“I figured it would be more comfortable,” he said.
“Did it come with a pump?” Julie asked. “Because I'm not blowing that sucker up.”
“Yes,” he said, rolling his eyes, and the next thirty minutes were spent with Liam and I struggling to make the foot pump blow up a twin mattress. Liam had even bought sheets, but Julie ran in and bought pillows and a blanket.
It fit in the back of the truck, and after being made, we finally got back to the road and started out of Nashville, and toward whatever city came next.
♥
That city was a no name, small town. Population: 304, because apparently, Mrs. Carver had just had twins.
We stopped at the gas station (Respectfully name Old Southern Gas) and filled up again. Julie and I went in, grabbed some snacks and drinks. No one stared at me as if Liam were my boyfriend, but they did stare at Julie and me as if we were the weirdest things they had ever seen.
We probably were. A bald toothpick and her monster man. We were a sight to be seen.
WE got our things, and went back to the truck, getting in the back. It wasn't long before I was asleep beneath the blankets, and off in another world dreaming.
♥
The dream was simple really. I was walking out the back door, calling Julie's name. I was searching for her, but my body was leading me outside, toward the shed.
Something hit me over the back of the head, and I fell to the ground, feeling the cold grit of the concrete against my face. Then, the yank of my hair, and someone dragging me along.
I started to kick and scream, and pull at the hand, but it did no good. They drug me into the shed, and the door slammed behind us.
Now it was cold dirt beneath me, but that didn't bother me. I struggled to turn my head, to see who was grabbing the gas can. I could hear them rattling, and then I stared at the bare feet.
“Dirty, dirty, boy. Fire cleanses,” Julie's raspy voice said, as she began to pour the gasoline over me.
I knew it was Julie, despite her having long, dark hair like my mother, I knew it was Julie. Those bottle green eyes were running over me as she soaked.
And then, they wandered to the matches. She watched the flame for only a second before dropping it and beginning to cackle.
♥
I felt her hands first, then heard her soft voice begging me to wake up. I stared at the sun, and shielded my eyes, turning into her warm body. She held me close and whispered soft words into my ears.
“Is everything okay?” I heard Hilary ask.
“Yeah, we're okay. Can you shut the window for a little while?” Julie asked, and I heard Hilary say sure and do so.
Julie's soft hands rubbed my head, and she kept me close, talking to me softly to calm me down. I could feel her comfort, and I molded into that.
“It was just a nightmare. It's over now,” she told me.
Somehow, whether she realized it or not, Julie was lying.
It would never be over. Not until. . .
♥
We stayed in some moderately sized town. The motel had no pool, and the TV sucked. We ate, and hung out at the lake front, where they were shooting off fireworks.
It was while they were watching them that I volunteered to get us some popcorn and drinks that they were selling at a concession stand near the lake. I went by myself, even when Julie volunteered to go with me.
I wanted the time alone.
I stopped from the stand and called Ava.
“Hey! Baby boy, what's-”
“Where is she?”
Ava was quiet on the other line for a few seconds. Then, she hesitantly asked, “Where is who?”
“You know who. Where is she?”
“Why would you-”
“Where is she, Ava?” I asked again.
Silence. I listened to her breathing and walked the rest of the way to the stand. I let the guy know I needed four buckets, and he went to work on it.
“The last I heard, she was in Louisiana.”
“Where in Louisiana?” I asked, leaning against the counter.
She was silent again, and then she sighed. “Some little town near Baton Rouge. I know the exact name, but I can probably find the name when I go back home,” she replied.
I nodded. I saw Julie coming above the hill and I turned around. “Great. Call me when you get it,” I told her. I faintly heard her protest before I hung up.
“What's taking so long?” Julie asked, smiled as she came up to me.
She was so beautiful, and innocent. I would tell her later, but for now, a lie was better.
“Just waiting.”
♥
We watched all of the fireworks, and then headed back to the motel. Liam and Hilary said their good nights, and then disappeared into their room. Julie and I did the same.
I went in and got ready for bed, and waited for Julie to do the same. When she was done, she came and went to her bag, rummaging through it for something.
“I hope you know you are a horrible liar,” she told me.
I smiled, watching her small body outline by one of my shirts. She hadn’t asked, just put it on, and that was fine by me.
“How did you know?”
She stood up, lotion on her hands. She rubbed them together, spreading them across her arms as she talked. “You can't hide your emotions well. They're always showing in those cool, blue eyes of yours,” she told me.
I
