Thank you guys so much for the reviews!! So glad that you like it!
Here's the next one. Tell me what you think! Suggestions are welcome!
Enjoy...
"I won't ask again! Who fucking spilled the beans?" Billy angrily slapped the table, making the glasses dance.
"We told you Billy! No one!" Heco reassured the whole crew's former statement. Which their boss fiercely ignored.
"There must be someone! She couldn't have figured that out by herself!" He was pissed off. Julie found out about the bet and shoved him off. She didn't want him near her anymore and it bothered him more then he could have foreseen. His dark eyes scanned the uneasy guys in front of him. "Found out." They all nodded and took a last sip of their glasses. "Joe, I need you to do something for me."
...
Ally giggled all her way towards Julie.
"What?" Julie asked annoyed. Adding to last night's anger and the little and not so comfortable sleep she got, she was able to rip somebody's head off.
"I think your cranky mood is about to change."
"I don't mean to be rude with you Ally, but mind your own business."
Julie's emotionless tone didn't keep her from smiling. That deeply bored Julie. She hated being around smiley people when she just felt like breaking everything within her reach.
"Alright…" Ally backed away laughing. Good for her, she got far out of reach.
Julie had calmed herself down by concentrating on the song playing in the background. It didn't took long until a voice interrupted her efforts.
"Can I kidnap you?" A deep male voice said behind her, making her jump in surprise.
She turned to face whoever it was. "Usually kidnappers don't ask permission."
"I told you she's crankier than usual today." Ally said while passing by and Julie glared.
His blue eyes sparkled, reflecting his perfect white teeth. "Maybe I can change that. I know quite a bit of alternative relaxing care."
"I'm working Mark. I can't be kidnapped while working. I gotta get my paycheck."
"I've got that covered." Her discouraging tone didn't wash the cheer away from his.
"May I ask how?"
"You don't work here alone." He smiled and jerked his head to the side. Julie followed the direction and her eyes fell upon her co-workers, who were waving at her, laughing.
"Great." She mumbled to herself. Another set up thing.
"I knew you'd be difficult but hadn't expected this much opposition." He walked towards her, going to the other side of the counter, where she stood.
"What are you doing?"
"Kidnapping you without your permission." He chuckled before throwing her on his right shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Whoa! Put me down!"
"Bye girls." Mark flashed a smile towards Ally and Kristin, knocking their breath away.
Mark finally put Julie back on the ground. She glared at him, making him smile amused before handing her a helmet.
"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"
"You might want to have your head covered. Just to be on the safe side, you know. Not that I'm a bad driver at all." He motioned towards the shiny black Harley Davidson VRSCDX Night Rod Special parked beside them.
Julie's mouth hung open. "Are you kidding me?"
He laughed, full of himself. "Bought this baby six months ago. Never carried anyone but me. You're a very special guest, you know."
"Where are we going?"
"Where the road leads us."
Julie couldn't help but giggle. This would rock, excitement flowed through her veins. She put the helmet on, thinking how ridiculous she might be looking right now.
"Wait!" Ally ran from the shop, holding Julie's purple leather jacket. "You forgot this."
"Oh! Thanks." Julie smiled.
"Have fun!" Ally shouted heartily. She was so happy to see her friend smiling and not angrily frowning drowning in her own thoughts.
"We will." Mark assured with his shiny smile. "Hop on." His gaze turned to Julie, who had just put the jacket on. As soon as her arms wrapped securely around his waist and her body melted against his, the motorcycle took off with an angry roar.
...
"Can I help you?" Kristin unwilling asked the guy standing in front of her. He had been there before, asking after Julie.
"Where's Hot- I mean Julie?" Joe asked. He needed to deliver a message from his brother. And he better get it done.
"She's not here."
"Where can I find her?"
"I don't know." Kristin shrugged.
Joe sighed. "Is she upstairs?"
"No."
"Look, you gotta tell me where she is!"
"What do you want from her?"
"Whatever it is, it's not of your business. I don't even know myself. That's my brother's business."
"Your brother's business? What does he want with Julie? Who is he?"
Joe smirked, maybe this would make her start talking. "Billy Darley."
Kristin's eyes widened. Smelling trouble, Ally got near them. "What's going on here?"
"He wants to know where Julie is."
"We don't know. Why?"
"Did something happen to her?" Billy would be so pissed at that.
"No. It's none of your business. And if you don't want anything from the menu, I'm sorry but we can't help you." Joe lost his temper and grabbed Ally's arm angrily. "Ow! Let go!"
"Tell me where she is!"
"Let go of her!" Kristin helped her friend off the thug. "She's off on a road trip."
"By herself?"
The girls eyed each other. If they told him she was alone, they might go after her. So maybe it was wiser to say the truth. "No. She's with Mark."
"Who the fuck is Mark?"
"He's a doctor. Now either you leave or I'll call the cops."
Joe chuckled. "Thanks for the help." He pinched Kristin's cheek and she flinched away in disgust.
...
