So Naive: FT IFC Entry

Fast Times at Barrington High Inspired Fiction Contest
Name of story: So Naive
Penname: chloe
FTABH Song Inspiration: Every Burden Has a Version
Fiction or Fan Fiction: Fan Fiction?
Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don’t own The Academy Is… or anything else in this story.

well it took me long enough to post this. sorry! I wrote it over the summer, and after reading it for the first time since then, i don't think it is very good. haha oh well.


Hearing the heavy traffic fly by me had been a relief. It was so much better than the shouting and hitting and crying I constantly heard at home. But now it was quiet. And dark. The occasional truck that drove by continued on with out even slowing down. Apparently my thumbs up and I were invisible to the people driving by.
Yesterday was it. I was done. I packed up my things and left in a hurry, although I had no idea where I was going. My dad, who was far from sober at the time, didn’t even attempt to stop me. My mom left when I was little, and my brother died last year in a car crash. No one wanted me to stay at home; I didn’t want to stay. I longed to get out of the small town of Millvale, PA. The only thing I would miss about that place was Mr. Smalls Funhouse. It’s thanks to that old church-turned-venue that I’ve lasted this long in that town. I got to grow up and experience the music scene because of that place. I learned to play piano, guitar, and drums in that place. I met local unheard of bands in that venue, and, when I was lucky enough, I met slightly more famous musicians. That place was more of a home than my own house was.
Yet here I am walking west on the PA Turnpike towards the Ohio border with a guitar case filled with clothes, a set of drum sticks and $57.55. My ancient car that hadn’t been driven in over a year broke down about 30 minutes after I left my house. I slept in it last night, and began walking towards my destination, although I had no idea what that even was. I saw the first pair of headlights in several minutes shine ahead of me into the darkness. I waited for the car to pass, but it never did, so I turned around and saw a white van parked behind me on the side of the highway. Shit, I thought, these were the types of vans that creepy rapist people drive. Or carpenters. They drive those vans, too.
An extremely tall, skinny guy got out of the driver’s side. I stopped in my tracks, my thumb still in the air signaling for a ride. I was frozen, not sure whether to be scared or relieved.
“You need a lift?” said a soft voice.
“Uh,” I said, not sure whether to accept the ride. “Yeah. Who are you?”
“Bill. I saw you walking along the road. Aren’t you a little young to be hitch hiking?”
Creep much?
“Yeah, I asked who you were,” I said, deciding not to ride with this guy unless he sounded legitimately normal.
“Bill Beckett. I’m heading home with my band to Chicago, you need a lift somewhere?” Oh, a musician, it was all ok then.
“Yes.” I was oh so thankful.
“Where are you headed?” he asked.
“I don’t really know. I just have to get past the PA border, then you can drop me off wherever you want.”
He shrugged and motioned for me to get in the passenger door.
The van smelled like Ferbreze, pizza, and stale smoke. There were 5 other guys in the van, all of them asleep except a guy in the back watching a DVD on his laptop.
“Who are they?” I asked.
“The rest of the band. Is there a guitar in that case?”
“No.”
“Oh. Well do you play guitar?”
“Yeah.” No need to tell this guy my life story.
He nodded, started the van and began to drive.
My cell phone, whose battery was nearly drained, rang loudly. I looked at the called ID and sighed. I swore to myself this would be the last time I’d ever talk to this guy.
“Hello?”
“Where are you.” It wasn’t a question, rather more of a statement.
“Dad, I left. Please don’t call me.”
“You’re not even 18 yet. I could get you in trouble for so many things. You stole my goddamn car.”
“I bought the car. It’s mine. Before yesterday it hasn’t even been driven in over a year.” My voice was uncharacteristically monotone as I struggled to hold back tears.
“Alexis Molly Greene, I could call the cops on you.”
“First, that’s not even my middle name, but good try. And second, you don’t even know where I am. If you call the cops on me, I’ll just tell them everything you’ve ever done to me and you’ll get thrown in jail so fast you won’t know what hit you.”
I shut my phone and took a deep breath. I sat up and glanced sideways, realizing Bill had just heard everything I said. I turned around to see the other guys awake staring at me.
“Uh guys, this is Alexis,” said Bill. “She needed a ride...so yeah.”
I was still mortified. “Sorry,” I mumbled.
“It’s no problem,” muttered Bill. “Introduce yourselves.”
“Mike”
“Tom”
“Jack. I’m not in the band, just tagging along.”
“Adam T. Siska”
“Butcher”
I raised an eyebrow at that last one.
“Yeah, that’s what they call me,” said the skinny, shirtless, tattooed guy in the back.
“So who even are you?” asked the guy named Tom.
“Alexis.”
“But like who are you? Where are you from? Why are you riding with us? Why were you so upset on the phone?”
I just shrugged and didn’t answer. Instead I closed my eyes and wished for sleep to take over. Eventually it came.
I opened my eyes and panicked. A face was peering into mine. Two dark eyes blinked and a smile stretched across the face.
“We’re stopping for food.”
I looked at my surroundings. A Denny’s and a BP gas station.
“Are we outside of Pennsylvania?” I asked quietly.
“Yeah, we’re in central Ohio somewhere. A few hours from Chicago.”
I nodded, got my guitar case, and climbed out of the car. I turned my head to see where exactly I was. Shrugging my shoulders slightly, I began walking toward the road and said, “Thanks for the ride.”
“Wait!”
I stopped and turned around. William was standing there with his hands in his front jeans pockets.
“Where are you going? It’s like 5 a.m. and we’re not in Chicago yet.”
I cocked an eyebrow and asked, “So?”
“So?” he asked. “So, I’m not going to let a sixteen year old girl walk alone on a highway in the middle of Ohio. At least come to Chicago with us and let me help you find a place to stay.”
“First of all, I just turned 18 yesterday afternoon. Second, I don’t need a pity party. I’m used to being on my own. I like it better on my own.”
“Well happy birthday, and I’m not going to let you go until we get to Chicago. I’ll use force if necessary.”
I knew he was joking, but the reference to physically forcing me to do anything made me automatically shut him out.
He noticed my change in demeanor and said, “I was only kidding. I wouldn’t ever actually hurt you.”
I nodded and walked back to the van, setting my case down and getting out money. Without looking Bill’s way, I went inside to Denny’s and sat down in a booth with the rest of the guys…Bad idea. They all began asking me questions:
“Who are you?”
“Where are you from?”
“Why are you hitch hiking?”
“Why were you upset on the phone?”
“What did your dad do to you?”
I looked at them all, unsure of what to do. They all looked back at me intently, expecting me to answer each question in great detail. The silence lasted for a full thirty seconds before Bill came and sat down with us.
“Why is everyone looking at Alexis?” he asked.
They all repeated their questions, only this time they were directed at William.
He shrugged and said, “I don’t know anymore about her than you do.”
He looked at me, apparently expecting me to explain to them, complete strangers, why I was in this current situation.
I shrugged again and looked down, fidgeting with my napkin. I looked back up and saw they were still staring at me. I might as well get this over with.