Scarlett Johansson | One-Shots (1)

Hitchhiking Pt. 1

Callie:
"Happy birthday!" my friends all scream around the kitchen table after singing the horribly out-of-tune birthday song.

I awkwardly smile and look around at each of them.

"You're 18, a whole adult. Craaazy!" June giggles next to me, side-shoving me not so lightly.

"It feels so weird. I don't like it. Take me back to 17!" I joke, earning laughter around the room.

My parents bring out a cake, big enough for me and my 5 other friends but small enough so we won't have leftovers. My dad cuts each of us a slice and we gobble them down quickly. Shortly after, my friends say their goodbyes and leave, each giving me a hug on the way out. June's the last to leave and she and I both know what's about to happen now that I'm an adult.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? You can stay with me if you need," she whispers as I'm ushering her out my front door.

"Yeah, Junie. I'll be okay. I'll have my phone and enough money that I saved. Everything is all packed. I don't really know where I'm going to go yet but I'm sure I'll figure it out. I promise I'll be okay. I'll stay in touch," I whisper back, embracing her in a tight hug before leading her out the door and closing it behind her.

I hesitantly make my way back to the kitchen where my parents are sitting. They look up at me when I walk in and I know exactly what they're going to say.

"Yeah, I know... I'm already packed. I'll be out of here in 10 minutes, okay?" I respond to their looks.

My dad just stares at me so I head to my room to collect everything for the journey ahead of me.

"You can stay tonight. Leave in the morning. Before breakfast," my dad's voice says from behind me.

I don't turn around, just stand at the kitchen's entrance. "Okay."

-The next morning-

I wake to my alarm at 7 AM. I don't waste any time because I know my parents said they want me out before breakfast. I collect my backpack and duffle bag of personal belongings; clothes, money, and other basic necessities for living. My parents refused to buy me a car so I'm forced to walk or take the local public transportation for as far as my money will take me.

I take a deep breath and step out of the house I thought I could always call home for the final time. I live in Las Vegas, Nevada, just south of the main city in a town called Enterprise. With a heavy sigh, I heave my backpack over my shoulders and grip the handle of the duffle bag tightly.

I walk to the nearest bus station, which is about a 15-minute walk, and get on the bus when it arrives. With the money I put aside for transportation, I'm able to take the bus a few miles past Nevada's eastern border, into Arizona. The driver pulls to the side of the road to let me off. As he pulls away, I'm immediately left with nothing but silence. I'm in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere and the only thing in sight is the long, straight, concrete road surrounded by dry, steaming desert. The sun is beating down so hot, as I gaze across the horizon, I can see the heat waves shimmering.

"Well shit," I whisper to myself as I look around me at the nothingness.

Despite the slow-growing heat exhaustion, I begin my trek. The world seems abandoned except for the occasional vehicle speeding past. I'm walking for about an hour and a half when my body starts to get sore, mainly my feet and back, and I decide I need to sit down. There's nothing around me still so I drop my duffle bag on the ground and sit on it. I pull out my phone to see I have no service, great, so I watch and count 5 cars go by in the 30 minutes I'm sitting. I gently rub my feet through my shoes in an attempt to ease the soreness.