The truck was just as ugly the second time I had seen it as it was the first. Nothing was endearing or cute about it. He must have bought it off an elderly farmer who couldn't drive anymore because no one would be selling this beast in a car lot that's for sure. Opening the door, the same wave of stale cigarette smoke hit me. This time I slid myself over to the passenger side and rolled down the window doing the same on my side after I was done. The cracking noise could still be heard when I pulled the door closed too.
"I can't say I expected you to change while I was in class but it sure would have been nice."
I put the key in the ignition and turned it over only to hear a click and then nothing.
"NO, NO, NO! Please don't do this to me!"
Four more attempts with the same result. Nothing.
"SHIT!"
I pulled out my phone to call for someone to get me but that someone didn't exist. He would rather me never come back. My mother wouldn't dare go against his wishes and Shelby obviously can't drive.
Grabbing my purse and backpack, I started doing the only thing I could: I walked. I tried to find positive in a negative situation but there really wasn't one. My feet hurt, I was thirsty and if one more person drove by staring at me without even offering me a ride I was going to flip out. I thought country people were supposed to be nice. Isn't that what everyone says? Well, they're wrong or there aren't any in Highgrove, Montana.
My cell phone died sometime around four-thirty. Well, that was the last time I checked it and around ten minutes later it was dead. I had been walking for over an hour and a half and saw a total of two cars.
"WHAT THE HELL HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS?" I screamed it at the top of my lungs hoping God would just finish the job and take me out of my misery.
All of a sudden, I heard the engine of a car coming from behind me. This was it. My final hope for humanity to restore itself. It got closer. I could feel the wind change and the vibration within it.
"Please, please be someone nice enough to give me a ride or someone crazy enough to off me ‘cause I can't take this anymore."
I turned around just as the truck approached me praying for a miracle but sure enough the prick kept his foot on the pedal.
"That's fucking it!"
I grabbed a handful of rocks from the side of the road and threw them right at that pretty truck he was driving.
"Have that, asshole!"
The brake lights came on just as the clang from the rocks started hitting the tailgate. The tires screamed against the blacktop while the back end kicked to the side from stopping so fast. My eyes practically bulged out of my head when the driver side door flew open.
"OH, SHIT."
And oh shit was mild compared to what I would have said if I had known who the fury coming at me was before I decided to throw rocks at his truck. How could I not have thought it was him? I had seen that truck before.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"
"ME? YOU’RE THE ASSHOLE THAT WOULDN'T EVEN STOP FOR A POOR GIRL WALKING DOWN A FREAKING ENDLESS ROAD!"
"WHY WOULD I?"
"UGH!"
I can't believe I did it. Never in a million years would I have ever even thought to do something like this but I reached down in my rage, grabbed a handful of rocks again and threw them right at his chest. Wall of muscle or not he could take that and suck on it.
A look of complete shock registered on his face but I didn't stick around to see what came next. Hell no, I walked as fast as I could away from him. I didn't get very far before he grabbed me and threw me up against the side of his truck.
"ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?"
His fingers were digging into my arms and they hurt. I wanted to tell him that I was sorry but the pain prevented me from being able to talk.
"Oh, shit! I'm sorry."
His hands immediately let me go and were then in the air, palms facing me as he walked backwards.
"If I hurt you...fuck. I didn't mean to..."
"It's okay. I think after what I did I kind of deserved—"
"No, you didn't. I never should have put my hands on you."
Nothing was making sense to me at all. How could he be feeling bad when I probably just dented the crap out of his truck and then, come on, I threw rocks at him! Who says sorry to someone who does something like that?
"I really think I should go."
I didn't give him a chance to respond. I simply started walking away.
"Hey, wait!"
I stopped like he asked as he came toward me wondering the whole time what on Earth he wanted me to do. Probably pay for the damage to his truck. That was going to go over great when he told my step-dick. I was completely screwed.
"Did you need a ride?"
"Wait, what?"
He looked confused at my question but I'm sure so did I because that was the last thing I ever expected him to say.
"A ride. Wasn't that the whole point of all this?"
"Well, yeah, but..."
"Just get in the truck."
He walked toward the driver side while I stood there in awe, but then clarity came and of course he was going to take me home. He needed to know who to bill for damages.
Feeling like I had no choice in the matter, I did as he said and followed him. I opened the passenger door and watched as he rushed to clear off the seat so there was a place for me to sit. From the outside his truck looked good but this guy was a slob. Food wrappers and just plain trash was everywhere. That wasn't what I was most in awe about though. His damn muscles. I mean who has muscles like that? The guy had to work out five to six hours a day to get that big.
"You can get in now."
"Huh?"
I was still staring at him. Not at all paying attention to what he was saying.
"Are you checking me out?"
"Huh? Wait, WHAT? NO! NO. I was just admiring your trash collection."
I couldn't help but smile as I said it. I wasn't flirting. I was truly laughing at how stupid that sounded even to me. Your trash collection? Who says that?
He laughed openly and then said, "Come on, get in."
