Little Lune
One
Bea's POV
It was finally the day. The second Tuesday of summer break, just as we had planned it in March. We were finally getting out. Running away.
I wasn't a bad kid, I drank eight cups of water a day and always got straight A's, despite the influence of my older, wiser and much more mischievous friend Roxanne. She was the only friend I'd ever had which was strange seeing how we were complete opposites, but I think it had a lot to do with the fact that she was the only girl in school that didn't smell like they'd just ran all the way here from Canada.
At the ages of fourteen and fifteen, we had discovered the problem with Truths and Consequences while sitting in the ice cream parlor next to the cemetery; The Pattern, you're born here, you die here, and that was it. No one ever did anything special, and nothing ever happened. It was on that day that we promised ourselves we would die somewhere that mattered.
During Spring Break, Roxanne and I were in the ice cream shop, day dreaming about getting out of here, when we came across an article in the newspaper about a beached whale in Los Angeles, we'd never been to the beach and were endlessly fascinated by the idea of skipping over the waves and the idea of sunbathing on the sand, a place called the City of Angels must have mattered, so we decided, we would go to Los Angeles.
"I am absolutely thrilled to know this is the last time I'll have to climb through this damn window." Roxanne grumbled, shoving herself into my shoe box sized room.
"I'm scared, Rox. What if we get lost? Or run out of gas? Or money? What if our parents find us?" Panic was beginning to settle in as I realized what my reality was about to become.
"Calm down Bea, everything will be fine, live a little." She sat down on my neatly made bed.
"We'll have to go soon. My mom's shift at the bar ends at midnight." It was nearing 11:30 PM now.
"Are you finished packing?"
"I think so, yeah." I began to check off the list in my head. Money? Check. Clothes? Check. Map? Check.
"I feel really bad about taking my grandma's car." She twiddled the old keys between her fingers, "It's not like she goes anywhere anyways I guess."
She looked over at me and I saw a flash of uncertainty in her eyes which set my nerves into a frenzy. Roxanne was the kind of girl that always knew what she wanted, she was confident and had a hard head on her shoulders, allowing easily for me to cower in her shadow, which I was thankful for, I didn't like being the center of attention.
"We should go." My mouth spoke before my brain could catch up, knowing I would try to talk myself out of it.
We gathered my things scurrying out of the front door as I took one last look at the place I'd always called home. A picture of my mother and I sat beside the old box TV and I silently bid her goodbye. I really did love my mother, but she was hardly ever around anyways, always too busy working, doing her best to get us by, and I needed to do this, for me, so I didn't end up like her, sad and alone.
The old 1970 Buick Estate Wagon started noisily. It definitely wasn't the coolest car but it would get us out of here.
Neither of us spoke as we drove past the bar, or the ice cream shop, or cemetery, too involved in our own thoughts I suppose, or maybe we were holding our breath, as if our breathing would give us away, but once we pulled on to the deserted highway, Roxanne turned to me, a gleam in her eye, and spoke, "I can't believe we are actually doing it! Just think in about 12 hours we will be on the beach soaking up the sun! We can get fake IDs and go to clubs, and we can go to the Santa Monica pier and meet boys, I'm so ready to get rid of this V-Card, and oh my God, everything is going to be perfect!"
Her optimism soothed me and I was excited again. She flipped on the radio, one of her grandmother's Beach Boys tapes playing through the speakers.
"Rox, I refuse to allow your first time to be a one night stand."
She didn't respond, but instead rolled down the windows, "Do you smell that?"
"Smell what?"
"Freedom."
She squealed loudly, accelerating, never glancing behind us, Truths and Consequences was in the past now.
"Okay, so if we drive non-stop we'll get there around one tomorrow, then we need to find a place to stay." I told, wanting to make sure everything was in order before all the fun started.
"Okay, I suppose we'll stay in a hotel the first week or two until we find somewhere."
