Road Warriors

by Alexandra Stone

“Yes, I think so,” I laughed.

  “Why did you not tell me you were a virgin?” he asked.

  My eyes grew wide as I felt confused, “I thought that you knew already.”

  “No, I did not know.”

  I was in shock. Yes I knew all the things I had done were unlady like behaviors, but this was an exception. It thought there was a connection between us and I could not stop myself if I wanted to. I let lust take over me. I couldn’t say anything to him except, “I understand.”

  Johnny looked upset. He pulled himself out of me and then began to pick up his clothes. He handed me the maroon dress and said, “Perhaps you should put your own clothes on.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  A week passed and I had not heard from or seen Johnny since our encounter that left me feeling very confused. However I didn’t have time to think about that because tonight was my favorite night of the year, road warriors’ initiation night. Only one new member was picked out of two men wanting to get into the gang. It was always an interesting and epic night. I didn’t dare tell anyone about Johnny and what had happened. I kept it to myself, especially because I didn’t know if I would see him again. He seemed to live the life of a drifter, never really having a permanent residence. I didn’t blame him for that. It seemed a free and fun filled experience.

  I made my way out to the bone yard, or so it was called. It really was just a giant field with large boulders. The entire road warrior gang of men and their ladies had gathered in the field. There were several bonfires and lots of drugs and alcohol.

  My father and the gang were already out there and initiations had already started. Each new candidate had a helmet on of a different color so as not to be judged by who they were. They were to be judged on their skills.

  The first contest was a joust of sorts. It started and I was immediately excited. It was blue helmet against red helmet. They faced each on their motorcycle one hundred yards apart just like in a joust with horses. It was identical in fact except instead of horses it was motorcycles. It was reckless and dangerous. I loved it and the gang of road warriors loved it too. The men revved their engines and then a flag was waved. “Go!”

  The blue helmet guy and red helmet guy drove at each other with one hand on the handlebars and the other on a crude lance of sorts. The aim was to knock each other of the motorcycle. It was very dangerous. They got closer and closer, then… Boom!

  Blue helmet knocked red helmet guy off his motorcycle. Everyone erupted in cheer. I clapped along with the rest of them. I was used to the extreme violence. Blue helmet road around in his bike in a sort of victory dance while everyone clapped and cheered him on. Then my father, Seth Black walked out onto the field to formally congratulate the champion. Blue helmet got off his bike and shook my father’s hand. Then he took his helmet off. I couldn’t believe it. It was Johnny.

  While everyone ran to him congratulating him, I hid in the shadows. Did he know who I was? Was I part of his scheme to get into the gang? I had so many questions, but I knew for sure that if my father found out that he had taken my virginity. My father would kill him. No questions asked.

  I managed to hide and stay out of his eyesight until later into the night. My father was occupied with a few members and I found Johnny walking off into the field, probably to piss no doubt.

  “Johnny,” I said.

  He stopped in his tracks. I think he recognized my voice.

  “Brittany? What are you doing here? This isn’t a party for a college girl. You could get hurt out here. These people can be maniacs,” he said.

  I couldn’t help myself from bursting out into laughter at his remark. Johnny looked annoyed and grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into the dark woods.

  “Listen, Brittany. I’m sorry I didn’t try to find you after that day. I just got freaked out with the whole virginity thing. I’m no good for you. I knew I was joining up with this motorcycle gang and that is no life for a sweet girl like you. I’m sorry if I caused you any pain.”

  I couldn’t hold my tongue any longer, “Johnny my last name is Black. I’m Brittany Black. Seth Black is my father.”

  Johnny stood there and even in the dark I could tell her turned white as a ghost at the information. Then I walked off. Letting him deal with the new information that could cost him his life. I liked it. It was sweet revenge for the fact that he had fucked me and left me.

  A week had passed since initiation and I only saw Johnny briefly but everyone was around so I had to act like I didn’t know him. Then it happened. I got sick. I woke up in the morning with morning sickness. I knew exactly what that meant. We didn’t use protection and I could feel it inside of me. I was pregnant. I went to the doctor and my fear was confirmed. I had to keep this a secret. If my father found out he would kill Johnny.

  The next day I went to the library. It was one of the only places I had some alone time and felt solace. I was hoping to see Johnny there. I wouldn’t tell him about the baby, but I missed him. I wanted him again and again. He was all I thought about. Then he showed up.

  “Brittany!” he yelled out at me.

  The librarian was very unhappy at the outburst. I motioned him to follow me outside. Once we were outside the building. Johnny spilled his feelings.

  “I can’t be with out you. You’re all I think about. What can we do?” he rapidly said.

  “Johnny I feel the same way,” I paused thinking if I should tell him about the baby, but then I kept it a secret. “I want to be with you and only you.”

  “That’s all I need to hear. Tomorrow meet me here. We’re running away. We’ll go far away from this place. Somewhere your father can’t find us. Will you? Will you go away with me so we can be together?”

  “Yes!” I yelled and kissed him. I was truly happy.