I swung my backpack onto the floorboard and then pulled myself up into the cab closing the door behind me.
"Where to?"
I'm your neighbor almost came blurting out but thank God I caught myself beforehand.
"I don't know the address. It's just down this road and then you turn left on another road and then it's down around a corner on..."
"You have no idea where you are do you?"
"Yes I do! I drove to school just this morning."
"You drove? Where's your car?"
"You mean my piece of crap? Oh, that would be back at the school parking lot not working."
"You don't have a phone to call someone? You just decide to walk ten miles?"
He shifted into gear but nothing about it was making sense. He put it in reverse instead of drive and started turning us around. I mean, I knew where I lived and we were going the wrong way.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to fix your car."
"Why?"
"Well that's a dumb question. Didn't you just tell me that it's broke and without answering me you also told me you have no one to help you?”
"You don't even know me."
"Can't say I have had the pleasure yet. I'm Canyon."
Canyon, what a weird name. I guess it's not weird but it sure is different. It's kind of pretty actually.
"Are you going to tell me yours or just sit there saying my name over and over until it sounds normal to you?"
"I wasn't doing that."
"Yes you were. Now tell me what I can call you."
"Arianna."
"Arianna? Seriously? What kind of foo-foo name is that?"
"Shut up! You’re named after a hole in the earth."
"So you were thinking about it!"
"Just shut up."
I turned to face my window, not wanting to continue being teased when hi
s hand landed on my thigh and started rubbing back and forth as I heard, "Listen, Ari, I was just teasin’ ya. Don't be mad."
I grabbed his hand and removed it from my leg while I turned back toward him and said, "My name is Arianna not Ari. You didn't hear me call you Can, did you?"
His hands shot up in the air again. "Whoa, slow down, pissy pants. It's just a nickname. Haven't you ever had one? Besides, Arianna is stuck up and I think Ari fits you quite nice."
He smiled again and the conversation seemed lost at that point. We had pulled back into the school parking lot when I heard, "That's your car?" and the smile disappeared.
"Well yeah. There isn't any other possibility is there?"
The parking lot was empty otherwise. Canyon stopped his truck and just stared straight ahead at mine.
"Are you going to pull up to it?" I was answered with silence. "Hello? What are we doing?"
His voice was low when he finally spoke. "That's my dad's truck."
"Oh, so your dad sold that piece of crap to my step-dick? Well let me tell you something, it's disgusting! Like majorly gross. Could he have at least rolled the windows down while he puffed sixty packs of cigarettes...?"
"That was my uncle."
"What? What was your uncle?"
He took his foot off the brake and pulled up next to my truck and then got out. I had no idea what just happened but Canyon obviously made his mind up about something and decided to still fix it for me. I didn't know if he needed help or if I should just stay put. His demeanor had certainly changed and after all the mood swings we both had had in the matter of minutes since we met, I wasn't confident that any decision was the right one. Curiosity won over as I opened the door and climbed out. I had watched him mess with the inside and pop the hood but then it blocked my view, leaving me with no idea as to what he was doing.
Walking around his truck, I saw him leaning over the engine with, again, no shirt on. My feet stopped moving. When did he take it off? I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Distance sure makes a difference when you are looking at someone. This man didn't have an ounce of fat on him. It didn't seem possible to be that lean.
"Oh, hey, can you do me a favor? Go grab my tool box out of the bed for me."
He had stood up to look at me and I shook my head to be able to think clearly.
"The what?"
"The bed of the truck. You know. The back end."
"Of course I knew that."
I walked away thinking, that was good enough, right? I at least didn't give myself away. How embarrassing would it have been if...
"Oh, Ari?" I turned back to see what he needed when he said, "You like what you see, huh?"
Blood red. My face couldn't be described as any other color. How could he just call me out like that?
"No, sport, you got it backwards. I was just thinking about how wrong it is to have less than five percent body fat. You need to enjoy life a little more."
Triumphantly, I continued my walk to the back of his truck wearing a smile. I grabbed the tool box and returned with almost a skip in my step.
"So do you think you can fix it?"
"Darling, I can fix it but you really should get another vehicle. This is not something you can rely on."
"Thanks for the advice."
It's not like I had any choice in the matter anyway. All of my money was in HIS control until I turned eighteen.
I waited and watched for a while as he unscrewed this and banged on that before I got bored and started to walk around. The sun was going down and the skyline was absolutely breath taking. The mountains really were unbelievable. Flat land for miles with a background that reached the clouds.
I heard the slamming of the hood but I wouldn't let myself look away from the view just yet.
"Lived here my whole life and it never gets old."
His voice caused me to jump. Not because he said something but the proximity from where it came from. Canyon was standing right behind me and his mouth was inches from my ear.
"I didn't mean to scare you."
I took a step forward, putting space between us before I turned around to face him. "It's okay. You didn't scare me. Startled is all."
"The truck is back to running and it's getting late. You need to be getting home. Your parents must be worried sick."
I laughed but then shut it down. The last thing I wanted to do was explain to him why he was wrong.
