Writing Sample: "Stranded" |
Along Route 93, about a hundred miles northeast of Las Vegas, a black Ford Mustang sat with its hood raised on the side of the road headed toward Sin City. Steam wafted above a young woman's extremely red hair. She wore a dark grey tank top, black jeans, a black pair of Dr. Martin boots, and a sour expression.
Alexandra Hopkins' fist hit the front quarter panel, leaving a minuscule dent in the car's far-from-pristine exterior. "Shit!" Holding up a hand to shield her eyes from the afternoon sun, she sighed. Heat rolled off the desert in either direction, and the traffic was virtually non-existent for miles.
She caught a glimpse of short dark hair tipped with hot pink as Joy stuck her head out the driver's side window. "Hey! What did he ever do to you?"
“It's a she. Cars are 'she's," Alex corrected. She hit the panel again, more gently this time, and rolled her eyes. “And it's not the car, it's that ass who said he fixed it back in Montana. It's overheated again. It has to be a coolant leak inside somewhere. I knew he was a cheat!"
Joy smirked with raised eyebrows. "Wait…Why are cars ‘she’s? Because men like to ride them, right? I say any car I ride is a 'he'." Draping one arm along the open window, she tilted her head and drummed the opposite set of bright pink fingernails on the dashboard. "Let's call him… Kevin."
Alex smiled despite herself. They’d been on the road for weeks, and her friend had been trying her nerves the last few days, but Joy was aptly named: she could bring humor and light to almost any situation. And it was always something stupid like calling the car "Kevin" instead of pointing out that Alex's decision to live with the permanently-lit service warning light had led to them missing the engine overheating in the first place. Joy had harped about the light before the trip and even raised her eyebrows when they'd had to get the car serviced. She had every right to a major "I told you so". Thank God for friends who know when to hold their tongues.
“Just turn on the heat," Alex commanded.
Joy's arm flopped in the air as she groaned. "Seriously?" Joy's transformation from a twenty-one-year-old woman to a whiny thirteen-year-old girl was instantaneous. She leaned over to turn on the heat, tossing in a few sighs and hand-fanning of her neck for dramatic effect.
Alex walked around to open the driver's side door and motioned for Joy to step out. "You might want to remember feeling hot. It will get cooler out here soon. Fast, actually, when the sun goes down. We should get out the gear from the back in case it takes a while to flag someone down." They'd been saving money by camping along the scenic route, intending to splurge on decent hotels and some shopping in the larger cities -- like Las Vegas. Alex enjoyed camping considerably more than Joy did, prompting Alex to wonder several times if she should have ventured on this cross-country trip alone. Now she was glad to have a friend with her. Who knew what kind of creeps were out there?
"You want to hitch a ride?" Joy crossed her arms over her chest and stood on her tip-toes, looking down the road as if serial killers were lining up over the next hill.
"We can't drive it.” Alex motioned to the car and corrected herself. “Kevin. Maybe at night once it's… he’s cooled off, but then we risk damaging the engine if there's something seriously wrong we can't see." Alex tucked her hair behind her ear and looked up at the sky. "We could call for a tow, but that will probably cost us our Vegas money." They hadn't originally intended to hit Vegas on this trip, but they had seen advertisements so frequently -- often in the oddest places -- that they began to joke about fate demanding a stopover. One Google search by Joy about shopping on the Strip had sealed the deal, and every minor inconvenience suffered along the way had been tempered by the promise of seeing Sin City.
Joy's response was immediate. "Unacceptable." Then she dropped her chin to look up at Alex pleadingly. The dip of her head really wasn't necessary. She was at 5'5" and Alex was 5’11”: Joy always had to look up at Alex. But the pouting lip was a bit much, usually reserved for desperate situations with gullible men. "We could use the card. Doesn't this constitute an 'emergency'?"
Alex snorted. Maybe Joy was right, but she didn’t think this was serious enough to put more money on the emergency card her parents had given her -- nor did she feel like explaining the charges. “We already had our ‘emergency’ in Montana.” She leaned up against the side of the car before she offered the next alternative with a sly smile. “We could always hike it.” Joy’s shudder confirmed that her friend wouldn’t be up for that particular challenge. Alex didn’t think they had enough water on hand for it, anyway.
“I’ll make you a deal,” Alex finally offered. “We’ll wait a few hours. If no one’s come along in… say four hours, we’ll call for a tow.”