They had been riding for a good half an hour to the country side of the city's area. The view was beautiful. It had been almost a year since Julie had seen those fields, back when she first arrived. The cold wind blew on their faces and the sun kept shining all the way, except for a few clouds around. Their position hadn't changed, Julie's arms were still wrapped around Mark's body, they were just more relaxed than when they first took off.
When they started passing the small houses, Mark turned right on an almost hidden path and kept going. Julie wondered where they were, Mark never hesitated. After ten minutes, Mark turned the engine off, the loud rumble now replaced by the happy singing of birds. They were now standing in front of a nice ranch house. She could see there was a lake not too far away, the house had a homely look and a wonderful smell coming from, she assumed, the kitchen.
"Marky?" Someone called from inside. Julie frowned amused before laughing at him. Just then, an elderly lady walked out to greet them. Her features were soft and she had a huge smile on her wrinkled lips.
"Grandma!" He smiled and went to meet her. He bent so she could give him a truly tight warm hug.
"It's been so long since you've been here. I'm so glad you came my dear!"
"Grandma, I want you to meet my friend, Julie." He beckoned Julie with his hand. She walked closer with a small shy smile on her lips.
"Hello." She politely offered her hand.
"Oh honey!" She hugged the young woman, catching her by surprise. "She's beautiful." She looked up to Mark and he chuckled, while Julie blushed a little. That wasn't like her, but she couldn't help it. "Come on in!"
"She tends to get a little too hearty." He laughed. Julie didn't answer, just gave him a small laugh back. "Ready to eat until you explode?"
"Bring it on." She smiled as they headed inside.
Polly was a sweetheart and probably the proudest grandmother out there. She had raised Mark, since his mother left him with his father, who then ran away, leaving a baby behind for his mother to look after. Polly gave the young boy all she could, but he wanted more. He didn't want to take care of cows on a ranch, he wanted to be a doctor. And he fought for it, fought hard until he got what he wanted. Julie listened to his story with a small smile on her lips, laughing occasionally. She never thought his childhood had been that difficult. Then she told them about her own. Mark gasped in surprise when he got to know she spent a whole lot of years between combat tanks and regimentals.
"I never really respected curfews." They all laughed.
After eating a delicious homemade lunch, Mark and Julie took a walk by the lake. It had a small forest around it, the air smelled delicious and it was so refreshing.
"I didn't freak you out, did I?" He asked, sitting on the grass in the shadow of a huge tree.
"No." She frowned. How could he freak her out? "How would you do that?"
He laughed. "Bringing you here to meet Grandma and stuff… On the way I thought you'd kind of freak out."
"Nah. It's nice. This place is so good." She laid down and closed her eye, letting the wind play with her hair.
"Can I ask you something?" He asked casually, but there was an edge of importance in his voice.
"Yeah." Julie didn't open her eyes.
"Why did you say maybe I was too good for you?"
Crap. Why would he bring this up now? Everything was going so well. Julie sighed and sat back. "What I meant was that…Er… I don't really know how to explain."
"Try." He encouraged, hope evident in his soft voice.
She shook her head. "I've done a lot of crap during my life. I'm not as good as you might think."
"We all do crap Ju." She looked up at him, it was the first time he called her by a nickname. "If I was looking for a saint, I'd date a statue."
She laughed. "Right…"
"What's your favorite flower?"
"What?"
"Well, we're getting to know each other. It's time to ask questions." He chuckled.
"Lavender. I don't like daises, they make me sneeze."
He laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."
"What's your favorite band?"
"Hmm… I don't really like that band thing. I'm into classical music."
Julie made a disgusted expression. "Classical? Ew!"
He laughed. "What's yours?"
"Linkin Park."
"All that noise?"
She smiled. "All that noise."
"Favorite movie?"
"Hmm… That's a tough one! Oh! Pirates of the Caribbean."
"Really? Why?"
"Because it mixes action and comedy. Not to mention that Orlando Bloom is totally hot." Julie giggled and Mark laughed amused.
"I'd go with Legends of The Fall."
"Ah that's a really good one!"
"Because Brad Pitt is also totally hot?"
She laughed. "That too." They stood a minute in a comfortable silence, until Julie thought of something. "Why did you decide to be a doctor?"
Mark raised a thoughtful eyebrow. "I think I was what? Eight or something. I had a puppy and he had twisted his little leg while we were playing around. I felt really guilty and desperate. I should have taken better care of him, after all, he was my responsibility. I ran to Tim, a man who used to work here, carrying the pup and crying. I thought he was going to die."
He paused to laugh at his own innocence. Julie watched him. "He lived on ranches his whole life, you know, he knew how to take care of animals. He made an improvised clamp and kept him locked in for a week. After that, he was healed and ready to play. He was so happy to be able to run again as if nothing had happened. From that time on, I decided I'd try to do that with every human being. I wanted to make people feel better after a fall… literally." He added with a chuckle.
"Wow." Julie simply whispered and smiled at him. "That's really nice of you."
He shrugged in modesty. "So, what about you? Did you always dream about working in a coffee shop?"
