Fallout (Crank 3)

It’s only about an hour from here, and

we can find a cheap campground there.

Highway 178 follows the meandering

Kern. We’ve been this way before.

And when we pass the place we first

made love, Kyle reaches to take my hand.

I’ll never forget that day, he says.

It changed everything. You changed

everything. I thought love was bullshit.

Something made up for TV and movies.

“Me too. Or that people just repeated

those words to get them what they

wanted.” Sex. Drugs. Money. “You

always say the right thing, know that?”

If he had passed “our” spot and

said nothing, I would have seriously

questioned what I’m doing here.

Instead, I watch darkness descend,

a rain of night in the headlights,

washing away apprehension. Too

late to worry now, anyway. Might

as well soak up Kyle, enjoy the ride.

WE FIND A FIVE-DOLLAR

Per-night campground. Some are free,

Kyle informs me. But this one has toilets.

That’s worth five dollars, don’t you think?

“Definitely. And since they’re here,

I’m going to pee.” The night air makes

me shiver. I slip into Kortni’s oversize

sweatshirt, grab the flashlight to show