#vince walker

I anxiously sat on my bed, holding my knees to my chest, watching the second hand on my clock go tic’ tic’ tic.’ It was fifteen minutes until midnight, which meant it was fifteen minutes until I was supposed to sneak out of my house. I still can’t believe I told Dale Holt I would do this a few hours ago. Pins and needles were shooting through my body, and my legs were shaking uncontrollably. The only bad thing I’ve done is lie to my parents. Going against them like this created a knot in my stomach, and I was debating not going and just staying home. I know he would be disappointed, but surely he’ll understand. I got up from my bed and started pacing back and forth. Both my parents are sleeping, and their room is on the opposite side of the house from mine. The only person I worry about is my brother, whose room is next door, and he could hear me leave through my window. 

I decided that I couldn’t risk being caught by my brother. He would make things worse for me than they already were, and I couldn’t bear any more of the treatment I’d been getting. I walked over to my desk chair and grabbed my pajamas, which were folded neatly on the seat. I had already dressed for the occasion: a plain black crew neck that was a bit oversized, light denim mom jeans, and a pair of white sneakers. I even had a bag I put together with snacks and a blanket. Now that I think about it, he probably would’ve laughed at me for bringing all these things when sneaking out. My cheeks heated up just thinking about the embarrassment. I was about to take the crew neck off when I heard a weird tapping behind me. It wasn’t loud, but enough to get my attention. I turned around to see a boy’s face peeking through my window. My heart stopped for a moment, and a scream caught in the back of my throat. 

Dale Holt was standing outside my window. 

I ran towards my window and quickly opened it. “Shhhh!” I whispered to him while motioning to my lips for him to be quiet. “W-what are you doing here?” I whispered.

“I was tired of waiting and knew you would chicken out, so I decided to come to you instead.” His signature smirk was plastered on his face. 

“I wasn’t going to chicken out! I was just about to leave!” My voice broke through the whisper I was doing, and I slapped my hand against my mouth. I wanted to prove to him that I wasn’t a chicken. I started pushing on the edges of the screen for my window to try and pop it out as quietly as possible. Dale stood back and watched me with amusement as I struggled. How did I do this that one time I chased after my brother? Maybe it’s because Dale’s deep blue eyes are so focused on me that it’s making me nervous. 

“Let me, Doll,” he said after having had enough enjoyment of watching me fail. He pulled something out of his pocket to pop the screen clean off. I stood there in awe and embarrassment that it was so easy for him. “Are you ready?” he said in a low, husky voice. All I could do was nod my head.

As I went to climb out of the window, I stared back at the bag I had prepared for tonight. I quickly grabbed it, slinging the strap around my neck, and with help from Dale, I was out of the house. He gripped my hand tightly and pulled me with him as he started to run, forcing me to run alongside him. The adrenaline coursing through my veins made it easy to keep up with him. It felt like we were running away together, and slowly, all the anxiety I was feeling only ten minutes ago left my body.

When we reached Dale’s truck, I bent over and tried to catch my breath. Dale leans against the side of his vehicle and folds his arms over his chest. I curse his good physique for not winding him as much as me. After a minute, I regained my breath, stood back up, and stared at the boy before me. The moon glistened off his pale skin, making him look almost angelic. I quickly averted my eyes from him and looked towards the ground. 

“So, Doll, how does it feel to be out after curfew?” His teasing tone drips from his mouth, and I can’t help but scuff in response. 

“Why don’t you ask me again once we’ve been out for a while?”

“You’re right,” he pauses and then asks, “How does it feel to be out after curfew?” He flashes me his annoying grin. I roll my eyes, but a stupid smile still finds its home on my face. 

“Anyways,” I say,  “Where does the ‘oh so famous’ Dale Holt plan to take me.” 

“I don’t know,” He shrugs his shoulders. 

“What?” That was all I could get out. Doesn’t he know where we’re going? I thought he had a place planned when he asked me to sneak out with him.

“I figured we could drive around until we feel like stopping and make a spot to camp out for the night.” He winks at me. Oh my god. What was that for? My whole body is suddenly sweating in the cold air. There’s no way we’re camping somewhere, and does he plan to do something with me? Sneaking out was so stupid of me. Why did I think this would be an average outing with a friend? But then Dale speaks up like he’s reading the thoughts in my mind. “Relax, Doll. I’ll bring you back before anyone notices, and I won’t do anything to you… Unless you want me to.” 

Why did he have to add that last part? Thankfully, it’s dark out, or he might notice how my face turned into a steaming tomato. 

“L-l-lets get going, then.” I rush to the passenger side door and fling myself into the truck before he can say anything else.

Dale gets into the driver’s seat and puts the key into the ignition, causing the truck to roar to life. Once we were out on the desert roads, the brunette male turned the nob to the radio and blasted the music through the speakers. His eyes focused on the road ahead, and mine focused on him. He was carefree, with one arm hanging out the window, wind kissing the tips of his fingers, and the other tapping to the beat of the music while he steered the truck. When the next song came on, Dale turned to me and said it was his favorite. He spun the volume nob in hopes the music would get louder, but it was already up as loud as it could. His other arm returned to the car to clutch the wheel, and Dale began to bang his head along with the beat. Once the lyrics started, he turned to look at me and belted each word at the top of his lungs.