Julie laughed, she had gotten used to the jokes everyone played on her. "Nah…"
"Come on, I told you my story."
"Mine isn't as honorable as yours."
"Doesn't matter. It's your story."
"Well…After my mom died, my dad dragged me to the military base because there was no one to watch over me. But he was always traveling and training soldiers. So I either stayed with the soldiers of the Minnesota military base or I hung out with the other army brats. Usually it was both. We got into a lot of trouble, going where we weren't supposed to go. The soldiers kind of trained us as well and then we practiced the fighting skills amongst ourselves. It was really funny. Being the only girl who actually did the informal training, I had to be better than good and stand up for myself. Otherwise they'd make my life a living hell. But I never thought about striving for military career. That's what my father would have expected."
"Rebel, huh?" Mark chuckled.
"You have no idea. So I grew up around the same guys, my friends were all going for the army, but I decided to go on with school. Even though I sucked at it. I almost failed high school's last semester but I made it. Then I decided to go for Art major."
Mark snorted. "Sorry."
"Yeah. I don't know what I was thinking! Sometimes I liked it, but mostly, I hated it. To memorize all those paintings' names and the painters' style just wasn't my cup of tea. Plus, I wanted to get out of that place, until today I don't know why. I just knew I had to get out. It didn't feel right to be living there and only there when there was the whole world out there. Of course my dad didn't support the idea, so he wouldn't help me with a penny. That's why I could only manage to travel across the country. I ended up here, where a friend of mine had a cousin, Ally. In a matter of two days I had a roof and a job. It all sort of clicked."
"That's truly adventurous!"
Julie laughed. It was lame. "You never thought about living somewhere else?"
"I did… a lot."
"Then why didn't you take off?"
"I could never leave her." He motioned towards the house and Julie understood what he meant.
"Oh."
"But it's good. You know, to have something that holds you back." Julie made a face and Mark laughed.
They talked about random stuff until he decided it was time to get back. It was really easy to talk to Mark, it was like he'd understand everything. Though Julie didn't tell him everything. How could she? How could she look into his eyes and say she slept with a dangerous gang leader, who then took a picture of her to show off to his crew? That she knew nothing about him except his name, his brother's name and his social position. Well that's not true, he also mentioned he grew up working on cars because his father owned a body shop. She wouldn't be shocked at all if he felt the way she felt about herself towards this. Urgh!
Suddenly the sun hid behind heavy dark clouds. By the time they reached the city, it started raining and as Mark pulled up in front of the coffeeshop, it was pouring down. Strangely, none of the powerful motorcycle's passengers cared that it didn't provide safety from the water.
"You wanna come in?" Julie yelled in Mark's ear so he could listen to her just after she took the helmet off.
"I'm fine. Go on, you'll get sick. I'd hate to take care of you!" He joked laughingly.
"Alright. Bye! Thanks Mark!" She hugged him from behind and got off the vehicle.
"It was my pleasure." He smiled while Julie handed him the extra helmet.
"Drive safe!" She waved and he took off.
...
Baggy got home really late that night.
"Baggy?" Ashley called from the couch.
"Hey little sis. What you doing up this late?"
"I was waiting for you. I got worried."
"You know you don't need to do that."
"I know… But Billy seemed more pissed than ever today."
"Argh. I'm trying to figure out something impossible. There's no explanation for such thing!" He said more to himself.
"What's wrong?"
"Business Ash. Business… Just don't get involved." Ashley shrugged and then walked away. He was home and safe, she could sleep now. But then a thought crossed Baggy's mind. "Hey. Wait!"
"What?"
"Have you seen any of the guys talking to the muffin girl?"
"Who?"
He took a moment. "Julie."
She swallowed hard. "Er no. Why?"
"Nothing… Ashley?"
"What?" She asked too quickly.
"What are you hiding from me?"
"Nothing."
"Then why are you chewing the inside of your mouth?"
"I'm not!"
"Yes you are! And you do it every time you're lying!"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" He grabbed her arm. Of course, he wouldn't do anything against her, but she needed a little push to start talking. "Alright! Let me go." He did. "I heard you guys in the bar that day."
Baggy groaned. "Fuck Ash! Tell me you didn't…"
"Yes." She whispered.
"Damnit! Why the fuck did you do that?!"
"Because she's my friend!"
"Fuck! Who else knows about it?
"I only talked about it to her. She probably didn't tell the other girls either."
"You better hope it stays that way. Hell! What have you done? If he ever finds out…Ashley, Billy will kill you."
She knew just how right he was.
Tell me what I'm supposed to do
With all these left over feelings of you
Cause I don't know
And tell me how I'm supposed to feel
When all these nightmares become real
Cause I don't know
And I don't think you see
The places inside me that I find
And I don't know how we
Separate the lies here from the truth
And I don't know how we
Woke up one day somehow thought we knew
Exactly what we're supposed to do
So leave me at the roadside
And hang me up and out to dry
So leave me at the roadside
And hang me up and out to dry
Roadside - Rise Against
