Chapter Text
Juliana turns her head to look over her shoulder and out the back passenger side of her vehicle. She narrows her eyes, focusing on the gas pump as it slowly rolls into view outside the window. She’s thankful for the large covering of shade that now hangs over her compact SUV.
Her car is a little over fifteen years old and for sure not the fanciest, but it had always gotten her where she needed to go. Unfortunately, the one thing that was unreliable about it was the air conditioning. She had the mechanic take a look at it before her big trip, but her wallet ended up dictating a delay in fixing the issue. She’d have to wait until she got on the freeway before she could turn on the AC. Which was not a thrilling prospect, considering the midwest summer heat was already cooking her alive even at this early hour.
She eyes the lightly worn but comfortable interior as she adjusts the gear shift into park. Juliana rolls down all the windows and glances over at her dog sitting in the passenger seat. She turns her vehicle off and reaches out, rubbing the pups ears affectionately.
“Be a good girl,” she states. “I’ll be back in a second.”
Her car door opens with a small creak, and she steps out onto the pavement. She stretches her arms out to her sides, as she adjust her back. She had only been driving for a little less than an hour, but most of that had been in stop and go traffic as she navigated her way from her north Chicago neighborhood to this side of the city. Now, she was in need of a cold drink and a full tank so she could put some serious effort into covering a decent distance today.
The bells fastened to the inside handle of the glass door of the gas station jingle softly as she pushes her way in. She spots the fountain drink machine along the far side of the space and immediately makes her way over. After filling up a cup roughly the size of a jug with ice and soda, Juliana finds herself slowly moving along the snack aisle. She eyes her options and takes a small sip of her drink. The cold liquid compliments the cool air against her skin, and she feels herself relax a little.
She makes the quick decision to forgo any indulgent purchases this early in the trip. She also doesn’t want to linger too long considering who was waiting for her in the car. Juliana joins the queue at the register, shifting on her feet as she patiently waits her turn.
“I don’t want to think about it.”
She hears a soft voice suddenly say behind her. She glances back briefly to see two young women step in line.
“That’s the problem, Vale. You never want to think,” one of the women replies.
The first woman lets out a small huff, as she rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. The other woman continues.
“I don’t know why you believe that you don’t have the same obligations that the rest of us do.”
“And what is that exactly?” the young woman counters. “To sacrifice everything for our family business? To get married when I’m barely old enough to drink alcohol legally?”
“Don’t even get me started on the alcohol. But, yes. You could have gotten engaged. It’s not like you’d have to get married tomorrow. Things were clearly headed that direction, anyway.”
“First, I have no interest in being a child bride. And, second, things were heading absolutely nowhere with Lucho. How many times do I have to tell you this? I swear you’re just as stubborn as him on this topic.”
“You’ve done this for the past two years, Vale. Back and forth and back and forth with him. It’s all for the same reason that you won’t settle on a major. You think committing to something is a death sentence. Well, I’ve got news for you. It’s not. It’s called being an adult. And, its time—”
The woman’s rant is suddenly interrupted by a ringing and she pauses.
“I’ve got to take this. It’s my responsibility.”
She steps a couple feet away for privacy, as she answers the call.
“Whatever,“ the younger woman states, clearly exasperated by the discussion.
The loud clack of plastic hitting tile echoes in Juliana’s ears. It’s followed a millisecond later by the soft mutter of a curse from the young woman still standing behind her. She looks down at her feet and sees a phone laying on the floor. She quickly dips down, retrieving it and turns around to hand it back to its owner.
“Thanks,” the woman says quietly, as she takes it from her hand.
Juliana finds herself caught in the bright blue eyes staring back at her. She’s never seen anything quite like them before. Her lips twitch into a small smile, and she watches as the other woman does the same in response. She opens her mouth to speak but stalls for a second. She’s not sure if its her place to say this, but the other woman seems to be waiting in anticipation.
“I’m on your side, by the way,” Juliana finally whispers.
Her eyes stay fixed on the ones staring back at her, and she watches the other woman’s eyebrow arch in question.
“Obligation is just a gilded cage. Life’s too short.”
Juliana says the words quietly, as she leans in. She glances in the direction of the woman standing a few feet away still on the phone. She then watches a smirk form on the lips of the woman directly in front of her. The seconds stretch between them.
“Miss?”
The gas station attendant calls out, interrupting their moment. She takes in a quick breath.
“Good luck,” she offers to her, as she turns away.
Juliana then pays for her drink and gas and heads back outside towards her car. The heat immediately envelopes her body the minute she steps out into the sun. When she gets to her vehicle, she leans through her open passenger side window to drop her drink in the cupholder and give her dog a quick pet. She unscrews the gas cap on her car and pulls the handle from the pump. Once she locks down the trigger, Juliana grabs the squeegee and washes her front windshield. Her dog follows her movements closely, and she smiles back at her through the glass as she works.
Just as the pump handle clicks signifying that her tank is full, she hears familiar voices arguing once again. Juliana moves her body a little to the left to peek out from behind her car in an attempt to catch a visual of what was transpiring now.
She sees a large luxury SUV parked at the pump across from her. A man in a black suit and sunglasses is putting gas in the car, while the two women she saw inside earlier are standing beside it. They’re continuing to argue, the younger one waving her hands out in front of her in frustration.
She shifts back to her prior position and pulls the pump handle from her car. She screws the gas cap tight, noting the repeating clicking sound that guarantees its secure. Juliana looks down as she walks around the back of her vehicle towards the drivers side. She can feel the sweat collecting on the bridge of her nose, and she reaches up adjusting her sunglasses before they slip out of place. When she glances back up, she sees the young woman from before staring at her. Juliana freezes in place.
