Eric took one hand off the steering wheel, reached over, and jerked Tami back down by the waistband of her jean shorts. Her butt thudded onto the seat. She'd been hanging half out the window, arms outstretched, whooping, "Beach trip!" She seemed to be having fun, but Eric wasn't thrilled with the honking of an overly appreciative trucker.

"Roll up that window," he said. "I'm putting on the A/C."

"I thought the A/C didn't work." Tami cranked up the window.

"My friend Jimmy fixed it for me for $10." The air began to blow from the vents. "He's on the vocational track, taking all those automotive classes."

"Is he the one who plays center?" Tami put her hand in front of the vent to feel the air.

"No, that's Timmy. Jimmy is special teams. Maybe you should buckle up."

Tami flicked off her sandals, scooted back the seat, and put her bare feet up on the dash. "Seat belts are so uncomfortable."

He tried to keep his eyes on the road instead of on her long, bare legs. "My dad says they're going to make it a law soon that you have to wear them. Or you can get fined."

"Fascists!"

"Seriously, maybe you should wear it. In case you make me crash with those damn sexy legs of yours."

Tami sighed, swiveled her legs off the dash, and sat up straight. She scooted the seat up a little again and then clicked the seat belt into place. "There. Happy now Mr. Safety Police?"

"Hey, I just like you alive is all."

"For a guy who got arrested and sent to a ranch to get straightened out, you sure are stickler for rules."

"Rules have their place," Eric said. He reached across her and popped open the glove compartment to get his sunglasses, because the sun had fully risen now. They'd left before it had and watched it rise over the road. Tami had already put her sunglasses on. A bunch of junk spilled out in her lap. "Sorry. Can you hand me those shades?"

Tami plucked them from the floor and passed them over and then began shoving stuff back in the glove compartment again. "What's this?" She held up the tire gauge.

"It's for checking the air pressure. Please tell me you know how to check your tires."

"I don't even have a car," Tami said. "And my bike pump has a built-in gauge."

"I'll show you how to use it later." She didn't have a dad to show her all that stuff. "I'll show you how to check the oil, too. I'm probably going to have to top it off by the time we get past Huntsville. I got a little bit of a leak."

"Is this car going to make it all the way to Galveston?"

"She'll make it." He patted the dash board. "She's a good little car."

Tami laughed. "How long is the drive going to take?"

"We've got another four hours. In an hour, I figured we'd hit a rest stop, have a breakfast picnic." He jerked his head toward the backseat, where there was a cooler.

Tami turned and glanced at it. "Aww. You packed us a picnic? That's so sweet." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You get extra points for that."

"Yeah? What do I get to cash in my points for?"

She chuckled. "Well that's for me to decide and you to find out."

His eyes flitted to her chest, then down to her legs, then back at the road.

"You think I can't see you checking me out through those shades, but I can," she warned him.

"Got my eyes on the road," he swore.

[*]

They eventually pulled into a rest stop with bathrooms and a picnic area. While Eric set up brunch on one of the the picnic tables, Tami went to the bathroom.

When she got back, she lowered her red-rimmed sunglasses down to her nose and peered at the plastic champagne flutes he'd set out. There was an open bottle next to them, and for a terrified moment, she was reminded of that party where she'd lost her virginity, where all of the boys were trying to get all of the girls drunk and loose. "Eric?"

"It's sparkling grape juice! You know I'm not drinking again until I'm 21."

"Oh." She laughed and slid her glasses back up on her nose. "And orange juice?"

"I'm making you a mimosa. It's what the fancy rich people have with their brunch. I figure you deserve the very best."

She smiled and sat down on the bench across from him. He'd also brought pastries from the bakery section of the grocery store and hard boiled eggs. "You've thought of everything. Are you trying to seduce me?"

He smiled. "Just trying to romance you."

She smiled back. "I appreciate that." And she did. She appreciated that she didn't feel like he was pressuring her to have sex, that they could take this relationship as slowly as she wanted, that she could even go away for an entire weekend with him and not worry he had an ulterior motive to get into her pants. She raised her flute. "To a weekend of fun and freedom."

"Fun and freedom!" he agreed, raising his own glass and then toasting hers.

She sipped. And winced. And then tried to hide the wince.

"This is awful," he said.

"I'm so glad you think so." She set it down.

"Sorry. It seemed like a good idea." He poured his out on the grass. She did the same. "Just OJ, or just sparkling grape juice?" he asked.

"Just the grape juice, but let me wash this out in the water fountain first."

They ate and laughed and talked and had a bit of a scare when a cop sauntered over, the brim of his sheriff's hat pushed down over his sunglass-hidden eyes, a hand on the butt of the gun in his holster. "There's no alcohol permitted at rest stops, and y'all look like you're only about seventeen."

