The Road

Laughter hurt...like coughing or speaking in hard consonants...or listening for that matter, but Simon managed a chuckle before following Connor inside.

"Beware," he whispered to Susan as they approached the corner booth "We open with the dating jokes and it's only downhill from there."

Sliding into the seat opposite Connor, the actor glanced idly at the list of foods...settling on an appetizing breakfast omlette on the second page.

"It never looks like what they say it does," he remarks almost tragically, "All about selling the image...acting for food you might say...but damn is it effective."

Folding his menu, Simon snagged a few straws out of the dispenser and shed their paper coating, twisting the plastic as tight as he could till a small air bubble showed in the middle of the twisted straw. He held it out to Susan with a wink.

"My brother and I used to do this all the time...give it a good flick."
 
"At this point I'll eat just about anything as long as it smells good." she replied to Simon, still flicking through the menu when he offered up the twisted straw. She gave it a dubious look, with the corner of her mouth twisted up in a half smile.

"It's not going to explode on me or anything, will it?" Even as she said it, Susan reached out to give it a hard flick. The loud POP made her jump in her seat despite herself and the squeak she made draw more than a few curious glances from other diners.

Susan gave a sheepish look. "God, and I knew it was coming. I didn't think it would be that loud!"
 
Peeping over his menu at the other two, Connor raised an eyebrow, then went back to reading.

"Gotta have something with cheese in," he muttered. "Can't live without cheese. Any o' you guys tell me I can't have cheese on this trip, you're going in the trunk." He buried his head in the menu. "Cheese, cheese, cheese...."

A waitress came by and poured coffee for those who wanted it, and Connor held out his cup while still perusing the menu.

"It's probably bad for you, right? Humans weren't meant to eat cheese. But then... why does it taste so good if it's bad for you? And why does it give you nightmares? It's like psychotropic plants - they're meant to explain the deveolpment of language, right? Surely its an evolutionary fallacy to condemn my cheese-love while simultaneously denying the theory of Intelligent Design. How can there be cheese but no God? Seriously?"

He looked up at the waitress. "Is the cheese here good?" But the woman simply forced a smile and headed back to the kitchen.
 
". . .kickn' and a gougin' in the mud and the blood and the beer-"

One of the benefits of being small and ugly was that nobody ever seemed to notice her. Not unless she wanted them to, anyways. It was a gift she'd been honing her whole life: the ability to make her presence so small and quiet that a person could be standing right next to her and it hardly ever register. However, she was also very, very good at making a scene, when she wanted.

Right now, she didn't want to be noticed, because she'd been stuck at this place for three days, after her last ride bailed on her. Money was running low, and if she wanted to keep buying coffee, using the bathroom to wash up, smoking abandoned cigarette butts, and sleeping in the back she had better not pester the customers.

But what she really needed was a ride.

"He reached for his gun, but I drew mine first-"

And she just might have found one.

Sue watched as the motley group walked right past her from her spot on the curb. Her eyes settled on a woman, one with a friendly face and a neat hairdo. After they went inside, she flicked her cigarette from her thin, nail-bitten fingers, turned off her cd player and stood. Paying mind not to stand in the window where they could see her, Sue reached into the pockets of her ratty jeans and pulled out her remaining dollar.

It was time to be noticed.

As soon as their waitress was gone, Sue took her place. The pale, freckled girl gazed boldly and excitedly at the people occupying the table, as if she couldn't be happier to see them. When she opened her mouth to speak, it was as if sunshine and alligators and ox tails were pouring out.

"'S'cuse me, I don't mean ta' innerrup', but I think you dropped this outside, ma'am," Sue flashed the biggest, sweetest smile she could muster, revealing a mouth full of tiny kitten teeth. The gap between her two front teeth looked like a big square hole in her mouth. She held the dollar out to the woman in offering, her pinkish hands were covered in freckles.
 
"How many times can you put cheese in to a sen-" her response was cut short when a bubbly freckled girl grinned wide and offered her a dollar. Susan looked a little startled for a moment, checking over her pockets first and then remembering the sack of money she found in her bag. Had she dropped some of it?! No, she didn't... it was stashed safe and sound in the back of the car and nothing was trying to leap out of her pockets. This was nothing to freak out about.

