A Hope and a Chance(6)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I couldn’t look in the direction of the creep as I replied. I shook my head frantically. “NO!” I took off to the opposite side of the vehicle, hoping to be free of danger.

The men had words, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Their conversation was jumbled as my body continued shaking. I was losing control fast, and knew I needed to get back inside of my car and lock the door.

I watched the motorcycle guy shoving the trucker in the direction of the rig. While standing there quietly, I saw the first man pulling away in his truck, and the other one heading in my direction. That’s when everything became black, and then I felt myself fall.

After my encounter with Mark’s daughter, I needed a pack of cigarettes. I decided to hop on my motorcycle and head to the nearest convenience store. The weather was so nice, even beginning to get hot. The leaves on the trees had long been green, and it finally felt like summer outside. There was nothing like jumping on my bike and driving fast, feeling the wind hitting my body as I coasted down the road. It was invigorating.

When I got about three miles from the house I spotted two vehicles pulled over on the shoulder, and one of the cars happened to be the same one that had been in the driveway earlier in the day. As I got closer I noticed that a man had his hands on her, and I didn’t even think about my next actions. My bike came to a halt and I immediately approached Hope and the stranger. “Are you okay?” I asked, simply wondering how she’d gotten herself into such a predicament.

This chick was having a terrible day.

When she answered with those desperate eyes, I knew she was in trouble. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Get your hands off of her,” I screamed at the trucker.

Hope moved over to the side, holding her hands over her face while she wept. I advanced toward the guy, but not close enough to hit him. For all he knew I was her brother, or maybe even a boyfriend. At any rate, he was making it obvious that he was a stranger. “I was just offering the girl a ride.”

“I bet you were.” The guy was disgusting, and from the look of him he hadn’t bathed in days. “You need to get back on the road, man. You’ve got no business being here.”

“I don’t want no trouble.” He put his hands in the air, offering some kind of motion that he meant no harm to her, which was obviously a lie.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave now.” I didn’t have to raise my voice to get my point across. He’d been caught, and he knew he had to get out of there.

I watched him back up until he reached the door to his rig. There was no way this guy was pulling her against her will to offer her assistance. No, he wanted to lure her into the back of that truck and have his way with her. I wasn’t about to let that happen.

When he left without incident, I figured he was absolutely shady. I’d obviously arrived at just the right moment. He was most likely some type of criminal who didn’t want to get involved with the police.

I knew how that felt.

As soon as I watched that truck disappear down the road I turned my attention to Hope. She was still crying heavily with her hands covering her face. In almost slow motion I watched her body start to fall to the ground. My hands caught her before she was able to hit the hard asphalt, and all I could do was stand there on the side of the road wondering what to do next.

I thought about taking her back to her father’s, but when I carried her to the passenger side of the car I noticed the vomit in the grass. When she darted out of the pool house I assumed she was frustrated and upset, but seeing that she was sick to her stomach confirmed she was having an incomprehensible time. I managed to get her reclined in the seat, and decided to wait it out on the driver’s side. There was no way I was abandoning her there all alone on this strip of the highway, and I wasn’t about to leave my bike either. It was the only thing I had left to my name.

After making sure she was okay I found a good station on the radio, and turned the air on to blow on Hope’s skin. I knew she’d wake up and freak out, so I sat there mentally preparing myself for the shock.

I couldn’t believe I’d gotten myself into this situation. My head found a semi-comfortable position on the steering wheel while I stared at the girl beside me. Her arms were covered in goose bumps from the cool air, and her hair was blowing in small strands across her face. Her breathing had calmed, and her cleavage protruded from the low cut sundress when her chest inhaled and exhaled. I tried so hard not to look, but I hadn’t been this close to another girl other than my sister in a very long time, and it made me feel uncomfortable. I was an adult, albeit I had no idea how old this girl was sitting next to me. I assumed she was close to my sister’s age, but the bow in her hair made her look like a teenager. The last thing I needed was for someone to get the wrong idea about why we were in this car alone on the side of the road.

As much as I knew I shouldn’t want to do it, I leaned over and gently rubbed on Hope’s cheek. She was so beautiful, so vulnerable.

“Hope? Hey wake up, Hope.”

As soon as her lids began to open the screaming started. I imagine it derived from not realizing where she was or what was going on. I held my hands up and placed them on the ceiling of the car. “Whoa, wait a minute. You were approached by a stranger. I pulled over and got him to leave. I swear, that’s all.”

She paused from screaming and fighting to get out of the vehicle and looked at me, finally remembering all that had happened.

“You passed out. All I did was carry you to the car. I couldn’t leave you alone, so I stayed to make sure you were all right,” I explained.

She looked down at her clothes, out the rear window of her car, and then back at her arms. “Did anything else happen?” I had no idea what she was implying.

“With what? You mean did I touch you inappropriately?” If her father got word of her accusations I’d be homeless. It felt like she’d kicked me in the balls. I didn’t want to be accused of hurting another person again. I put my head down and frowned. “I promise you that I would never do that. If you’re okay, I think it would be best if I just got going, seeing as you seem to be fine now.”

As I went to climb out of the car she reached for me, grabbing my arm and preventing me from exiting. “Wait. Please.”

I sat back down and looked directly into those cobalt eyes. “What?”

“If you hadn’t come, I don’t know what would have happened today. You may have just saved my life.” She was still holding my arm.