My name is Lucas. I'm 18, almost 19 years old. And I'm running away from home.
I hadn't planned on coming out to my mom and step-dad. Unfortunately, Mom caught me going down on one of my buddies and freaked out. She told my step-dad and the two of them ganged up on me. But as Emmett sat back while my mom told me that I was disgusting and that I was going to hell, he had a look in his eye that repulsed me and sent shivers down my spine.
I found out later that the look meant that Emmett thought he could fuck me whenever he felt like it. He was always verbally abusive to me and I tried to not let it bother me, but I couldn't and wouldn't take physical abuse. After he forced me to have sex with him, I tried to tell my mom what Emmett had done to me, but she slapped me across the face and called me a "god damned liar." In a way, that was far worse than what my step-dad had done. She was supposed to love me and protect me, but she always took his side. Every time. It was the ultimate betrayal as far as I was concerned.
When he came for me the second time, I was ready. I pushed him off me and kneed him in the nuts as hard as I could. While he laid on the floor groaning with his pants around his ankles, I jumped out of bed. He grabbed my ankle, knocking me onto my knees. He leapt on top of me, trying to cover my mouth and pull my pants down. I kicked and screamed at him. I bit his hand and he shouted and let go. I then grabbed the glass and metal lamp off my nightstand and hit him as hard as I could over the head.
He slumped to the ground and blood poured out of his head. His eyes were wide open and he didn't appear to be moving. I kicked him with my foot. He didn't move or even make a sound.
I leaned down, hoping that it wasn't a trick. "Emmett?"
I shook his arm. He still didn't move. I didn't mean to kill him, but I was sure that no one would believe me. Especially Mom.
Tears silently streamed down my face as I realized what I had to do. I grabbed my large backpack and stuffed it full with as much of my clothes as I could fit. I grabbed the blue blanket that I've had since I was a baby and packed that as well. I couldn't sleep without it. I went into the bathroom and quickly gathered my toiletries, plus some travel samples we had under the sink.
I shut the door behind me and took one last look at the house I grew up in. I then turned forward and started to walk and never looked back.
When I saw the truck stop ahead, I realized how far I had walked. It was on the highway about ten miles from where I lived. I'm not sure how long I had been walking, since I left my watch at home, but it must have been at least four hours.
I walked into the truck stop restaurant and sat down at the counter. I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich with chips and a water. I was lost in my thoughts, wondering where I should go and what I was going to do when I got there, when a man sat down next to me and ordered a burger and fries.
He was a bit older than me, in his late thirties or early forties I'd guess. He was tall and lean. He was wearing a tan jacket over a flannel shirt, jeans and cowboy boots. He had a trucker cap on. He had a bushy brown moustache and a few days of beard growth. His brown eyes looked friendly and he smiled at me.
"Hey. I'm Chuck," he said as he held out his hand.
"Lucas," I replied as I shook his hand.
He looked me up and down and his eyes settled on the backpack at my feet. He looked back up at me and gave me a sympathetic smile, but didn't say anything.
My food came and I quietly ate. I saw him glancing at me out of the corner of his eye a couple of times. I wondered if he was checking me out. He seemed harmless though. I then wondered if he would give me a ride.
His food arrived shortly. He finished eating about the same time as I did.
"You eat fast," I commented.
He shrugged. "Yeah. A man's gotta eat fast so he can get to work."
"Oh."
"How old are you, kid?"
"I'm eighteen. Gonna be nineteen soon."
"Ah. So where ya headed?"
"Anywhere but here."
When the waitress set our bills down, the trucker grabbed mine and handed her enough cash for both as well as a tip.
"Thanks, Chuck."
"No sweat."
He stood up and motioned for me to follow him.
"I'm heading west. Come on," Chuck said.
I hesitated. Suddenly I wasn't so sure if I should go with him. I didn't really know him. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but you never know.
"Don't worry, I ain't a serial killer or rapist or anything," he said with a chuckle.
What the hell. I grabbed my backpack and started to follow him out.
"Wait," I said. "I gotta go to the bathroom first."
We both walked to the restroom and he walked up to the urinal and I hurried into the stall to pee. After we washed our hands, I followed him out to his semi truck. He helped me get in and I settled in the passenger seat. While he made some notes in a notebook, I looked around the cab of the truck. It was really big and roomy. The seat was nice and cushy and it bounced a little under me. He made a phone call to his company and then we were off, heading west towards Chicago.
Chuck and I made small talk as he drove. I assumed he figured out that I was running away, but he didn't ask me about it and I was glad. We drove for hours and I dozed off a few times. He pulled into a rest stop and we both went inside and did our business in the stalls. After he finished, he waited for me in the lobby and then we walked back to the truck.
"Okay," he said. "It'll be a little crowded, but you can sleep with me in the sleeper."
Upon seeing the look of fear on my face, he added, "Don't worry, I ain't gonna rape you or anything. Or you can sleep in the passenger seat if you prefer."
"Um.... I guess I'll sleep back there... with you."
He pulled open the curtain behind us. I followed him between the seats and sat down on the mattress. The small bed was unmade, but looked comfortable enough that he could get a good nights sleep. He pulled off his boots and jeans and his shirt and sat there in his boxer shorts and t-shirt, waiting for me. I hurried and undressed down to my underwear and t-shirt. I crawled under the covers with him and he gave me one of his pillows.
We were both laying on our sides, with Chuck behind me, against the back wall of his sleeper. We were very close and I could feel his warm breath on the back of my head. It was a tight fit, but it wasn't too bad. Not to mention that it was better than any alternative I could think of.
"You okay, Lucas?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah. I'm fine."