...or sit there looking like an idiot in awkward silence!

"Oh, um... No, I didn't seem to drop anything. But, uh, thank you for being polite! I'm pretty sure it's not mine!"
 
"Chee...yeesh!" Connor exclaimed as he peered out from behind his menu at the rather unfortunate-looking girl who had materialised at the head of the table. He quickly closed his mouth again.

"I think you got the wrong table, Freckles."

He picked up his coffee and sipped it as he stared Sue and the dirty-looking note she was holding.
 
Susan gave Conner a quick swat and a frown. He didn't have to be rude! She turned her attention back to the girl and offered her a small smile.

"You know, we just got here. Why don't you join us for coffee? I'm sure no one else minds, right?" It was Conner her look was directed to. The girl was nice enough to try and return lost money, the least they could do was be nice to her!
 
Sue felt the rage bubble up in her at the man's comment. It took every ounce of self control she had (which wasn't much) to not jump on him and give him a good stomping. Instead, she flicked her tongue against the razor blade she kept well-hidden in her mouth- a comforting motion.

"Well foot, don't I feel a fool? I could'a swore I seen you drop this, but I guess I can use it not to buy a cup of coffee," she slid into the space next to the friendly woman. "It sure is nice of ya'll to share your table with me," the redhead's smile brightened.

"My name is Sue, how do you do?"
 
The straw trick was an old one, a throwback to a time when the end of the road was relaxation rather then destiny. Simon settled back into the plastic booth, feeling more then hearing the air seep out behind him.

"The same way there can be a great Flood...but no Noah," he answered, closing his eyes to assuage the headache still peppering his temple. "Science and religion are gonna butt heads one way or another...best to stay our of the crossfire and enjoy your cheese...err."

Glancing around the table, the focus had obviously shifted. The outstretched currency looked grimy...and for the first time in a LONG time, money seemed unappealing. Hell...if Simon had dropped that dollar he'd have done it for a reason.

"Dunno what we're talking about anyways..." he murmured into his glass of water. Not that it was his business what the ginger wanted, but the way she kept focus on Susan was an uncomfortable indication of something ulterior in all this Samaritan work.

As an actor, Simon was supposed to make it his business to study people...to understand them. The vibes on Sue was enough to send his subconcious into a queasy spin...

Although that was probably the hangover.

"You invite yourself to tables often?" He asked with the hint of a smile. Being polite always came naturally to the lanky actor, a remnant of his grandmother's impromptu etiquette lessons, and he found it easier to smile then frown.

If only smiling didn't hurt so goddamn much.


"Name's Simon, you from around here?"
 
Red anger, tongue against metal, metallic taste, calm.

"I didn't invite myself," Sue laughed, "this lady here said it was ok." The young girl busied herself by playing with a torn piece of straw wrapper, twisting it into different shapes. "Nah, I ain't from 'round here. I been on the road for about a week, but the goin's been pretty slow."

Sue looked up again to meet the eyes of the hungover man, studying his face curiously. Her own face was small, and though she was smiling now, there was something almost sad about it. "I been tryin' real hard to get to west coast, I got friends there. Real good friends. They don't have friends this nice where I come from."

Sue kicked her legs slightly, bumping her heals against her seat. "What about you folks? I bet ya'll headin' someplace real nice. Like a vacation type place."
 
"We've all got our reasons," Connor answered after frowning at Simon for his strange out-of-place comments.

He put down his menu and drummed the tabletop. "As for myself, I'm rushing headlong into destiny, throwing my soul full-force at the spinning wheel of fortune." He looked to one side, gazing at the other diner booths. "And trying not to hung by the spokes."

He looked back and continued drumming. "So the car's mine, and everyone else is just a fellow traveller."

He sipped his coffee. "So..." he had forgotten the girl's name already. "Freckles. If you've got more than that dollar to your name, maybe we can help you. Some of our passengers are getting off at this diner - some concert at the city or something. So we're in need of some fresh blood."