  The next day the sun was shining in my window and the ringing of my alarm was blaring. I turned it off. I rolled out of bed and began my same routine of getting ready. I showered, brush my teeth, brushed my hair and got dressed. I picked up my backpack and noticed the extra weight. I looked inside and saw everything I had packed the night before. I took one last look at the front of my house in sort of saying goodbye to it.

  When I walked up to the library he was sitting on the curb with two coffees and a bag of croissants.

  “How did you know I would come? You have two coffees there?” I smiled at him. He was just as attractive as I had remembered him.

  “It was something in the way you looked. Like you are screaming to get out of here and experience the world. I know that look well, and you have it.”

  I sat next to him and drank the hot coffee and ate a croissant. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

  “Look, I’ll make you a deal. If you ever want to come back I’ll buy your plane ticket back from wherever we are, okay?”

  I had to admit, that was a good deal. Something about his green soulful looking eyes made me feel safe. He made me feel like I could trust him. I believed him. He was the father of my child after all, even if he didn’t know it.

  “Okay,” I agreed. “So what now?”

  He pulled out a paper map and showed me a highlighted route.

  “This little town outside of Monterrey then to Big Sur. I mean, that’s what we’ll strive for, but if something cooler comes up we can always do that instead. The sky is the limit, or I should say road.”

  Then I took a deep breath and said, “Okay, let’s do it.”

  Johnny let out a, “Woop!” and stood up. He reached his hand out to me and helped me to my feet.

  Half an hour later we riding on his motorcycle away from everything I knew. I watched as the scenery passed us by. It was an absolutely epic view. Suddenly the world was unfolding in front of me at a flash. I was immediately happy that I had come. I had made the right decision.

  I was going through so many new experiences. It was intoxicating. We travelled for a few hours and then took a break at a café. We decided to sit at the café and order our favorites, cherry coke
and cheeseburgers.

  I sat across from Johnny looking at him. Over the last few weeks I had got to know him more than anyone I had ever met. He had opened up to me and made me feel comfortable with him. He stared back at me with his soulful green eyes and smiled.

  “Are you happy?” he asked.

  “I am.”

  “Seriously though. Are you glad you came with me or are you feeling regret? You can be honest with me, always.”

  I smiled at him, “I feel no regret. I’m having such a good time. I can’t believe this is real.”

  “Okay, but you’ll tell me if you want to go home. Just tell me at any time. I’ll keep my promise to you Brittany, always.”

  He reached out and put my hand in his on the table. We just sat there staring at each other. My heart felt like it was going to explode. This was the best experience of my life yet. I was falling for this guy, this stranger, this drifter. I had run away with him for my own reasons of wanting more out of life, but now I was staying because I liked him a lot. I was staying with him because I was carrying his child, but more than that, we were connected.

  Two hours later we were back on the road. It took us along the California coast. It was stunning. Large rocks and cliffs mixed with large trees. It was four hours of these blissful views on the way to Big Sur. The large redwood trees that lined the road were beautiful and majestic. I was in awe of the gorgeous environment. It was like living in another time period, we had arrived. This was Big Sur.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Finally, we stopped in front of a country store and motel. “This is us,” Johnny said. I was beyond excited to finally be at our destination. I needed good sleep and to be still for a minute, or a day or two. “What do you think?” Johnny said as he turned in a circle looking up high at the towering trees above us.

  “I love it. It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it.” I jumped up and down. I was truly glad I had come. I was truly glad I had left home.

  We walked into the wooden cabin country store. However once I looked inside I realized it was more than just a country store. It was a very long building with a restaurant and bar on one side and the country store on the other. Johnny walked straight up to the bar and sat down and said, “Two root beer floats and an order of fries.”

  “This place is perfect. Is this where we’re staying?” I asked.

  “Sort of. They have these luxury tents off the trails in the woods. I figured we can try those out.”

  “Luxury tents?”

  He laughed, “Yeah, it’s like camping only a little better.”

  After we finished our fries and root beer floats, Johnny went into the rental office to pay for a few nights of luxury tent heaven. I was still sitting at the bar playing with the straw from my glass when a young girl walked in. She was carrying a load of towels and said a few things to the employee. It was obvious she worked here. She was a pretty blonde with blue eyes and a waspy body. She was probably about my age I assumed. I saw her turn toward the office and her eyes lit up.

  “Johnny?” she asked. Her voice was filled with controlled excitement.

  He came out of the office and she ran to him. My eyes grew wide as I was confused and jealous all at once.

  “Sara?” Johnny said it back but it wasn’t a question really. He was acknowledging her as they hugged.

  “What are you doing here?” Her voice was high and pitchy with joy.

  “Camping for a few days. Checking it out,” he said.

  I noticed that he left out the whole running away from home with me subject. I guess he couldn’t really say that out loud. I stared at him waiting for him to introduce me. Their conversation grew quieter as the excitement died down. I could no longer hear what they were saying. Ten minutes went by, but it felt like an hour to me as I sat there twiddling my thumbs.

  Finally they hugged again and she skipped out the door. Johnny walked over to me and I awaited an explanation. I didn’t think I was going to like it, whatever it was.

  “What was that all about?” I asked. It just came out of my mouth. I couldn’t control it or be coy about it.