All I could do was stare in awe as he rocked out. A weird feeling washed through my chest as I saw Dale having fun. I couldn’t help but slowly lose myself in the beat and started to bang my head along with his. I didn’t know the lyrics to this song, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t have fun. His smile seemed to grow as he watched me let loose. His voice was off-pitch from the singers’, but oddly, it was my favorite tune. I could listen to him scream-sing any day.

We’ve been on the road for about an hour now, and we’ve been blasting music and dancing/singing along to each song. I didn’t know much about what was playing on the station he had on, but I was starting to love the banging of drums, loud guitar, and gritty vocals. At some point, I rolled down my window and stuck my head out, feeling the wind whip at my cheeks. I’m not sure what came over me, but the overwhelming feeling of screaming into the void of darkness got the better of me. So, I gave in to my intrusive thoughts and screamed as loud as I could.

Dale looked at me questioningly, “What was that, Doll?” 

“I couldn’t help myself,” I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks.

Not too long after, Dale turned off onto a dirt road, slowing the truck down once we pulled into a large open field. He threw the vehicle in park, flung the door open, and jumped out. Dale made his way onto the other side and opened the passenger door for me. His soft yet calloused hand grabbed mine, and he helped me hop out of the truck. I didn’t need help; the truck wasn’t tall, but I wouldn’t refuse him. We walked a few feet from the car, and I pulled the blanket out of my bag and laid it down on the ground. Dale plopped his body on the blanket and stared at the sky. I followed his moves and laid down next to the male, making sure to keep a few inches between the two of us. The sky was beautiful. So many stars were visible tonight, and I was trying my best to find all the constellations I could. I looked towards Dale, who was lying there with his eyes closed. His face was soft, and he looked so peaceful. 

“Are you sleeping?” I ask the brunette male.

“Just resting my eyes,” Dale spoke quietly.

“Mmhm,” I playfully nudged his side. 

Dale propped himself up to face me, causing him to hover slightly over my body. “Not sleeping, Doll.” And thankfully, he laid back down, or else he’d noticed the heat blooming on the apples of my cheeks. Stupid boy is always getting me flustered. I hear the sound of a flame and glance over to see a white stick perched between the male’s lip as he lifts the lighter to said stick, causing the end to glow red as he draws the smoke into his lungs. Dale blows the cloud of smoke into the air and then catches my eyes with his. “You want a drag?” He questioned me.

“Uh, no thanks, I’m good.” Cigarettes give me the ick, but watching the way he inhales and how his jaw and neck move is alarmingly attractive. 

“Good answer, Doll, you don’t want to get addicted to these things like me,” Dale lets out another puff. 

“It would technically be illegal for me to smoke it, anyways,” I cringe at myself for the ‘goodie-two-shoes’ reply I just gave. I’m supposed to be breaking the rules tonight. 

Dale stops mid-drag and looks at me wide-eyed, “What do you mean by that? Aren’t you 18?”

“I’ll be 18 next week,” I said casually.

“Ah, fuck,” Dale runs his hand over his face, and his body tenses up, “I should probably take you home now.” 

Why was he freaking out? I know he’s 19, but the fact that I’m not quite 18 shouldn’t bother him. It’s not like we’re doing things we shouldn’t. We’re just hanging out as friends do, but—there is his Juve sentence, so maybe he’s scared people will get the wrong idea if they notice us together?

“You don’t have to worry about people getting the wrong impression about you,” I state.

“You don’t understand,” his voice becomes stern. “People will always have the wrong impression of me.” Dale stands up and motions for me to do the same. A sigh escapes my lips, and I stand up, collecting the blanket and shaking it off before folding it back into my bag. I probably shouldn’t push the issue. He could probably get in trouble if he’s on probation. 

“Look, I know you went to Juve,” I said, looking Dale into his deep blue eyes, “I’m not sure why you did what you did, but the Dale I’ve met and have gotten to know is a kind guy. People are stupid to make assumptions based on a mistake you made.” 

“Oh, Doll, you don’t know anything about me,” Dale’s voice was low. I could barely catch the hint of sadness behind his tone, but it was there, and it made my chest hurt. He made his way back into the truck, and I just stood where I was, staring at the space where he was standing. I wanted to ask what he meant, and something profound inside me wants to figure it out. Slowly, I returned to the truck and sat on the passenger side. Unlike the ride out here, which was loud and full of laughter, the ride back was quiet and tense. Dale stopped his truck in the same spot where he had picked me up and refused to look at me.

“Well, thank you for this experience,” I said while exiting the vehicle. 

I slowly walked back to my house and climbed through the window, placing the screen back where it goes, shutting it, and locking it before drawing the curtains. Once I changed into my pajamas, I got under the covers and snuggled deeply into my blankets. Falling asleep was complicated, with all the thoughts running through my mind. Dale. What is his story?

AN:

august 18: daylight / trauma

august 19: paradise / pizza

august 20: hunter / open road

august 21: deal / debt

august 22: pig / phone call

august 23: strawberry / sinners