Rox's parents had died just months ago, leaving her to live with her grandmother. They weren't rich by any sense of the word, but they left Roxy all they had, most of it got sold, all of that money going to funeral costs, but she had been sure to keep the small gold necklace with the tiny ruby pendant on it that her mom had always worn, the thing never leaving her neck, but according to her the best gift they had left was money. Their entire life savings, every bit of it going to their little girl, three thousand dollars, it wasn't much considering they'd spent a lifetime collecting it, but that didn't matter. Since the day they'd died Rox had deemed it our "get out money" and all though it wouldn't last forever it would be just enough to get us started.
The two of us planned to get jobs once we arrived in LA. We would skip college, not having the funds for it, college had never been on our road map to bigger and better things anyway, so we would launch ourselves straight into the work force.
"We should get cool jobs, I don't want to end up in fast food." I voiced my concerns, propping my feet up on the dash.
"I want to work with clothes, or maybe be a stripper or something." She was joking about the last part I think.
I leaned my head against the window beginning to feel tired, my adrenaline dwindling, it was nearing 2:30 AM now, the Beach Boys tape long over had been replaced with The Temptations, the scenery passed in a blur and I hoped in the light of day everything would feel like less of a dream.
***
"Bea wake up!" Roxanne's voice bellowed much too loudly throughout the car.
I opened my eyes, pain shooting up my neck as I readjusted it, taking my now sleeping feet off of the dashboard.
"Are we here?" I asked, glancing at the window to see the sky just barely lit, we weren't moving anymore but parked outside of a gas station.
"No, we're in Arizona somewhere, but I'm exhausted so it's your turn to drive."
She shoved her door open, then coming over and opening mine.
"Let's get some coffee in you and then we'll go, I already filled up the car."
I got out of the car, glancing at the clock as I did, it was just after seven in the morning. My mind wondered to what my mom could be doing right now, wondering if she'd figured out that I was gone yet. Probably not. She would soon enough though.
We bought food and drinks quickly so we could get back on the road, this time Rox took the passenger seat, making herself comfortable.
"Don't wake me until we're in LA."
It was finally the day. The second Tuesday of summer break, just as we had planned it in March. We were finally getting out. Running away.
I wasn't a bad kid, I drank eight cups of water a day and always got straight A's, despite the influence of my older, wiser and much more mischievous friend Roxanne. She was the only friend I'd ever had which was strange seeing how we were complete opposites, but I think it had a lot to do with the fact that she was the only girl in school that didn't smell like they'd just ran all the way here from Canada.
At the ages of fourteen and fifteen, we had discovered the problem with Truths and Consequences while sitting in the ice cream parlor next to the cemetery; The Pattern, you're born here, you die here, and that was it. No one ever did anything special, and nothing ever happened. It was on that day that we promised ourselves we would die somewhere that mattered.
During Spring Break, Roxanne and I were in the ice cream shop, day dreaming about getting out of here, when we came across an article in the newspaper about a beached whale in Los Angeles, we'd never been to the beach and were endlessly fascinated by the idea of skipping over the waves and the idea of sunbathing on the sand, a place called the City of Angels must have mattered, so we decided, we would go to Los Angeles.
"I am absolutely thrilled to know this is the last time I'll have to climb through this damn window." Roxanne grumbled, shoving herself into my shoe box sized room.
"I'm scared, Rox. What if we get lost? Or run out of gas? Or money? What if our parents find us?" Panic was beginning to settle in as I realized what my reality was about to become.
"Calm down Bea, everything will be fine, live a little." She sat down on my neatly made bed.
"We'll have to go soon. My mom's shift at the bar ends at midnight." It was nearing 11:30 PM now.
"Are you finished packing?"
"I think so, yeah." I began to check off the list in my head. Money? Check. Clothes? Check. Map? Check.
"I feel really bad about taking my grandma's car." She twiddled the old keys between her fingers, "It's not like she goes anywhere anyways I guess."
