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“Look, Wyatt, I appreciate what you’re doing for me, but you don’t need my life story. I promised I’d be quiet, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do, ok?”
“You also told me you’d do anything I want, and what I want is to know what the hell you’re running from on your eighteenth birthday.”
I flush, embarrassed at him cashing in on the promise I made. “Let’s just say…you can’t be as bad as my dad. I’m an adult now, and legally, I don’t have to stay there anymore, so I left.” I don’t want to give him all the details in case he decides he’s better off dumping me, especially if he finds out what Dad does for a living.
“You don’t know that, and you don’t know me. There are plenty of guys out there willing to pick you up and hurt you for the hell of it. I could be just as bad as any one of them. It would take me zero effort to have you on your back and screaming, and there’s not a damn thing you could do to stop me.” He shakes his head and mutters to himself like he’s mad at me for risking my safety or something.
You’re so stupid, Dolores.
I inhale sharply, my blood going cold with fear. “But you wouldn’t do that to me, right?”
“Hell no. You’re young enough to be my daughter, and I told you I wasn’t looking for no trouble or company.” He snorts to himself like there’s something funny. “‘Course, if you were my daughter, I’d be tying your little ass up at home to keep you from making a stupid decision like hitching a ride with a stranger.” He shakes his head again, and I wonder if it’s a regular habit of his or if it’s just me that’s making him do it.
“Well, then you and my dad would have something in common,” I snap, turning away to lean my head against the window so I don’t have to look at him and all his condescending head-shaking.
I know all this is risky. I don’t need him lecturing me about it, which is another thing they have in common. But I’m hoping his lectures won’t end with me locked up in my room with welts across my back.
A new, solitary tear slips down my cheek that I subtly try to wipe away.
Wyatt
She’s gone silent again, and I see her wipe her cheek. Did her dad really do that to her? Keep her prisoner? Judging by the sniffles she’s trying to hide and the trembling of her hands, I’d wager her dad is an abusive piece of shit, and that’s why she’s running out of town.
Now I’m more than glad I decided to help her and get her out of that shit stain of a town. I’m also relieved it was me who picked her up and not one of the many sick motherfuckers who’d take advantage of her desperation and offer to do anything they want. I’ll take her as far as she wants to go, and she won’t have to do a damn thing for it.
* * *
By late-morning, I hit my time limit. Dolly has been sleeping in fits, curled up in a tight ball in her seat, but it’s impossible to get any real rest. Her face keeps scrunching up in a cute scowl, like an angry kitten, every time she twists to get more comfortable. I know from first-hand experience how hard it is to sleep up here, no matter how much padding or wiggle room there is.
I’m used to long hours on the road, but she has to be beyond tired and bored out of her mind. She hasn’t once asked me to stop for a bathroom break, though she’s got to be fit to bursting with all the snacks and water I’ve been handing over, trying to get her to eat or drink something.
I have a feeling she’s still trying to keep her word about being quiet despite her discomfort, but I’d never be able to pretend she’s not here, not when I keep looking over to check on her every few minutes. I can’t seem to keep my eyes off her. It’s a dangerous distraction but a compulsion I can’t ignore.
I pull into the truck stop mapped out on my route and back the truck into a free parking space. “Come on, Dolly. We’ll eat here, grab a quick shower, and then get some shut-eye.”
I’m out and on the other side of the truck with my shower bag, slightly amused to see her trying to slide out of the cab. Her knees buckle when she hits the ground, and I jump forward, catching her by the waist before she eats dirt. She’s even tinier than I thought and light as a feather. I frown when I remember how little I was able to get her to eat.
I drop my hands when she gasps at the contact and quickly step back. Thinking I might have scared her, I tell her, “I wasn’t trying anything. Just didn’t want you to fall and get hurt. Honest.”
“I didn’t think you were trying anything. You just surprised me, is all, since you’re so big.”
Chapter 4
Dolly
That didn’t come out right. I know it as soon as the words leave my mouth, and I see the look of hurt that flashes in Wyatt’s eyes before he turns around. He wasn’t smiling before, but his lips weren’t clamped shut in a thin line like they are now.
He’s looking straight ahead as we make our way to the shop after I grab my bag. His shoulders are hunched over like he’s trying to make himself smaller, and I feel bad about what I said.
I’ve always been a lot shorter than my classmates and was a late bloomer. They made fun of me relentlessly for it—something I never did understand. Being such a hefty guy, I’m willing to bet he got made fun of for his size, too. I hate to think of anyone teasing him for something he couldn’t control, just like my peers did to me.
I try to apologize. “I didn’t mean anything by it, Wyatt. I swear I wasn’t making fun of your size or trying to insult you. I just meant that you’re still a stranger and so much bigger than me, and you kind of…scared me.”
“Alright,” is all he says as he keeps on walking. His lips are still pressed thin, yet he opens the door to the shop to let me go in first. He’s still being nice, even if he is mad at me right now, which is something Dad is incapable of doing.
“I really am sorry.” I hesitantly touch his arm, wanting to reassure him, wishing I could feel his skin beneath his flannel sleeve. His steps falter when he looks down at where my hand is touching him, and I quickly snatch it away when his brows furrow. Maybe I shouldn’t have touched him. Shit, did I just make it worse?
I bite my lip and hold my breath until he starts walking again. At the checkout counter, Wyatt purchases a shower each for us, which is something I didn’t know you could do. That’s handy information for the future when we go our separate ways.
