Paige stared out the passenger-side window as the music all but made her eardrums explode. Some guys rapping about crunk juice, whatever that is. She replayed the events of the past fifteen minutes in her head. First that creepy cashier guy kept hitting on me- ugh, as if I would date someone like him, she thought. Then Jay comes to my rescue, surprisingly. I cannot believe he just put his arm around me- it was so, so, natural. Then came the showdown between creepy cashier and less-creepy Jay, which ended with Jay carrying me out to the car. Paige smiled as she remembered smelling some cologne on his neck. Smelled good. Really good. Must've been that smell that got to my head when I asked Jay if he was jealous. He got all offended on me, Paige frowned. But, he still held on to me. That thought brought the smile back to her face. And, for some strange reason, I thought something was going to happen. Well, before it started raining. And now, here we are, driving down the road to who-knows-where, listening to this awful music.

I have to turn this off before my ears go on protest and explode, Paige thought. She reached over and turned the volume knob. "Um, Jay, can we stop at the next gas station? I could use some Tylenol or something." She winced. Lame excuse, she told herself. Well, it was true- she was in pain, but it still seemed like a dumb thing to say.

She didn't get one. "Yeah. There's gotta be one up here," Jay told her. Somewhere, he thought to himself. When she finds out that I have no idea where we are, she's going to bitch me out with her pretty little mouth. Then she'll tear me apart with her pretty manicured nails. Wait, did I just use the word pretty?

She couldn't help but glance at him once in a while. Okay, more than once in a while. That hat is so gross, she thought to herself. As if on cue, he reached up and threw the hat in his lap and scratched his hair. She glanced over again to catch him with his left hand in his hair. You know, he doesn't look that bad without that hat. Again, as if on cue, he put the hat back on. She sat back, farther in her seat. Figures, she thought.

Jay spotted a gas station up ahead. Lucky Gas And Groceries. He pulled his car up to the pump. "I'm gonna get some gas. You go get what you need." He got out of his car and opened the gas cap as Paige hopped over to the door. She went in and leaned against the counter. "Hi, do you have any Tylenol?"

The gas station attendant looked up at her. "What do you say? What is the Tyleenel?"

Paige sighed. Great. "Do you have any painkillers? Advil, asprin, anything?"

"Kill pain? You have pain?"

"Yes!" Big sigh. She decided to take it really slow. "Do. You. Have. Any. Painkillers?"

"So sorry, no carry that."

"Do you have anything? Motrin? Midol? Give me novacaine if you have to!" She was getting frustrated. She would've stomped her foot, if it wouldn't have put her in more pain than she was already in.

Just then Jay came in and threw a 10 on the counter. "For pump 2."

"Okay, thank you, have good day sir."

Paige followed Jay back to the car. "They don't have any pain killers," she grumbled as they got in the car.

He stopped putting on his seatbelt to reach behind his seat. "Here, take some of this." He held up a bottle.

Paige grabbed it and examined the label. "Alchohol? Are you serious?" She looked at him pointedly, raising one eyebrow.

Jay nodded. "Really. Have some, your ankle will feel better."

"Ugh, yeah right." She read the label again. "One-hundred and fifty-one of what? Jay, this isn't a good idea."

Silence.

"Will it really make me feel better?"

Jay looked at her. "It'll relax you; you'll probably fall asleep."

Do I really want to be asleep with him in the middle of nowhere in his car? was her automatic reaction. No, Paige told herself, Jay does have the reputation of a bad-ass, but he wouldn't do anything to me. I know it. There's just something about him- I know I can trust him. He's not a bad guy. She glanced at him, who was looking at her, the bottle, then back at her. She looked at his mouth, which twitched nervously, at the strands of hair that poked out from underneath his grungy black hat, directly into his cold blue eyes. No, not cold. Hot. No. No! She looked away, her face getting warm. Oh, please, don't tell me I was checking him out. It's the pain. I'm hallucinating.

"Aww, what's the matter?" Jay taunted her. "Rah-rah's never had a drink before?"

She glared at him, then opened the bottle and took a big gulp. Her throat- it was on fire! She didn't care. Well, maybe a little bit. But, she took another swig. My esophogus is going to burn away, Paige thought, still looking Jay in the eye.

"Hey, slow down," Jay smiled and took the bottle away from her, screwed the lid back on, and put it behind his seat. "You don't need the whole bottle." He looked at her scrunched-up face. "Didn't taste too good, did it? Have some coke." He reached behind her seat, then paused when he saw the worried look on her face. "I mean pop, not the nose candy. I don't do that shit. But, of course, you just assume I do because I don't hang out with your holier-than-thou group." He shook his head and grabbed a can of coke, then handed it to her.

Paige tilted her head. "That's not true! I never said anything like that!" She frowned as she opened the can, took a sip, and set it in the cupholder.

"Seatbelts," Jay muttered, as he put his car into second gear and took off.

Paige sipped on the pop and sighed. I don't know where we are, she thought. Hell, I don't even know what time it is; my phone battery ran out sometime while we were in the diner. She felt herself relax and get warm and, well, kind of fuzzy. Oh great, here we go. Please, don't let me do anything dumb, she silently prayed.