She looked over at me and I saw a flash of uncertainty in her eyes which set my nerves into a frenzy. Roxanne was the kind of girl that always knew what she wanted, she was confident and had a hard head on her shoulders, allowing easily for me to cower in her shadow, which I was thankful for, I didn't like being the center of attention.
"We should go." My mouth spoke before my brain could catch up, knowing I would try to talk myself out of it.
We gathered my things scurrying out of the front door as I took one last look at the place I'd always called home. A picture of my mother and I sat beside the old box TV and I silently bid her goodbye. I really did love my mother, but she was hardly ever around anyways, always too busy working, doing her best to get us by, and I needed to do this, for me, so I didn't end up like her, sad and alone.
The old 1970 Buick Estate Wagon started noisily. It definitely wasn't the coolest car but it would get us out of here.
Neither of us spoke as we drove past the bar, or the ice cream shop, or cemetery, too involved in our own thoughts I suppose, or maybe we were holding our breath, as if our breathing would give us away, but once we pulled on to the deserted highway, Roxanne turned to me, a gleam in her eye, and spoke, "I can't believe we are actually doing it! Just think in about 12 hours we will be on the beach soaking up the sun! We can get fake IDs and go to clubs, and we can go to the Santa Monica pier and meet boys, I'm so ready to get rid of this V-Card, and oh my God, everything is going to be perfect!"
Her optimism soothed me and I was excited again. She flipped on the radio, one of her grandmother's Beach Boys tapes playing through the speakers.
"Rox, I refuse to allow your first time to be a one night stand."
She didn't respond, but instead rolled down the windows, "Do you smell that?"
"Smell what?"
"Freedom."
She squealed loudly, accelerating, never glancing behind us, Truths and Consequences was in the past now.
"Okay, so if we drive non-stop we'll get there around one tomorrow, then we need to find a place to stay." I told, wanting to make sure everything was in order before all the fun started.
"Okay, I suppose we'll stay in a hotel the first week or two until we find somewhere."
Rox's parents had died just months ago, leaving her to live with her grandmother. They weren't rich by any sense of the word, but they left Roxy all they had, most of it got sold, all of that money going to funeral costs, but she had been sure to keep the small gold necklace with the tiny ruby pendant on it that her mom had always worn, the thing never leaving her neck, but according to her the best gift they had left was money. Their entire life savings, every bit of it going to their little girl, three thousand dollars, it wasn't much considering they'd spent a lifetime collecting it, but that didn't matter. Since the day they'd died Rox had deemed it our "get out money" and all though it wouldn't last forever it would be just enough to get us started.
The two of us planned to get jobs once we arrived in LA. We would skip college, not having the funds for it, college had never been on our road map to bigger and better things anyway, so we would launch ourselves straight into the work force.
"We should get cool jobs, I don't want to end up in fast food." I voiced my concerns, propping my feet up on the dash.
"I want to work with clothes, or maybe be a stripper or something." She was joking about the last part I think.
I leaned my head against the window beginning to feel tired, my adrenaline dwindling, it was nearing 2:30 AM now, the Beach Boys tape long over had been replaced with The Temptations, the scenery passed in a blur and I hoped in the light of day everything would feel like less of a dream.
***
"Bea wake up!" Roxanne's voice bellowed much too loudly throughout the car.
I opened my eyes, pain shooting up my neck as I readjusted it, taking my now sleeping feet off of the dashboard.
"Are we here?" I asked, glancing at the window to see the sky just barely lit, we weren't moving anymore but parked outside of a gas station.
"No, we're in Arizona somewhere, but I'm exhausted so it's your turn to drive."
She shoved her door open, then coming over and opening mine.
"Let's get some coffee in you and then we'll go, I already filled up the car."
I got out of the car, glancing at the clock as I did, it was just after seven in the morning. My mind wondered to what my mom could be doing right now, wondering if she'd figured out that I was gone yet. Probably not. She would soon enough though.
We bought food and drinks quickly so we could get back on the road, this time Rox took the passenger seat, making herself comfortable.
"Don't wake me until we're in LA."