Headed Nowhere
1/1
Thirty-six hours of driving, only stopping for a motel when I was about to fall asleep at the wheel. Every time I'd stop in a hotel one of the people at the desk or from the cleaning staff would ask, "A bit young to be staying all alone, yeah, little lady?" I simply would shrug, positive they did not want to hear my life story. The truth was, I'd only turned eighteen four months ago. Then I moved in with him.
I walked out of the motel, trying not to think about him as a man that resembled him got in the car next to mine. For three and a half months he hit me, screamed at me, followed me. I hadn't a day or night without seeing his piercing wolf-blue eyes. I shuddered. That was behind me now.
I merged onto the virtually traffic-less South Dakota road. I hadn't any idea where I was going, but I was going somewhere far, far away from Mainland, Ohio.
I turned on the radio, switching from FM to CD for the reason I'd gotten tired of finding new radio stations every two-hundred miles.
I looked back up at the road thinking possibly my eyes were deceiving me, but I knew they weren't when I heard the girl yell. I pulled to the side for the brunette hitchhiker and let her in the car. She smiled and thanked me before buckling her seatbelt.
"Lindzi," she said, flashing another perfect smile.
"Danielle, or Dani if you like. Where you headed?"
"Nowhere in particular. Just . . . away."
"I know the feeling," I muttered.
For a half hour or so, the car was quiet, set aside the white noise from the speakers.
All of a sudden, Lindzi smiled that perfect smile and asked, "Do you mind? I love this song."
I shrugged and she turned the song up. I smiled as she lipped the words to it because it was kind of cute.
"Anyway. Tell me about yourself."
"What do you want to know?"
"I don't know . . . favorite color, favorite food, favorite music, favorite movie, hobbies, I don't know. Whatever."
"Um. Well. I like black and dark purple, sushi, hard rock and not that emo shit, probably 'Sweeney Todd', and I play drums. What about you?"
"Red, pizza, hard rock and I like emo stuff too . . . I really like The Crow and cult flicks and I don't play any instruments but I can play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the keyboard. I quit after my first lesson . . ."
I nodded and focused my attention back on the road.
"Where we goin' anyway?" Lindzi asked.
"I don't know. Where do you want to go?"
"California?" Lindzi asked, eyes getting big, "I've never been there!"
I nodded and continued westward.
Eventually, we had to pull over because Lindzi needed a rest stop. She ran around the rest area, grabbing a million travel brochures, about twenty candy bars, and anything else she could get her hands on. I kind of smiled because she was really cute when she ran all about.
We got back in the car as she went through the many travel brochures she picked up of places we could see on our way to and in California.
"DANI LOOK AT THIS!"
I smiled and glanced at the mountains she was pointing at in the brochure.
"Hey Dani?"
"Yeah?"
"Why're you running away?"
"Who says I am?"
"Well . . . not many people just drive to nowhere and decide to stay there . . ."
I sighed, "Well um. I lived with this guy, and he didn't treat me well, so I had to get pretty far away."
Lindzi nodded, "Eh. My parents found out I'm bi so they kicked me out."
I blinked, "You're bi?"
"I hope you don't mind . . ."
"Nah. I think every chick on the planet is bi. Hell, I know I have a thing for women."
Lindzi raised her eyebrows, "Really?"
"Yeah. Not those plastic, fake-tan blonde broads though. I hate that."
"Oh me too! I prefer redheads." She winked at me.
Was she flirting with me?
I changed the subject, "It's getting late. Maybe we should stay at this Days Inn up here."
She nodded and I took the exit, pulling into the Days Inn. The guy that checked us in raised his eyebrows and I glared as we made our way to the elevator.
I let Lindzi borrow some of my clothes so she didn't have to put on the same outfit after she got out of the shower, but I was so confused. Was she actually flirting with me?
I tried to ease my mind by watching television, but that idea was ruined when she walked out in nothing but red and black lingerie, hair dripping wet, to grab the clothes she forgot on the dresser. She smiled and waved before pulling on the pajama bottoms and baggy top and sitting on the bed next to me.
"Hey."
I turned around, "Oh, hey, I didn't see you." So I lied. So what.
"Um, can we talk for a minute?"
"Sure." I turned around.
"I know I don't know you so well, and I hate rejection so let me down easy, but I think you should know I like you a lot. Like a lot a lot."
"Why do you think I'd reject you?"
"I don't know."
"Well I wasn't going to."
"But now you are?"
"No, I'm still not."
"So like. I can kiss you now?"