"You're probably right. Thank you so much for fixing it for me. It was the last thing I expected you to do after I dented yours."
"About that..."
Shit. Why did I have to remind him?
"I will pay for the damages. It will have to be in two months or so but I promise I will."
"I don't need your money, sweets, it was my fault to begin with. Although I should explain myself so you don't think I did it on purpose."
"What are you talking about?"
"You had every right to be angry that I didn't stop to offer you help. The part I want to explain is, I didn't even see you."
"How could you have missed me? I was the only girl in red walking down a street lined with wheat. I stick out like a sore thumb. Besides, you said, ‘Why would I?’. Like you wouldn't have even if you did see me."
I couldn't believe he was giving me a pass on this.
"I wasn't even looking at the road, Ari. I was changing the song on my mp3 player. The next thing I knew I was hearing what sounded like shotgun shells hitting my car. Besides, I was pissed off."
"So you really didn't see me? That's what you’re saying? I dented your truck for no reason."
"No, you dented it because you were sick of walking. Can't say I blame you there."
"I still should fix it."
"We can worry about that later. Let's get you home."
Canyon smiled as he held out the keys for me to take. I couldn't help but smile back as I reached for them either. He was nice. I wasn't convinced that existed anymore but sure enough, he was.
"Let me follow you just to make sure you don't have any more problems with it."
"That would be awful nice of you. Thanks."
"My pleasure."
After I got in and closed the door I realized where we were going. He was going to see I was his neighbor. What if he wanted to meet my family? His horn went off pulling me out of my thoughts and when I looked up he was parked right next to me with his window down.
"I put my shirt back on so you can stop dreaming about me."
I shook my head smiling and laughed as I turned the truck on and it worked.
"Woohoo!" My arms went into the air as I bounced up and down.
"Would you just drive already? I told you I fixed it."
Leaning out my window as far as I could, I said, "Like I had any faith in your mechanics. Nice job, by the way."
"Go, woman!"
I pulled on the gear shift until it landed in D, took my foot off the brake and let myself feel for the first time in weeks as I pulled out onto the road.
Life doesn't have to be all bad.
Chapter 4
The sun had set by the time I pulled into the driveway. The headlights in my rearview mirror followed me home and I can't tell you how good it felt to have someone care enough to watch over me. Even if it was only for a few miles.
Canyon's lights turned off followed by the sound of his door closing. I had ahold of my door handle but couldn't bring myself to push it open. I'm not sure what I was expecting but when the front door of the house opened with my step-dick barreling out from it, my choice in the matter was gone.
In the short time it took to get around the front of my truck, Canyon was already approaching him with his hand extended.
"What the fuck took you so long?"
He had completely ignored Canyon's gesture and was aiming his rage right at me. Quickly, Canyon pulled his offer back and walked the few steps needed to stand between my step-dick and me.
"Excuse me, sir, but I came to introduce myself. My name
is Can—"
"I didn't ask and I don't care. Arianna, get your ass inside that house now!"
The biggest mistake my step-dick could have made happened in a matter of seconds. His hand landed on Canyon's shoulder to push him out of the way and in a blink he was on his back the ground.
"Oh my god!" came out of somewhere within me.
Canyon's head snapped in my direction and regret took over his demeanor. I didn't know how to feel about what was happening in front of me.
Once again his hand extended. "I'm sorry about that. Can I give you a hand up?"
John started scrambling from the ground avoiding the help. "No, you stupid son-of-a-bitch! GET OFF MY PROPERTY NOW!"
"Sir, I think you need to calm down. Ari's truck broke down. She had no way of contacting—"
"Don't tell me to calm down, boy. And let me guess, she played the helpless card on you? Our little Arianna has a cellphone probably hiding in her purse right now…"
"The battery died! I didn't have any way of calling anyone, John. I was walking!"
"Enough! I don't want to hear another word. Get into the house NOW!"
I was humiliated. Feeling completely stripped of any ounce of humility I had left, I began my walk of shame toward the house.
"Wait!"
I didn't know what he was going to say to fix it or why he was even trying for that matter. My step-dick didn't change his mind, ever. It was a lost cause.
"There is the matter of paying me for the damages on my truck that your daughter caused."
"WHAT!" John started shaking his head back and forth and then began to chuckle. "Why am I not surprised?"
“What the hell! Why would Canyon do that?” was all that was going through my mind as I watched what was happening in front of me. I had no idea what he could have been thinking telling a raging lunatic something that was only going to add fuel to the fire. If looks could kill, Canyon would have been dead on the spot with the distaste I was showing him. Yet, he wore a smile. His eyes confused me. There was a light in them as if things were going just the way he had hoped.
"John, is it? Well, John, let me try this again. My name is Canyon Michaels. My house is the last one you pass before you get here from town. Your daughter seemed to be desperate for someone's attention and decided her only option at the time was to throw rocks at my truck. Now, I could make you pay for it, but I think a better lesson for Ari here is to work it off."
Let It Be Me Page 3