Part One

Part one of three.

Part One

Everyone, at some point in their lives, wishes they could get away. Everyone needs that one escape from reality. Well... I got my wish, almost definitely in the most literal ways possible. It began toward the end of my senior year. I was sick of these priorities and rules being pushed onto me. I wasn’t ready to grow up. I wasn’t ready for all of the responsibilities that life places on your shoulders shortly after your 18th birthday. I knew that pretty soon, I would be the gum on the bottom of society's’ shoe. So I escaped. I got away.

Up until I met Vince, things seemed to be going on a downward spiral. Boy was I wrong. Oh, forgive me. I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ll rewind a little bit for you.  The day I met Vince, it was totally unexpected. I remember vividly, the second my car broke down on some conveniently unfamiliar road. I guess that’s what I get for wanting adventure, huh? I was screwed. I had no cell service, I hadn’t eaten all day, and I had two dollars to my name, maybe. Right as I was about to throw my hands up in surrender, an older-model black Mustang slowed beside me. “Do you need any help?” That was the first sentence he spoke to me. The silence hung in the air for a good moment until I turned around. Whoever this dude was, he was gorgeous. A perfect stranger, if you will. But, mom and dad’s warnings of ‘stranger danger’ from elementary school stuck with me. As I was about to turn my back to this person, he spoke to me again. “Are you deaf?” the man smirked. Unbelievable. The hot ones always have too much wit for their own good. “No, I just don’t need your help,” I responded coldly. Before I knew it, he was pulling over in front of my car and making his way over to me. “Seriously, it’s no problem,” he grinned, “And you know, you’re kinda cute when you’re ticked off.” I guess you could say this was the beginning of the end for me. When I met Vince, I was myself. Now, I’m nothing more than a hollow shell of my former self. You could even throw out the word ‘ghost’ if you really wanted to.

Anyways, I stuck around him for a while. Apparently all my car needed was a jump start. So he said, at least. Whatever, you can’t really expect much from a 23 year old car. “Hello?” he asked while provokingly waving his hand in my face. Obnoxious, much? Maybe I was a little too lost in my own thoughts. “Sorry.. Lately I’ve been like a prisoner inside my own mind,” I said. “Hey,” I continued, “What’s your name, anyways? You know, so I can properly thank you.” I teased. There’s that half-grin. “Vince, you?” At first, I was slightly hesitant. Should I give this guy a fake name? He could be a freaking serial killer for all I know. “It’s okay, I know you probably don’t wanna tell some creepy guy on the side of the road who you are,” he laughed. My cheeks became hot with embarrassment. Busted. “Jade.” I muttered with eyes locked on the ground. Vince shook his head, looking in the other direction as he tried to stifle laughter .

“What?” I grew defensive. He replied with a grin, “nothing. Jade just suits you.” If charming smiles were murderous, I was about to become roadkill. Keep your cool, Jade. Stop smiling like an idiot. Wait, why should I care what this guy thinks of me? So since I committed to this “I don’t care” thing, I reached into my jacket pocket to find a pack of cigarettes. I pulled one out as I trailed away from the shoulder of the road, plopping down into the grass. Exhaling my cancerous smoke, I half expected him to follow me over there. Can you guess what happened? He took a seat beside me and  glanced down as I inhaled the nicotine into my lungs. Pick your poison, right? Vince Chuckled. “You know what they say about smoking, don’t you?” Instinctively, I scoffed. “Sure, I got the lecture during 6th grade DARE.” He rolled his eyes at my remark. Two can play that game, buddy.

“So, tell me what’s been troubling you.” His tone of voice was all smooth and matter-of-fact, not as if he’d just asked me a question.. I fired back, mimicking his little eye roll, "Curiosity killed the cat.” I pretended to watch passing cars. Vince reciprocated my scoff from earlier and threw his hands up in defense. “Hey, I was just trying to help.” I contemplated confiding in him, relaying the pathetic story of how I’m completely terrified about the things that life has in store for my future. I could tell him about my impulsive desire for an escape route. Or that this was my failed attempt at such. Should I?

I sighed. “It’s nothing, really. Just feeling trapped.” Trapped didn't even begin to describe these past few months. As if right on cue, what happened next was almost too coincidental. Vince had this strange expression on his face, as if he were internally deliberating on something. Without warning, he pondered, “How badly do you wanna get away?” The sense of familiar urgency in his voice should’ve been alarming. But the spontaneity of the situation was too good to pass up. I hesitated. “So badly that I’m sitting on the side of the road with some guy I just met.” He laughed at my response and then grew more serious. “I’m gonna be blunt. If this sounds too crazy, feel free to slap me across the face.” There’s that smile again. “Do you wanna come with me?” I didn’t even try to mask the perplexing look that was painted on my face. Before I could get a word in, he stopped me. “Look, I know this sounds crazy. Maybe even insane. Okay, it sounds totally insane. But believe me when I say I feel like you’re searching for the same things as I am. It’s almost like it was fate that this happened.”

Fate was sure a funny way to describe it. The chance at freedom I’ve been craving for some time now is finally here. In fact, that chance was standing tall before me in the form of the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. Most would say it was a rather foolish decision for choosing to take Vince up on his offer. Well, call me a fool because that’s exactly what I did. “Let’s go,” I declared. Vince flashed me a particular smile that drew me even closer to him. “Where to?” I turned to him and met his gaze with a similar grin. “Anywhere and everywhere.” I hopped in the passenger seat of his mustang and never looked back.

Author's Note

Please spread the love if you wanna see the other two parts, my darlings.

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

A very good start. All of us want to escape. I liked the set-up of the story and the escape at the ending. Thank you Haley for sharing the excellent opening chapter. You gave enough and I wanted to read and know more.
Coyote