He added more sugar to his coffee and stirred it clockwise and counter-clockwise. "Plus they were as boring as a brain haemorrhage. Maybe you have some better stories to tell..."
 
Sue stifled a mental 'Yeep.' Money, she hadn't thought of that. Even worse she didn't HAVE any money. This could get really complicated if she didn't act fast.

"I gots some money, at least, I got enough money," Sue dared a quick glance around the table to see if anyone looked like they might be considering ditching her. "But I left my stuff in a motel down the road, so I'm fixin' to go down there 'n get it right quick."

Getting the money wasn't the problem for her. She had plenty of ways of getting money fast, she just had to get it before they finished eating and decided to leave her behind.

"So I'mma get it, now. Ya'll ain't gonna go nowhere 'til I get back, right?" Sue flashed another toothy smile.
 
Money! Ha ha ha! Susan laughed nervously. Once she realized it was probably an odd time to laugh so strangely, she cleared her throat and took a quick drink from her glass of water.

"Ahem, of course we'll wait! No problem. I mean, we're just going to have some breakfast before we get back on the road right?" She cast the freckled girl a wide grin.

"Speaking of which, that waitress is taking forever. Is she even waiting on tables now? I don't think I've even seen her come out from the back since she brought the coffee."
 
"She's probably getting the cheese," muttered Connor as he started reading the menu again. His knees were bouncing up and down as buzzed with energy, even without the sugar-loaded coffee he was guzzling.

"No worries, Freckles!" he called after the strange girl who even now was moving for the door. Then he glanced over at Simon, who had fallen asleep on the other side of the booth.

"Oh Simey, Simey, when will you learn," he whispered, picking up one of the twisted straws from earlier. Shuffling along the booth seat, he started slowly moving the straw towards Simon's nostril. Connor had a look of total concentration, his hand trembling with anticipation.

The straw got closer.... closer.... closer....
 
Waking up from a hangover was never fun.

Waking up from a hangover with a straw in your nose is quite possibly less fun.

Jerking from his sleep, Kyle nearly jumped out of the booth with a short cry and flailing arms. Frowning at Connor, he wiped his nose and leaned back against the plastic booth backing again. "Christ, give a guy a break!" he mumbled with the barest hint of a smile. "Had one hell of a night and I'm still on the mend."

Shaking his head, the actor was reminded of the hundred other times he'd been rudely awakened. Seemed to be a trend where he was concerned.

"So what happened to the red haired chick?"
 
Susan laughed as Kyle was woken up in a less-than-graceful way. She offered him a grin and nudged his cup of coffee closer to him. "She went to get something and said she'd be back in a minute. I think she's adorable!"

Finally one of the waitresses stopped by their table, pad and pencil in hand and chewing loudly on some sort of bubble that had her whole mouth turning purple. "Hey there, ya'll. What would ya like?"

Susan wasn't sure what the woman was smacking on, but she smelled so strongly of grape that it had her senses reeling and her stomach turning. Of all the things to get sick over!

"Hum, yes!" once she regained her composure, she pointed at one of the pictures on her menu. "I like this, do you think I could get extra pancakes? No fruit, and with maple syrup. Um, and extra bacon too? Limp not crispy. Oh, and a glass of milk!" Surely if she got some food in her, her stomach and the little monster inside it would quit driving her crazy.

"O' course, sugar. And you boys?" the waitress asked, poised to take the other orders.
 
Sue waited before she was just out of sight from the Denny's before breaking into an all out run down the dusty road, her eyes wild and desperate. She knew exactly where she was going, the problem was would she be able to make it back in time before they left her? That nice lady seemed to be looking out for her, but you could never tell with people, that's what Sue had learned. Actually, if you asked her for her opinion she would just tell you outright that people were shit.

Money, money, money . . .

Sue skidded to a halt when she arrived at her destination, less than a mile down the road. She took a moment to catch her breath, and wipe away some of the dust and sweat that suddenly appeared on her freckled forehead.

Money is easy to get, if you have the right things, and can spot the person who wants what you got.