"I suppose it'd be okay," I said, laughing a little. The brunette beauty leaned forward and kissed my lips, lingering for a moment. I smiled and she pushed me back onto the bed. You can fill in the blanks, but sometimes being headed nowhere pays off.
I walked out of the motel, trying not to think about him as a man that resembled him got in the car next to mine. For three and a half months he hit me, screamed at me, followed me. I hadn't a day or night without seeing his piercing wolf-blue eyes. I shuddered. That was behind me now.
I merged onto the virtually traffic-less South Dakota road. I hadn't any idea where I was going, but I was going somewhere far, far away from Mainland, Ohio.
I turned on the radio, switching from FM to CD for the reason I'd gotten tired of finding new radio stations every two-hundred miles.
I looked back up at the road thinking possibly my eyes were deceiving me, but I knew they weren't when I heard the girl yell. I pulled to the side for the brunette hitchhiker and let her in the car. She smiled and thanked me before buckling her seatbelt.
"Lindzi," she said, flashing another perfect smile.
"Danielle, or Dani if you like. Where you headed?"
"Nowhere in particular. Just . . . away."
"I know the feeling," I muttered.
For a half hour or so, the car was quiet, set aside the white noise from the speakers.
All of a sudden, Lindzi smiled that perfect smile and asked, "Do you mind? I love this song."
I shrugged and she turned the song up. I smiled as she lipped the words to it because it was kind of cute.
"Anyway. Tell me about yourself."
"What do you want to know?"
"I don't know . . . favorite color, favorite food, favorite music, favorite movie, hobbies, I don't know. Whatever."
"Um. Well. I like black and dark purple, sushi, hard rock and not that emo shit, probably 'Sweeney Todd', and I play drums. What about you?"
"Red, pizza, hard rock and I like emo stuff too . . . I really like The Crow and cult flicks and I don't play any instruments but I can play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the keyboard. I quit after my first lesson . . ."
I nodded and focused my attention back on the road.
"Where we goin' anyway?" Lindzi asked.
"I don't know. Where do you want to go?"
"California?" Lindzi asked, eyes getting big, "I've never been there!"
I nodded and continued westward.
Eventually, we had to pull over because Lindzi needed a rest stop. She ran around the rest area, grabbing a million travel brochures, about twenty candy bars, and anything else she could get her hands on. I kind of smiled because she was really cute when she ran all about.
We got back in the car as she went through the many travel brochures she picked up of places we could see on our way to and in California.
"DANI LOOK AT THIS!"
I smiled and glanced at the mountains she was pointing at in the brochure.
"Hey Dani?"
"Yeah?"
"Why're you running away?"
"Who says I am?"
"Well . . . not many people just drive to nowhere and decide to stay there . . ."
I sighed, "Well um. I lived with this guy, and he didn't treat me well, so I had to get pretty far away."
Lindzi nodded, "Eh. My parents found out I'm bi so they kicked me out."
I blinked, "You're bi?"
"I hope you don't mind . . ."
"Nah. I think every chick on the planet is bi. Hell, I know I have a thing for women."
Lindzi raised her eyebrows, "Really?"
"Yeah. Not those plastic, fake-tan blonde broads though. I hate that."
"Oh me too! I prefer redheads." She winked at me.
Was she flirting with me?
I changed the subject, "It's getting late. Maybe we should stay at this Days Inn up here."
She nodded and I took the exit, pulling into the Days Inn. The guy that checked us in raised his eyebrows and I glared as we made our way to the elevator.
I let Lindzi borrow some of my clothes so she didn't have to put on the same outfit after she got out of the shower, but I was so confused. Was she actually flirting with me?
I tried to ease my mind by watching television, but that idea was ruined when she walked out in nothing but red and black lingerie, hair dripping wet, to grab the clothes she forgot on the dresser. She smiled and waved before pulling on the pajama bottoms and baggy top and sitting on the bed next to me.
"Hey."
I turned around, "Oh, hey, I didn't see you." So I lied. So what.
"Um, can we talk for a minute?"
"Sure." I turned around.
"I know I don't know you so well, and I hate rejection so let me down easy, but I think you should know I like you a lot. Like a lot a lot."
"Why do you think I'd reject you?"
"I don't know."
"Well I wasn't going to."
"But now you are?"
"No, I'm still not."
"So like. I can kiss you now?"
"I suppose it'd be okay," I said, laughing a little. The brunette beauty leaned forward and kissed my lips, lingering for a moment. I smiled and she pushed me back onto the bed. You can fill in the blanks, but sometimes being headed nowhere pays off.