AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 3
Lexi
Riding over to the old junkyard on the back of Joey’s bike was the highlight of my life. There can’t be a better feeling in the world than riding on the back of a bike. Well, driving one maybe, but I’ll settle for riding… for now. We’ve been working on getting an old 67’ Ford 100 running for the past five hours, and the time has flown by. Joey upheld his end of the deal and has let me work side by side with him on this project the whole day. It’s been the best day I could have imagined. I never thought I would love working on cars, but it turns out I have a knack for it.
“Damn, woman, you’re going to make me fall in love,” he tells me, tightening a bolt under the hood. I can’t take my eyes off the muscles pulling in his arms.
When we got here, he gave me a pair of his old coveralls that are big on me, but I don’t mind. He put his pair on and tied the arms around his waist to cover his legs but not his upper body—it has to be the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
“That would be ideal,” I say, only half-joking. He looks over and winks at me as I wipe my hand on one of the old rags he handed me.
“Alright, I think we’ve done all we can do today. Want to head out and get something to eat?” he asks just as my stomach decides it’s time to yell at me. We laugh as I nod my head.
“Yeah, I would love that. What time do you need to be home?” I ask, knowing I should have been home an hour ago but not really giving a shit.
My parents want to send me away. Why would I want to go back there? I may sound like a petulant child, but I’m really not. I’ve never been close to my parents. I tried for years to be their good, respectful child, to do as I was told and asked, to be seen and not heard. All that effort only got me ignored and overlooked. The minute I started being me, wearing what I like, listening to what I like, and living how I wanted to, that’s when they had a problem with me. I stopped caring a long time ago what others thought of me, especially my parents.
“I don’t have a curfew, but if you need to get home, I understand. I can drive you to your car and drop you off,” Joey tells me, but I’m not ready for this night to end.
We spend the next few hours talking and laughing, eating pizza at the local hangout, and enjoying each other. Until I know I can’t hold it off anymore, I have to go home before my parents call the cops. The last thing I want is Joey getting into trouble for just being nice to me. I hop on the back of his bike, and before I know it or am ready to face reality again, we are pulling up to my car, and he’s dropping me off. I take off his helmet and hand it to him.
“Thanks for today. You’re really sweet when you’re not opening your mouth about your horrible taste in music.” I smirk at him. He throws his head back, laughing.
“Baby, anytime you want to see my taste, just let me know,” he says before grabbing my shirt and pulling me closer to him. He plants his mouth on mine, and I stand there in shock. He’s kissing me again. Shit. And I’m acting like a fucking idiot standing here still as a pole. He pulls back, smiling at me before cranking his bike.
“Get in, baby, and lock your doors. I’ll follow you home,” he says, and again, like the idiot I am, I turn and do as he says. For once in my life, not having a smartass come back to toss his way.
I drive home with him trailing behind me, and when I park in my driveway, I wave as he lifts two fingers in the air, giving me his own bad boy wave before speeding away. I smile, then turn, walking up to my front door. I’m on cloud nine. Nothing can bring me down.
Then reality sets in. The minute I open the door, I’m met with a hard slap right across my face.
“Where have you been, and who was that boy out there?” my dad yells in my face. I open my mouth to speak again, but another slap has me shutting my mouth.
“We don’t want to hear your lies anymore. We are done. We have dealt with this long enough. You will be going to that camp. Luckily, they also have schooling there, so you can finish out the rest of the semester there. I would say pack your bags, but nothing you have is appropriate. They will provide you with everything you need.” My mother scowls at me. I’ve never seen such a look of hate on someone’s face as I’m seeing right now. How can you hate your own flesh and blood so much?
“They will be here first thing in the morning. I suggest you take the time to think about all we’ve put up with. You’ve forced this on us,” my father says before turning and leaving the room.
I race to my room, knowing I only have a little time before they realize I have a window in my room I’m totally okay climbing out of. I pack what little belongings I actually care about before rushing out of the open window. I hear the door to my room open as both my feet land on the grass.
“Girl, get back in here, NOW!” my father screams out my window, but I take off. I run through the woods behind my house until I reach the next street over, keeping a lookout for my parents’ car coming down the road. I honestly don’t know if they even care that I’m gone. I think the thing that upsets them the most is that they know they can’t control me anymore.
I turn at the next street over. I’m lost in thought and have no clue where I’m going or what I’m doing. All I know is there is no way in hell I can ever go back to that house. I refuse to be sent to a prison. I would much rather live on the streets. I find myself in the school parking lot, and then the idea hits me. The concession kitchen at school, my hidey-hole where I always go. I could spend the night there. It’s warm, spacious, and most importantly, it’s completely empty most of the time, and the best part is there’s a bathroom with a very small shower. I’m sure the shower has a dirty mop bucket in it, but with just a little cleaning, it could be home sweet home.
I make it up to the back entrance, knowing the cameras in this area don’t work. Someone also added a couple layers of spray paint to the front just for good measure. I bend down and pull out my “nail” kit. It’s actually my lock picking kit, but that’s definitely not what I told my mom when she snooped around my bag a couple of months ago. I make it inside the gym with no issues. It’s completely dark in the gym, but I pull out my key chain with a little flashlight on it. I have the flashlight on my phone as well, but just in case there may be someone in here, I’d rather not draw attention. The janitor works weird hours, so you never know.
I make my way up the stairs and down the hall before reaching the empty concession area. I peek inside, needing to make sure no one else is in here, but of course, it’s empty. Everyone else has a home to go to… No, no, I won’t go down that road. I am not a victim. I’m a survivor, and I will survive this. I look around and realize this setup really isn’t all that bad. There is a huge table with one of those storage racks on the bottom, with some blankets that would be one hell of a bed. Nice, big, and spacious. Perfect. I can definitely make this my home for the next few months.
