Crave Me (The Good Ol' Boys #4)(47)

The girl I knew nothing about but her name. I couldn’t get her out of my head. I gave up searching for her after a few weeks, even though I didn’t want to.

I’d met a few young transients like me, traveling with just the clothes on their backs and the bag over their shoulders. Wanting to see the world and everything life on the road had to offer.

I learned pretty quickly that money runs out fast, and there were times I slept under a bridge, on the beach, or in an alley. I had been f*cked with a few times, so I realized safety was in numbers. I had been to Colorado, Nevada, and Louisiana, to name a few, in the last six months. I left Ohio eight months ago and never looked back. I had sent a few postcards to my parents and Alex from random places over the last eight months, but I hadn’t spoken to anyone since I left.

Now I was in Michigan freezing my f*cking balls off in the dead of winter. One of the guys I was traveling with wanted to see The Great Lakes and snowboard Boyne Mountain. The second we stepped off the train I regretted my decision immediately. Why the f*ck anyone would want to live in this miserable cold was beyond me. I usually worked construction or bartending to make some money wherever we traveled, depending on what was in demand.

In Michigan… there was no work.

We found ourselves in Detroit under an overpass on I-75 with a can and match. We lit a fire and it still wasn’t doing anything to appease the subzero air all around us.

“We’re going to f*cking freeze out here,” Heather said as her boyfriend Ross hugged her tighter into his body trying to generate more warmth.

They’d started traveling with us about three months before. We met them in Las Vegas one night when we were f*cked up on the strip. There were six of us now, and she was the only girl. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous of their relationship. They always had each other’s backs, no matter what. It was easy to get lonely traveling around from place to place.

I never thought I would want to share this experience with someone.

That was an unexpected surprise.

“She’s right, we’re going to f*cking freeze,” I stated, trying to blow warm air into my hands.

It was no use. Nothing would work, it was just too damn cold. The pain pills I bought off the street weren’t even numbing me up anymore. My back ached from the frigid weather. I never believed it when people said the cold could f*ck with your bones.

“Fuck this.” I stood, walking away. “I’ll be back.”

“Where you going?” Mike called out behind me.

“I’ll be back,” I repeated, debating if I was really going to do this.

I saw an ATM up the road earlier in the day, and I would be lying if I said it didn’t cross my mind to stop at it as soon as we walked past it. If it wasn’t so goddamn cold I would never even think about doing this, but we were going to die out here tonight if we didn’t find a warm place to sleep. I pulled out my wallet from my back pocket, opening it up to grab my ATM card. The same one my parents gave me when I left for college. I hadn’t used it once since I left, but at this point what other choice did I have. I pushed the card into the machine, typing in my code and asking for a hundred bucks. That would get us a few rooms at a shitty a model, but at least we would be warm.

I desperately wanted to take a hot shower. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a decent shower. We always washed up in public bathrooms on the road. You didn’t realize the simple luxuries you had until you didn’t have them anymore.

The machine beeped, rejecting my card.

Declined.

“The f*ck?”

I grabbed it, shoving it back in. Repeating the same steps.

Declined.

I shook my head, baffled. Leaving the card where it was to find the nearest payphone. I would give my parents the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they thought I would lose it and shut it off to avoid fraud and protect themselves. I could understand that. If that were the case, they would definitely wire me some money if I told them where I was and why I needed it.

No matter what they were still my parents.

“Austin,” I said to the operator, calling my parents collect.

“Austin,” Mom greeted after a few rings. Her voice laced with worry.

“Hey, Ma,” I replied, grateful she was the one that answered.

“Where are you? Are you okay?”

“I’m in Detroit, and I’m fine. It’s just—” She didn't let me finish.

“Come home. Listen, I know it’s been rough for you since the accident, okay? Just come home, honey. We’ll figure it out.”

“Ma, there’s nothing for me to come home to.”

She sighed.

“I promise. I’m fine. I just need you to wire me some money. Trust me, I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t really need it.”

“Austin…”

“Please. I’m in Detroit, and there’s no work. It’s freezing out, and I have nowhere to sleep tonight.”

“Oh, Austin…” She began to sob.

“Ma, I’m fine. I swear. I’ll come home when I’m ready.”

“Where do I wire the money to?”

“There’s a Western Union in—”

“Is that Austin? Wiring what money?” I heard my dad ask in the background.

“Joseph—”