Three

Sharyn emerged from the bathroom, dressed in one of Cody's old black T-shirts and a pair of boxer shorts, drying her hair vigorously with a white towel. She was pretty grateful that Cody had offered to lend her something to wear to sleep. When they had arrived at the hotel, she had realized everything in her bag had become soaked as a result of the rainstorm that had started. Cody in a split second with no questions asked had lent her clothing to wear while he spread her clothing out on a nearby heater to dry. She had been so embarassed to accept his help, but he had been more than okay with it.

Her face darkened when she realized Cody wasn't in the room. Her mind was still racing with thoughts as she hung the towel over a chair. She couldn't believe Gene had said what he had said about her to Cody. She wondered where Cody could have gone; she hoped everything was okay. She couldn't help but feel like Cody wanted something in return, yet she was catching vibes that said otherwise about him. He really seemed to just want to help her out. But there was a voice in the back of her mind telling her that this was dangerous territory, and she had to be careful. She was traveling out of state with a man she didn't even know, sharing a hotel room with him. Granted, there were two beds, but it still made her a touch uncomfortable.

The door opened as she sat down on the bed and Cody came in with a fast food bag and two cups of soda. She looked at him and he flashed her a comforting smile. "I didn't know what you liked, so I just guessed," he told her, placing everything down on the nightstand between the two beds.

"You don't have to do all this, Cody," she said softly as he reached into the bag and pulled out two burgers. She went towards her backpack, but Cody grabbed her wrist and made her sit down.

"Eat," he said. She nodded and he handed her some fries and she pulled a cup of Coke out of the tray. "I'm not going to ask you to tell me anything about what happened tonight, but eventually, you know I'm going to need to know." Sharyn didn't say anything, only unwrapped the burger wrapper and took a bite.

"Thank you for everything," she murmured, taking a sip of Coke. She stared out the window above the nightstand. "I don't think anybody's ever been so nice to me." The rain was still coming down outside; the cars driving by greeting them with the familiar sounds of tires driving through the rain. She wasn't even really sure where they were. Cody had awakened her when he had pulled into the hotel parking lot. It was a nice little place; but had a bit of a Bates motel vibe. It was all one floor, with sixteen rooms. They were in cabin four, a quaint room with two single beds. It was a cheap hotel; a place that Cody's half-brother Dustin had recommended to him before he went out on the road to travel. He knew to take Dustin's advice; after all, he had been through multiple hotels over the years. Cody didn't know what to say to her comment, so they ate in silence for a few minutes. She was sitting cross legged on the bed, eating in silence, staring down at the floor. He couldn't help but wonder why she wouldn't make eye contact with him, or talk to him.

"Must be a hell of a spot there."

"What?" She looked up.

"You keep staring at the floor." She blushed. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

She shook her head. "Not really. It's been a long night." He nodded. If he felt tired about driving, he could only imagine how she must have been feeling regarding whatever had happened to her that night.

"Do you have anybody that you need to call?" he asked. "To let them know where you are?" She shook her head. "Do you think you should call your mom, at least?" She shook her head. "Can I at least ask who the hell that guy was who was looking for you?"

She sighed. "It's my mother's boyfriend." She shook her head. "Don't ask me what she sees in the disgusting son of a bitch." Cody chuckled.

"Don't hold back; tell me how you really feel," he said and she blushed, giggling slightly. She shook her head and took another bite of her burger, washing it down with a sip of cola. "How long's he been with your mother?"

"I think around a year and a half. There's a lot of them that come and go, but he's been the longest relationship she's had in a while." She didn't know why she was saying so much to him. But the look in his eyes wasn't judgmental; they were sympathetic, and she could see he wasn't going to think any differently of her.

"Your mom dates a lot?" Sharyn nods.

"She's scared to die alone, I guess," she said. "So she'll latch onto anybody who can promise to be with her forever. Then things don't work out; we move, we fight, there's another four or five guys, and that's the way it goes."

"It doesn't sound like it bothers you all that much."

"Truthfully, it used to. But after a certain period of time, you realize that that's it. There's nothing you can do about the situation, so getting all upset about it doesn't seem to make any sense, you know?" He nodded. She took a sip.

"It's bothered you enough to run away, though," Cody told her. He could see her clench up in front of him. "What happened to your dad, if you don't mind me asking?"

She sighed. "He's in Baton Rouge somewhere. My mom dropped him like a bad habit when she got pregnant with me. I don't know why. She said he was a deadbeat. I think it was a little bit more than that."

"You sure he's in Baton Rouge?"

"Of course I'm not sure," she snapped, shaking her head. "But what alternative do you think is better? Staying behind with that...monster?" Cody hated to admit it; but she definitely had a point.

"Look, it's getting late," he said. "Why don't we get some sleep? We have to be up early in the morning to get back on the road." She sighed and placed her soda on the nightstand, finishing the last bite of her burger. Cody had finished his minutes ago. She nodded.

"I could use some sleep," she confessed, "It's been a long day." He nodded sympathetically and shut out the light, settling into his bed. Sharyn was relieved that he hadn't said anything about sleeping with him and curled up under the blankets. Cody was asleep in minutes; Sharyn only stayed awake and wondered just how Cody could be so helpful to somebody he didn't even know. She wasn't sure what she had done to deserve his kindness, but the fact that he was being so kind to her made her thankful. Rolling onto her other side, she closed her eyes and tried to get some kind of sleep.