She’s not entirely sure how long she’s been standing there when suddenly a wet sensation pokes at the back of her upper arm. She jumps a little in response and turns around to see her dog now in the back driver side window looking at her expectantly. She lets out a small breath at the friendly reminder that it was definitely time to get on the road. Juliana smiles once again at her dog, opens the door and slides into her seat.
The engine kicks alive as she turns the key. She decides to take one last look back at the neighboring quarrel. She keeps hearing the name “Valentina” being shouted loudly in repetition.
The surprising click of her passenger side car door opening startles her, and she whips her head to the right.
The young woman from before, who she can now safely assume is named Valentina, drops herself dramatically into the seat and shuts the door with some force.
Juliana stares at her for a moment with her mouth agape. Valentina is avoiding eye contact as she settles in. She places a small bag on the floor between her feet and props her elbow up in the open window. Juliana watches the other woman run a hand anxiously up through her hair.
“Umm,” she says hesitantly. “What are you doing?”
“Can you please just drive?” the other woman asks curtly.
Juliana slides her hands along the perimeter of her steering wheel, as she considers the request. She catches the movement in her periphery of the other woman from inside approaching her vehicle.
“Please.”
She hears Valentina plead.
Juliana’s adrenaline kicks in and she feels her chest rise and fall in deep breaths. She searches her mind for the right thing to do here and just comes up completely blank. Her hand moves down and she shifts the car into gear. Valentina’s name continues to be shouted in the distance, as they make their departure from the gas station.
~~~
About three solid minutes of silence passes before Juliana can’t hold herself back anymore. This was not on today’s schedule, and she doesn’t have a lot of free time to be playing getaway driver for a stranger.
“So, can I give you a ride home?” she asks hesitantly.
Valentina shakes her head and continues to stare forward.
“I’m not from here.”
“Oh,” Juliana responds and lets out a long breath. “Hotel? Or, I could drop you off at the airport.”
The other woman only shakes her head, again. She looks close to tears, and Juliana winces in sympathy. A small whine from the back seat catches her attention and Juliana glances at her dog in the rear view mirror. She watches Valentina look back over her shoulder.
“You’re sitting in her seat,” Juliana explains.
The other woman smiles softly, as she continues to stare at the dog.
“My apologies.”
Juliana’s dog whines, again, and stands up impatiently.
“Lanna, it’s ok. We’re going to give this nice lady a ride to… somewhere… and then you can get your seat back.”
Silence falls between them, and Juliana shifts in her seat. Valentina is now staring out the passenger side window, with her hand gently covering her mouth. She looks deep in thought. There was no doubt a lot churning through the other woman’s mind.
“Where are you going?” Valentina asks abruptly.
“Right now, your guess is as good as mine.”
“No. I mean, where are you headed? You have all this stuff in the back of your car. Are you on a trip?”
Juliana nods in response.
“I just…” Valentina starts and then pauses in thought. “I need to escape for a minute. I can just go wherever you’re going.”
“I’m not sure that will work,” Juliana states.
She can feel the immediate disappointment from the other woman. Valentina slumps a little in her seat.
“I’m driving to California.”
“Which part?”
“Los Angeles,” Juliana answers quickly.
“Perfect!”
“How is that perfect?”
“That’s where I’m from,” Valentina states.
“No, I don’t...” Juliana responds. She’s feeling flustered and the words die on her tongue. She licks at her lips incredulously. “You can’t just ride with me to California. It’s like a week-long trip.”
“Why not?”
Valentina’s question leaves her mouth in the most nonchalant tone. She’s sitting upright, her kinetic energy bouncing off her form.
“Because we don’t even know each other,” Juliana counters emphatically. “I could be a serial killer. You could be a serial killer. Lanna could be a savage animal with rabies.”
She hears a small whine from the back seat in protest of her statement. Valentina stares at her skeptically for a moment.
“Are you a serial killer?” she questions in a flat tone.
“No. Are you?”
“No,” Valentina answers. “At least, not that I know of.”
“See! That’s exactly something a sociopath would say.”
Valentina laughs lightly at her comment. Juliana can feel the heat of the other woman’s gaze on her face.
“How about this?” Valentina asks softly. “How about you take me in whichever direction you’re headed? The minute you get tired of me, you can drop me off at the nearest airport. And, I promise to be out of your hair.”
Juliana pulls to a stop at a red light and finally shifts to look at the other woman directly. The barely restrained excitement shines just behind Valentina’s bright eyes. Her lips purse, as she attempts to suppress a smile.
This doesn’t seem like the best of ideas, but Juliana finds herself oddly curious to see exactly where this will take her. After all, she was looking for a little more adventure in her life. As far as danger goes, this seems pretty low risk by the look of the other woman. The most this will likely amount to is getting stuck with a high maintenance rich girl for a day or two.
She lets out a long sigh, as her eyes scan Valentina’s hopeful expression.
“Just promise me this,” she requests. “I’m clearly no good at telling you to get out of my car. So when the time comes, you have to help me out. You have to not fight me on this.”
“Promise,” Valentina responds, almost immediately.
She lifts her hand, extending her pinky out. Juliana's eyes bounce from the offered hand and back up to her face. She gives her a closed mouth smile, as she extends her own pinky finger out linking them together.
The soft honk of a car horn behind them pulls her attention forward. She sees the green light lit in front of her, and she releases her foot from the brake pedal. The trio silently ride along a few surface streets before the sign for the freeway comes into view.
Juliana presses down on the accelerator, merging onto the interstate that will take them west.
~~~