truck, but I managed to hurl myself in without breaking any bones. “Where are you going?” I asked as I slammed the door behind me.
Haden flashed me a grin. “You ever been stumping?”
“Er … I don’t even know what that is.”
“It involves muddy logging roads, four-wheel drive, and holding on to the ‘oh, shit’ handle above your door.” His grin was infectious, but his words scared me. He gentled his tone. “You don’t have to go. I can drop you off someplace else. It’s just something that I like to do. It makes me feel … alive, I guess.” He gestured to the forestry road sign. “You in or not?”
What I was in was a lot of trouble. The thought of stumping terrified me, but so did everything else. This fear had its appeal. Haden offered me a respite from the void inside—something tangible. I could cling to the handle above the door and know, for the first time this week, exactly what was scaring me. “I’m in.”
He smiled. “You sure?”
I nodded. “I’m sure.”
Serendipity Falls didn’t boast any malls or box stores. We were a small place, about five thousand in population. What we lacked in sophistication we made up for in nature. Close to the mountains and the beach, not to mention the falls, the high school kids had lots of opportunity for getting away from stress caused by school and parents. My friends and I usually chose the beach, but a lot of guys, like Haden, liked the hills and the nonmaintained forestry roads.
His truck climbed the winding dirt road up a long incline, and my mouth was already dry. Haden’s hands were sure on the wheel, and his mastery of the curves gave me some measure of ease, but not enough to remember to breathe on my own.
“Do you do this a lot?” I asked, careful to avoid any conversation that might actually be what I wanted to talk about most. About the roses, and the dream, and whether I was insane or if he was actually haunting my sleep. About whether he had anything to do with the school bell. For the next hour, I just wanted to live for the minute I was in.
“Not as much as I’d like, but as often as I can.” There was joy in his tone; Haden thrived on his adrenaline and the whine his truck made before he shifted. “Back home, I used to take the truck out to get away from my mom when she drove me crazy. It makes everything else seem far away, you know?” He looked at me, tying my stomach in knots. “You understand, I think, the need to just stop being what everyone expects and just be ?”
“I’m not sure I’ve ever really done that,” I answered honestly. “My father’s been pretty good at drumming that kind of behavior out of me. I hear his voice in my head even when he’s nowhere near.”
Haden nodded, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the wheel harder. “My mother—she’s the same way. She’s very controlling. I’ll never be what she wants, but it doesn’t stop her from trying. But when I go stumping, I can’t hear her. You’ll see.”
He turned off the “main” road onto what looked more like a bike trail. Something obstructed the road, but instead of slowing down, Haden went over it hard, jostling me against my straining seat belt. My heart caught in my throat and he hooted like a hillbilly.
He laughed at my expression. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked, echoing the question he’d asked me days before.
“I think I left my stomach back there.”
“Should I take you home?”
I clutched the handle resolutely. “Absolutely not.” Excitement coursed through my veins, replacing the fear for a blessed change.
Haden laughed. “Are you ready for some real fun now?”
With my other hand, I tugged my hair band loose. My father would have called me “my mother’s daughter” but I didn’t even care. “I’m ready.”
We flew, and each time we landed it felt like someone put me in a rock tumbler. Pretty soon, I was making my own Dukes of Hazzard exclamations. I never imagined myself ever yelling
Haden flashed me a grin. “You ever been stumping?”
“Er … I don’t even know what that is.”
“It involves muddy logging roads, four-wheel drive, and holding on to the ‘oh, shit’ handle above your door.” His grin was infectious, but his words scared me. He gentled his tone. “You don’t have to go. I can drop you off someplace else. It’s just something that I like to do. It makes me feel … alive, I guess.” He gestured to the forestry road sign. “You in or not?”
What I was in was a lot of trouble. The thought of stumping terrified me, but so did everything else. This fear had its appeal. Haden offered me a respite from the void inside—something tangible. I could cling to the handle above the door and know, for the first time this week, exactly what was scaring me. “I’m in.”
He smiled. “You sure?”
I nodded. “I’m sure.”
Serendipity Falls didn’t boast any malls or box stores. We were a small place, about five thousand in population. What we lacked in sophistication we made up for in nature. Close to the mountains and the beach, not to mention the falls, the high school kids had lots of opportunity for getting away from stress caused by school and parents. My friends and I usually chose the beach, but a lot of guys, like Haden, liked the hills and the nonmaintained forestry roads.
His truck climbed the winding dirt road up a long incline, and my mouth was already dry. Haden’s hands were sure on the wheel, and his mastery of the curves gave me some measure of ease, but not enough to remember to breathe on my own.
“Do you do this a lot?” I asked, careful to avoid any conversation that might actually be what I wanted to talk about most. About the roses, and the dream, and whether I was insane or if he was actually haunting my sleep. About whether he had anything to do with the school bell. For the next hour, I just wanted to live for the minute I was in.
“Not as much as I’d like, but as often as I can.” There was joy in his tone; Haden thrived on his adrenaline and the whine his truck made before he shifted. “Back home, I used to take the truck out to get away from my mom when she drove me crazy. It makes everything else seem far away, you know?” He looked at me, tying my stomach in knots. “You understand, I think, the need to just stop being what everyone expects and just be ?”
“I’m not sure I’ve ever really done that,” I answered honestly. “My father’s been pretty good at drumming that kind of behavior out of me. I hear his voice in my head even when he’s nowhere near.”
Haden nodded, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the wheel harder. “My mother—she’s the same way. She’s very controlling. I’ll never be what she wants, but it doesn’t stop her from trying. But when I go stumping, I can’t hear her. You’ll see.”
He turned off the “main” road onto what looked more like a bike trail. Something obstructed the road, but instead of slowing down, Haden went over it hard, jostling me against my straining seat belt. My heart caught in my throat and he hooted like a hillbilly.
He laughed at my expression. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked, echoing the question he’d asked me days before.
“I think I left my stomach back there.”
“Should I take you home?”
I clutched the handle resolutely. “Absolutely not.” Excitement coursed through my veins, replacing the fear for a blessed change.
Haden laughed. “Are you ready for some real fun now?”
With my other hand, I tugged my hair band loose. My father would have called me “my mother’s daughter” but I didn’t even care. “I’m ready.”
We flew, and each time we landed it felt like someone put me in a rock tumbler. Pretty soon, I was making my own Dukes of Hazzard exclamations. I never imagined myself ever yelling
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