Joy seemed pacified. Surely someone would come along within the next four hours. It wasn’t that remote of a route, what with it being in every tourist guidebook.
Alexandra Hopkins' fist hit the front quarter panel, leaving a minuscule dent in the car's far-from-pristine exterior. "Shit!" Holding up a hand to shield her eyes from the afternoon sun, she sighed. Heat rolled off the desert in either direction, and the traffic was virtually non-existent for miles.
She caught a glimpse of short dark hair tipped with hot pink as Joy stuck her head out the driver's side window. "Hey! What did he ever do to you?"
“It's a she. Cars are 'she's," Alex corrected. She hit the panel again, more gently this time, and rolled her eyes. “And it's not the car, it's that ass who said he fixed it back in Montana. It's overheated again. It has to be a coolant leak inside somewhere. I knew he was a cheat!"
Joy smirked with raised eyebrows. "Wait…Why are cars ‘she’s? Because men like to ride them, right? I say any car I ride is a 'he'." Draping one arm along the open window, she tilted her head and drummed the opposite set of bright pink fingernails on the dashboard. "Let's call him… Kevin."
Alex smiled despite herself. They’d been on the road for weeks, and her friend had been trying her nerves the last few days, but Joy was aptly named: she could bring humor and light to almost any situation. And it was always something stupid like calling the car "Kevin" instead of pointing out that Alex's decision to live with the permanently-lit service warning light had led to them missing the engine overheating in the first place. Joy had harped about the light before the trip and even raised her eyebrows when they'd had to get the car serviced. She had every right to a major "I told you so". Thank God for friends who know when to hold their tongues.
“Just turn on the heat," Alex commanded.
Joy's arm flopped in the air as she groaned. "Seriously?" Joy's transformation from a twenty-one-year-old woman to a whiny thirteen-year-old girl was instantaneous. She leaned over to turn on the heat, tossing in a few sighs and hand-fanning of her neck for dramatic effect.
Alex walked around to open the driver's side door and motioned for Joy to step out. "You might want to remember feeling hot. It will get cooler out here soon. Fast, actually, when the sun goes down. We should get out the gear from the back in case it takes a while to flag someone down." They'd been saving money by camping along the scenic route, intending to splurge on decent hotels and some shopping in the larger cities -- like Las Vegas. Alex enjoyed camping considerably more than Joy did, prompting Alex to wonder several times if she should have ventured on this cross-country trip alone. Now she was glad to have a friend with her. Who knew what kind of creeps were out there?
"You want to hitch a ride?" Joy crossed her arms over her chest and stood on her tip-toes, looking down the road as if serial killers were lining up over the next hill.
"We can't drive it.” Alex motioned to the car and corrected herself. “Kevin. Maybe at night once it's… he’s cooled off, but then we risk damaging the engine if there's something seriously wrong we can't see." Alex tucked her hair behind her ear and looked up at the sky. "We could call for a tow, but that will probably cost us our Vegas money." They hadn't originally intended to hit Vegas on this trip, but they had seen advertisements so frequently -- often in the oddest places -- that they began to joke about fate demanding a stopover. One Google search by Joy about shopping on the Strip had sealed the deal, and every minor inconvenience suffered along the way had been tempered by the promise of seeing Sin City.
Joy's response was immediate. "Unacceptable." Then she dropped her chin to look up at Alex pleadingly. The dip of her head really wasn't necessary. She was at 5'5" and Alex was 5’11”: Joy always had to look up at Alex. But the pouting lip was a bit much, usually reserved for desperate situations with gullible men. "We could use the card. Doesn't this constitute an 'emergency'?"
Alex snorted. Maybe Joy was right, but she didn’t think this was serious enough to put more money on the emergency card her parents had given her -- nor did she feel like explaining the charges. “We already had our ‘emergency’ in Montana.” She leaned up against the side of the car before she offered the next alternative with a sly smile. “We could always hike it.” Joy’s shudder confirmed that her friend wouldn’t be up for that particular challenge. Alex didn’t think they had enough water on hand for it, anyway.
“I’ll make you a deal,” Alex finally offered. “We’ll wait a few hours. If no one’s come along in… say four hours, we’ll call for a tow.”
Joy seemed pacified. Surely someone would come along within the next four hours. It wasn’t that remote of a route, what with it being in every tourist guidebook.