Not intentionally anyway.
“Sure. Where do you wanna go?”
“You tell me. I’m not from around here.”
I put the truck in drive and head toward the tracks. “So, how’d you end up in Grandeur of all places?”
“You don’t like it here?”
“It’s only the smallest town on the planet. And there’s absolutely nothing to do here.”
“Well, I can think of one thing I want to do right now.”
His words are deliberate, meant to tempt and entice. I let them hang between us, waiting for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t.
“My parents died in a house fire two years ago. Dani came to live with my aunt so I moved down here to be closer to her.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. They weren’t very nice people.”
I wince at the coldness in his tone. I want to ask more but I have a feeling it’s not something he wants to talk about right now, so I tuck it away for later.
“How old are you, Sylvie?”
I want to lie. Tell him I am much older, thinking that will impress him for some reason, but I know in the long run the truth is best.
“Seventeen.”
“Shit.” He pulls a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
“What?”
“You do not look seventeen, babe.”
‘Babe?’
Babe.
He called me babe.
I like that.
A lot.
“How old are you?” I ask, hesitantly.
“Twenty-one.”
From the corner of my eye I watch as he lights up his cigarette, and I try not to think about what my father will say when he smells smoke in here tomorrow.
“How long have you lived here?”
“All my life, but I’m planning my great escape after graduation.”
“Oh yeah, where to?”
“Nashville. My best friend, Linc, who you met the other night, is moving there and wants me to come with him. He’s gonna be a star someday.” I smile thoughtfully.
