Page 15 of Siccitas

Chapter Ten

Von

After Jocelyn settlesinto the passenger side of my pickup truck, I close the door.

I’ve never met a prettier, or stranger, girl in my entire life, and I’m feeling good about how the rest of the day could potentially go.

So far, she’s been a little stand-offish, but I think she’s coming around. Maybe she’s realizing that I’m harmless, or maybe she’s just got a lot of past traumas to unpack.

I don’t have any female friends, and I’m hoping I don’t mess this up. It would be nice to have someone to talk to from time to time that doesn’t involvebrewskis with the guys.

“What’s your address?” I ask, after I settle into the driver’s seat and secure my seatbelt into place.

“It’s not my address. It’s my brother’s,” she says quietly. “I don’t know the number of the house, but I know the name of the street. Once we get that far, I can tell you which one it is.”

I nod and drive in silence.

I can tell she doesn’t want to talk about much, so I don’t think forcing her into conversation would be the best thing for either of us.

She would more than likely get angry, and I would most definitely get depressed over it.

Jocelyn clears her throat and I steal a glance at her out of the corner of my eye. I hate the silence, it always makes things feel like they’ll never be better again, which makes me hopeful for some small talk.

“Do you have any family around here?” she asks after a few more moments of painful silence.

“Yeah,” I reply as I pull up to the stoplight. “I’ve got two brothers, an uncle, and a really stringent dad.”

“Hm.”

“What about you? You mentioned a brother.”

“Just a brother.”

I nod as my fingers begin to involuntarily drum on the top of the steering wheel. Do I keep trying to talk or should I just shut up?

“Crest View,” she says as a sigh escapes her. I glance at her curiously as she rests an elbow on the window frame, then lets her cheek rest against the palm of her hand.

“Come again?”

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