I-55

When Roxie’s phone started ringing a little before 7 the next morning, she didn’t think twice before rolling over and snatching it from her bedside table.

“Mornin’ sunshine,” she greeted sleepily, rolling back onto her bed with a lazy smile.

“Roxanne.”

She shot up immediately, her eyes wide and suddenly very awake. Her blood was rushing through her body much quicker than it had only moments prior and each breath she took was clipped a little short. Why hadn't she of thought to check the Caller I.D.?

This voice most definitely did not belong to Jonathan.

“What d’ya want?” she hissed, narrowing her hazel eyes even though Luke couldn’t see them.

“Who were you expecting to be calling?" his voice was hard and cut through her like a razor. "Are you getting cozy up in Chicago with some boy?”

“No-one, Luke. No one, and it ain’t none of your damn business if I was ‘neways.”

Lukas chuckled darkly on the other end of the call, a sound that sent shivers through Roxie’s body in all the wrong ways.

“Oh? I beg to differ, Rox, you’re my wife. I have every right in the world to know if you’re cheatin’ on me, and who with.”

“I won’t be your damn wife for long, but I ain’t seein’ no one up here. Now what’re you callin’ for this damn early in the mornin’? Roosters ain’t even crowin’ there yet.”

“You didn’t answer my call last night. Why?”

“I was workin’,” she lied, fidgeting nervously. She knew lying to his face was pointless, he could read her like an open book, but there were times she could get by via the phone.

“Bullshit, you hussie,” he growled, and Roxie could all but see the anger flashing through his eyes and his fists clenching. This wouldn't be one of those times.

“Now you list’n here, Lukas Kennedy. You don’t go callin’ me, alright? If I have somethin’ to say to you, or that you need to be aware of, I will let you know myself. Otherwise, you need’a stay the hell out of my life and leave me alone.”

With those words, she ended her phone call. She let the small cell phone slide from her hand onto the bed as she fell back, curling herself into a tight ball. Roxie was powerless to the tears that were beginning to form, She loved Luke, honestly, but she was no longer in love with him. He had been so good to her in the beginning, their relationship was beautifully flawless—other than her families utter disapproval of him. He was about five years her senior but nonetheless started dating when she turned sixteen. Roxie had always been mature for her age, and they had met through one of the countless rodios they each avidly participated in.

He thought she was stunning, a perfect southern belle.
She thought he was beautiful, a perfect country gentleman.

To all their friends, the pair was a perfect match. Luke was her date to senior prom, he attended all her barrel racing competitions, he was at all of her rodeos that didn’t conflict with his own schedule. They rode horses together, they went mudding together,they worked together and drank beer together.

Luke had been her first kiss. He had been her first romance, her first love—other than horse riding. On top of being her first everything, he was also her only. It was something they both took great pride in and cherished.

But after Lukes accident with the bull while they lived in Tennessee, a little over a year after their marriage, everything had changed. He was broody, moody. Unstable, at best. But Roxie had tried to push though it, to always be there for him when he needed her. They moved back to Texas at her insistence, to put them closer to both families who could help.

Things got better for a while and Luke was affectionate and loving again. It didn’t last more than a couple of months, though, before he was back to heavy drinking. And he was a terrible alcoholic.
Everything escalated from then, until she physically and emotionally could not take things anymore.

Roxie packed all of her belongings one night, and set off on the interstate driving her red and black ’69 Camaro that her father had spent the better part of fifteen years fixing up for her graduation present. It was her most prized possession, and she’d be damned if he destroyed that as well.

Her phone ringing again cut her reminiscing short, and angrily she answered—not bothering to even check the I.D.

“I thought I told ya to leave me the hell alone?” she snarled through the tears, bracing herself for the impending lecture that was bound to spring from Lukas.

But there was no lecture. No Lukas.

“Um, I’m… sorry?”

“Oh! Jonathan, honey, no—I’m so sorry, I didn’t even thank to look who was callin’, I just-“

“It’s fine, Roxie. Rough morning, I take it?” soothed Jonathan, his deep voice spreading a blanket of comfort across her racing mind. She sniffed once, determined to hold back her sobs until they were off the phone. “Hey- hey, Rox, what’s wrong? What happened?”

“Y-yeah, rough morning… Just, I thought—Lukas called just a minute ago, ‘n I hung up on ‘em… Thought the idiot was callin’ back to hassle me some more.”

“Well. Why don’t you hop up and get ready? Sharpy, Kane, and I were going to hangout today, you know, cause trouble on our off day. We thought you might like to join us, so I was calling to ask.”

Momentarily, her thoughts flashed back to her brief conversation with Luke—was she getting emotionally invested in one of the boys? Was she cheating on him? No, she concluded. They were just hanging out, as friends. She could do that.

“Yeah, of course. When do I need to meet you guys and where?”

“I’ll come get you in… about an hour and a half?”

“See you then, Jon,” she smiled, hanging up as he said goodbye.

She needed this, thought Roxie as she quickly stripped from her few undergarments for sleeping and stepped into the shower. The guys would be good for her, good to be around and good to bring her back to reality. She needed to start acting like she was twenty-two again, not like she was thirty-two. She needed to smile, to laugh, to have fun again.

They would be able to bring her out of her rut.