"It's grape juice, sir," Eric said.

The cop reached out, turned the bottle, and looked at the label. Then he lifted it and sniffed. "So it is."

"Would you like some officer, sir?" Tami asked.

"No thank you, ma'am. Y'all take care. And beware the one armed hitchhiker." He sauntered on toward the bathrooms.

Tami laughed nervously. "Did he really just say beware the one-armed hitchhiker?"

"Yeah, he did. You know that story?"

"Everyone knows that story. He has a hook for a hand. It's an old legend, and it isn't true." But still she looked around at the various parked cars at the rest stop, and her eyes rested for a moment on a sketchy looking man. "Let's get going," she said.

Eric had a field day with it, of course. After they'd been driving again for another few minutes, he said, "Do you hear that scraping? Up on the hood?"

"Stop it!" she told him as she shoved his shoulder, which caused him to swerve slightly. He briefly crossed into the other lane and then righted the car again.

"Watch it," he said. "You're going to make me side swipe someone."

They stopped once more on the way, for bathrooms and to top off the oil, and, soon enough, they were at the "beach house," a small town house in a row of townhouses a good three blocks from the beach itself.

Tommy and Jessica met them in the narrow driveway, where they parked behind the Jeep Tommy's mom and dad had bought him for his 16th birthday, the wheels of Eric's sedan slightly in the street.

Tommy introduced them to his girlfriend, a raven-haired, dark eyed Hispanic beauty, and then started to help grab bags out of the trunk. "Jeez! You brought even more than Jessica did for the weekend!"

"Girls," Eric muttered to him.

When they got inside, Tommy said, "I stocked the fridge with beer, so we're ready to party."

"Aw, man, I don't drink anymore, but thanks," Eric said.

"Your aunt lets you drink beer?" Tami asked skeptically.

"Well, no, not when she's home," Tommy said, walking into a bedroom and throwing Tami's two bags on top of the bed. Tami followed him in and looked around. The bed was neatly made up, and it didn't look like Jessica's things were anywhere in the room. "But she's at that conference four four days."

"What?" Tami asked. She looked at Eric, who still had his backpack on his shoulder and was standing in the doorway. He shook his head and opened his mouth. Before he could speak, Tami turned back to Tommy. "I thought she was going to be here this weekend."

"No. Of course she isn't. Why do you think we planned it for this weekend?" Tommy asked with a laugh. "So me and Jessica are in the bedroom across the hall there. There's clean towels for you in the bathroom. Just don't do it in the shower. Jessica and I did that last night and almost knocked a hole in the tile. I had to fix it this morning and it's kind of loose. I'll let y'all get changed and then we'll hit the beach." Tommy eased past Eric, grabbed Jessica by the hand, and dragged her into the other bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Eric was standing in the doorway, his mouth slightly open, when Tami whirled on him. "What the hell?" she asked. "You told me his aunt would be here and that I'd be sharing a room with Jessica."

"Yeah, I uh - "

"- You planned this?"

"No. No I didn't - "

"- Tommy said y'all planned this."

"I uh - "

"- You lied to me? You had me lie to my aunt, who trusted me, and now - "

"- Tami, listen - "

"- I can't believe you did this! Was this just to get me to share a room and have sex with you? All of this? This whole beach trip!"

"No! Listen, Tami -"

"- Take me home!"

"What?"

Tami grabbed a bag angrily in each hand. "Take me home right now. Take me back to Euless. I'm not staying here. If all you care about is getting laid this weekend, and not being honest with me, then fine. Find some other girl to screw. Take me home."

"Tami, calm down. C'mon, wait a - "

"Take me home!" she pushed passed him into the hallway and began to storm away.

Tommy opened the other bedroom door and looked out. "Everything all right out here?" he asked. He was in his swim trunks. Jessica was peering curiously over his shoulder as she fastened the back of her bikini.

Tami turned. "Thanks for inviting us, Tommy," she said, trying not to cry, "but I had a sudden family emergency and I have to go home now."

Tommy looked at her in confusion. "Go home? Family emergency? There's not even a phone in that bedroom. How did you hear about a family - "

"- Sorry, I have to go." Tami had to get out of here before she broke down. She'd been an idiot to think that Eric was any different than Mo or any other guy, that he'd be willing to be patient with her, that he cared about her and whether she was ready. He just wanted what they all wanted, and he'd decided it was time, and forget it if she was ready or not! She wanted to scream. To weep. But she wasn't going to do either here in front of Tommy and his girlfriend.

She walked quickly down the hall, struggling with both bags, toward the front door. She tucked one bag under her arm, jerked open the door, and walked outside, slamming the door shut behind herself. She dropped her bags on the trunk of Eric's car, put her palms down flat on the metal, and breathed in.