  “That was unbelievable. That’s Sara. I met her last summer at a camp in the Hudson Valley. Apparently her parents moved out here a few months ago. She’s working here. Isn’t that crazy?”

  “Yeah, crazy.” I said under my breath. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like having a third wheel around to interrupt my magical time with Johnny, especially after our amazing ride. I really felt like we were getting closer and on the brink of what could be an epic romance with our child, and now there was another girl. I tried to hide my disappointment.

  “I invited her to stop by our tent after work for campfire stories and such.”

  “Oh, cool.”

  “Come on. Let’s go take a look.”

  I followed Johnny out of the restaurant. We followed an easy and wide trail. It went behind the restaurant and through the very large redwood trees. We were going into the lush campgrounds. As we got closer I could hear the calming sounds of water running through a creek. We came upon an old wooden bridge. It was beautiful and it spanned over the small clear water of the creek below.

  “This is absolutely stunning. I am so happy I’m here.”

  Johnny grabbed my hand in his. My heart raced. He looked at me and we locked eyes for a second as he said, “I’m happy you’re here too.”

  I didn’t know what to make of this. I wanted him to lean in and kiss me. Now that another girl was suddenly in the picture I wanted it more now than ever. As though it would put a claim on him and I could relax.

  “Come on. I think it’s this way,” he walked away from me and toward the camp. I could see the tents in the distance.

  I followed him over the bridge and then along the trail that was creek side. The air was different down here in the lushness of the forest. It was crisp but heavy at the same time. It was fresh and smelled of rich plant life. I inhaled deeply and knew that this was a life changing moment. Most kids my age had to wait until they were adults and out of their parents home to have an experience like this. Yet here I was having it, and it was mind altering.

  “I think this is us. Tent number eight.” Johnny yelled out.

  He walked up to a camp area labeled number eight. On it was a large tent. It was the kind the army used. It was more like a giant outdoor room. It was up on a wooden platform with a few steps that led up to it. There was a fire ring a few yards in front of the tent with a cute wooden picnic table. It was perfectly situated along the creek and few yards away from the nearest tent. It was a perfect location with one giant towering tree occupying our area. Johnny unzipped the long vertical zipper and we went inside. It was massive and very user friendly. There were four cots with sheets and blankets, electrical outlets, and lanterns. This was not camping, it was an outdoor room and I loved it.

  We settled in and then he said, “You know I didn’t think to get supplies when we were inside the store. We need wood and some snacks and stuff.”

  “Oh yeah I guess we didn’t think about it.”

  “You know I’ll go back up there and grab a few things. You just relax here. Take a load off; we’ve been traveling for hours. I wouldn’t want you to be worn out on the road so fast.”

  “Oh no, it’s fine. I can come and help.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be back in a bit,” he winked at me and walked back toward the country store.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  I sat on the cot and sighed. I knew that he was going to talk with Sara. I counted every minute with loads of anxiety. First I looked around the tent. I changed out of the clothes I had been wearing for two days and freshened up. Then I went outside. The view took my breath away again. It really was a beautiful place. I decided to just enjoy it. There was nothing I really could do about Sara at this point.

  I sat on the edge of the creek and put my feet in. The water was cold and refreshing. I felt one with nature.

  I looked at my watch
again. It had been twenty minutes and Johnny was nowhere in sight. I imagined that he would reemerge with Sara on his arm.

  “Hey!”

  I turned around and saw Johnny behind me. He carried a bundle of firewood and a bag of groceries hanging off his arm.

  “How’s the water?” he asked.

  “It’s wonderful.” I smiled. He was alone and I was glad.

  “It’ll be dark soon. I should get the fire going.”

  An hour later it was dark and we were sitting around the roaring fire. The temperature had dropped and I wrapped a blanket around my shoulders.

  “What’s wrong?” Johnny asked.

  “What do you mean?” I asked back even though I knew exactly what he was talking about. I felt like at any second Sara was going to show up. This was giving me an enormous amount of anxiety. Apparently that anxiety was showing.

  “You’re just quiet,” he said.

  “Oh, it’s nothing.”

  “I think I know what it is,” he said.

  “You do?”

  “Yes, you’ve been waiting for something to happen. I’ve disappointed you.”

  Oh no, I thought to myself. He knows I’m jealous about Sara. Here it goes. Johnny looked at me and smiled. I didn’t know if he was being cocky and arrogant because he knew I was jealous. Then he leaned closer to me and said, “You’ve been waiting for this.”

  Then he leaned in and kissed me. First it was a light kiss as he brushed his lips across mine. Then he pulled back and looked at me. I didn’t want him to stop so I put my arms around him. He kissed me again this time with more passion. I lost myself in the kiss. Suddenly all the sounds of the wilderness in the night got sharper. I could hear an owl in the distance and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

  Finally we stopped kissing. I breathed in deep. I had wanted him to kiss me for so long and it was as magical as I thought it would be. Then we heard a throat clearing behind us getting attention.

  “Ahem,” Sara said.

  Johnny jumped up to greet her. My heart dropped to my stomach. I didn’t want her here. Then Johnny did something that made it all better. He said, “Oh hey Sara! Come join us. This is my girlfriend Brittany.”