I’m getting so close to the end of my July goal as I type this. Cross all your fingers that I succeed!
Let’s pick up on Story #1 where we left off:
Beth sat in shock as they drove away from Noah. The man who she had thought of as her protector during that short ride. There was no way she would have gotten into that truck with Tim alone. But, here she was.
Thoughts of what she knew about Tim appeared in her head. He was Mr. Busey’s son. He had just been in jail, but she wasn’t sure for what. Now that she thought about it, it was something to do with driving. Great. And what was with that wild laugh as they drove away? Did that mean this was all a joke and that he would be turning around? For some reason, Beth didn’t think so.
She snapped out of her daze and demanded, “That’s not funny. Let’s go back and pick up Noah. Besides, I thought you were super concerned about my ankle. All of this movement isn’t helping. At all.” She was breathing shakily.
Tim just looked at her in the rearview mirror. His eyes narrowed slightly. He wasn’t quite ready to take her home. She deserved some scaring in his twisted opinion for the year his father had. After all, wasn’t she the one stirring shit up? This town was just fine before those two showed up. With their city looks and city views. Fucking liberals.
He felt something down by his left foot. He glanced down half a dozen times so he didn’t steer them both into a ditch and saw something bright and teal. He shoved it over with his left foot and maneuvered it so he could grab it with his left hand. It was a phone. Her phone. Oooh boy. She knew a city gal couldn’t go long without a phone.
Beth didn’t seem to notice. She was wincing sharply in the back seat. Muttering what must have been curse words.
Tim had to decide what his plan was, though. Ditching Noah had seemed like the first step, although it was really just an impulsive move. Tim tended towards the impulsive moves. Always had. Except in high school when he had waited a full four days before exacting revenge on that Gonzo Bean.
Gonzo Bean. Ben Gunderson. He would call his cousin. He’d know what to do. Except the lady in the back with the smart mouth would hear everything he was saying. What would he tell her…
“Well, I do need to get you to a hospital. But first, let’s get some gas.” Tim said in as casual a voice as he could muster. He was almost giddy.
“You have got to be kidding me.” Beth exasperated. “Take. me. home.”
“I don’t think you know what you’re saying, dear. We gotta get you to that hospital.”
“Dear?” Beth looked around trying to find her phone. She just had it. She sent that text to Alec. It must be on the floor. Maybe it would be good to pull over. On top of her hurt ankle’s shooting pains up the left side of her leg, her stomach was turning a bit sour. She could find her phone, get some air and finally return Alec’s many calls if they stopped for gas.
“Whatever.” Beth shot back at him. It wouldn’t matter anyway. She could get Alec to come pick her up from the gas station. Whatever this thing was, she was getting out of it.
This plot is fun to write. I am thinking I need to go back though and build up the character of Beth. Why would a reader care about what happens to her? Is she a good teacher?
Updated writing goal for July: 8.2k out of 10k words