Putting on her brightest smile, Sue walked into the parking area of the truck stop, eyes swiftly scanning the men and women there. They settled on a man in a ratty yellow shirt that probably used to be white, and have sleeves, from the look of it. His tangled mess of steel wool hair was shoved underneath an orange baseball cap. He had the darting, sharp look of a hungry man, Sue found when her eyes locked with his, long before they were close enough to speak. They were not so much hungry as starved, now that Sue thought about it. Her smile only got bigger as she got closer, her eyes never breaking from his, the prolonged contact said everything that needed to be said-the rest would be courtesy.

By the time she reached him, he was smiling too, and Sue noted that one of his front teeth was missing.

"Hi there . . ."

"Hey mistah, ya' look bored, wanna have a little fun?" Though Sue was smiling, she was fighting back disgust and even a small dose of terror by the dangerous way this man was looking at her. She flicked her tongue against her azor for comfort.

"With you, lil' girl?" He laughed before spitting out something dark. It landed on the pavement with a 'splut'.

"I might be little, but ah' got what everyone needs to have little fun, and some time, too. How 'bout it, mister?" Sue stuck her hands in her back pockets, waiting.

The man laughed, though he never took his eyes off of her. "Oh, sweet lil' girl, I think you was sent from de' heaven for me," he then opened the door of his semi-truck and gestured for her to get in first. Sue did, and he followed.

The semi was red and silver, hauling crates and crates of canned goods. On the side of the door, engraved by what looked like a sloppy pocket knife, was the name 'Mad Dog'.
 
Connor stared at Susan as she gave her long-winded order, then continued staring before answering the waitress.

He took a deep breath then forced out the word "Cheeseburger" before slumping across the table with mock exhaustion. Then he peered up at the waitress. "You got all that?"

The waitress continued chewing and raised an eyebrow. "Extra cheese?"

Connor flashed his own eyebrows, "Oh stop, you dirty girl."
 
Once the waitress had orders from everyone she was gone in a flash. This left the group alone once again. Susan was getting so hungry she was now snatching up sugar packets and tearing them open to dump in her mouth for SOME sort of sustenance!

Thankfully, their orders were brought out a LOT faster than the terrible long wait it took just to give them. Susan was already halfway through her giant stack of pancakes when she curiously tilted her head and glanced around the diner. For a kid that just needed to go grab something, it was taking her a while.

"She's not back yet... I wonder how old she is."
 
**Warning: This post has mild gropin'. I'm just sayin' . . .**


About fifteen minutes later, the door to the truck burst open, and a laughing Sue toppled out. She fell into a giggling heap on the pavement. Mad Dog, as she had come to know him, came out after her, laughing and sputtering.

"Oh, shi-" He made to pull her up, "you messed up, lil' girl."

Sue straightened herself up, batting his hand away, to stand on her own. "Nah, ah'm just a bit clumsy 's all," she mumbled as she dusted the stray bits of dirt off. "Now I gotta get goin', but thanks for the fun time, Dog." Sue grinned and pat the wad of bills in her pocket. He had bought a lot, that was true, but she couldn't wait to get away from this man. The way he kept looking at her. . .

"Aw, c'mon now, lil' girl," Mad Dog sidled up to her, so close she could feel his warm breath on her face, her nose wrinkled from the smell. "You don't gotta leave so soon, I thought we was havin' fun," his hand reached out and gave her rump a squeeze. "C'mon, I gots more money-"

Sue slapped his hands and practically threw herself away from him. "Dog, keep yer' filthy, goddamn hands off mah' anatomy! Ah' gave you all ah' was gonna give you, so we're done."

"Lil' girl, I just wanna-" He reached out and grabbed her wrist.

And that's when the red that had been waiting on the edge of her vision finally burst forth.

. . . .

"Ah'm back! Ah'm back!"

Practically every head in the diner turned to stare at the young girl standing in the entrance, grinning madly. When she saw that they were still at their table, she practically cleared the space between the door and table in two bounces.

"Ah'm sorry ah' took longer than ah' thought. There was some confusion at the check out," she dug around in her bag and produced an old, ratty wallet.

"But I gots mah' money, see?"

. . . .


"Uuuuuuuugh. . ." He was going to be really angry when he came to, and discovered his wallet AND drugs missing.
 
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