to jail, juvie or house arrest. Julian, I blew an old man to get you this far. Let me be a martyr this one last time, alright?”

“I love you, Leigh,” Julian buried her face in Leigh’s shoulder, and let her friend pat her back fondly.

“I love you too, Julie-bulie.”

“You ruined it, Leigh. You ruined it.”

***

After a teary goodbye and a heartfelt thank you, Julian and Leigh parted ways. As she turned in her ticket and stepped on to the bus, she saw two squad cars go racing by, their lights flashing and sirens blazing. Looks like Leigh made it without a hitch. Now it was her turn.

Julian chose a seat at the back of the bus, and yanked her hood of her sweater over her hair to disguise herself. A man sat on the seat across the aisle across form her, and gave her an odd look. She tugged her hood down more to block his eyes, and hurriedly answered her phone that was ringing without bothering to look at who it was. She almost regretted this, until she heard the familiar, soothing voice of Conor on the other end.

“Julian?”

“Good evening, Conor.”

“Where are you?” He sounded so worried, Julian felt bad for not keeping in contact with him, but she had been so busy with everything that had happened since they split that she had forgotten to let him know.

“I’m on a bus to L.A. as we speak.”

“So you got to Las Vegas alright?”

Julian let out a bitter laugh, which earned a skeptical hum from Conor. Readjusting her hood again, she explained everything that had happened since he left, right down to Leigh having to perform oral on an old coot.

“Where is Leigh now?”

“In the back of a police cruiser at the moment, I figure,” Julian then quietly explained that Leigh had given herself up as a distraction, and Conor remarked that Julian was lucky to have such a selfless friend. Julian gave a wry smile and looked out the window at the buildings that were starting to move - or was it the bus moving?

“Julian, I have to let you go. Stay safe,” he sounded reluctant to hang up, but she had clearly heard the voice of another man in the background, calling him to get back in the sound booth. Julian felt herself smile truly for the first time since the car had broken down outside of Omaha, and agreed to Conor’s request.

Hanging up the phone, she slipped it into her bra strap and felt a hand quickly wrap around her upper arm. Jolting away, she shoved the figure of the person away and pushed herself up against the window and away from him. The man laughed and held his hands up in surrender.

“Well if it isn’t Julian. I knew something was fishy about you, you little rebel. Running off across the country, look at James fuckin’ Dean over here, everyone,” Julian squinted at the man and tried to place a name with the face. He was so familiar, but she didn’t remember from where.

The man let out another laugh and roughed his hair up a bit with both hands before pulling it to stand straight up. Her eyebrows shot up and she leaned forward, “Jimmy Urine?”