She Doesn't Wear Skinny Jeans

Bad Dreams

By the time it started raining Kat was sound asleep against me. Her hands are curled around me and her head is resting on my chest. I feel the frigid rain against my skin and by the second the down pour gets stronger.

Kat, unsettled by the cold, moans and presses her nose into my jacket. I press my hand against her back and lean up, again, she protests with a small whine. "What's wrong?" she whispers hugging my torso.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just going to put you in the backseat. It's raining." I tell her and Kat looks to the sky with an indifferent gaze. "Oh," she says. "I'll see if I can't get the car to start." She nods and lets me open the door for her and lies down on her side finding a comfortable position.

About that same time there is a blinding light cutting through the dark and lighting the rain. It is a large truck. I debate about flagging it down, weighing the risks against meeting strangers in the woods. Though the driver makes the decision for me by pulling over to the opposite side of the trail.

The man that gets out is heavy set and I can just make out a trimmed rust colored mustache. "Excuse me, son, but that vehicle doesn't belong to you. I would like to know where Kat Perns would be." His voice is commanding and has a dare in it. Daring me to give him some half-wit answer that would have consequences. I don't know what they would be. I don't want to find out.

He looks like he's reaching for his waistband and his army green uniform makes him out to be a wildlife police officer. I hold up my hands up and squint my eyes against the rain.

"She's in the back asleep. The car won't start. Could you maybe give us a start?" I ask and he peers at me with mistrust written on every feature.

He's standing next to me now, assessing me, the car, and his sanity. "Kat Perns brought you here?" When I nod he chuckles. "Well I'll be damned. She said she'd sworn men off." He opens the back door and shakes Kat's ankle. "Kat. Wake up, Hons." Kat wakes up with a jerk, then smiles at who she sees.

"Grizzly!" She says with half her eyes closed, in a daze. Then she sits straight up, "Where's Luke? Did he leave? Was there someone out there?" She pushes out of the door and when she sees me she slows her rush and let's out a breath. "Oh."

"Woah, Hon, slow down. No one has left." Grizzly puts a hand on her shoulder. "Now this...Luke says this old bucket needs a jump. Not in this weather, I'll take you home." Kat looks solemnly at the car then nods as she pulls herself all the way out of the car then stands in between Grizzly and me.

Kat locks the car then Grizzly leads us to his truck, not that Kat didn't seem uncomfortable with this man at all. Kat leans onto my shoulder and wraps her arms around mine. I don't mind, it's comfortable actually, but the burly man turns to see what's taking Kat so long and frowns at our contact.

Kat doesn't see him because she has her eyes closed letting me guide her through the rain, so I'm left to blush and look away nervously hoping he won't gut me with the oversized pocket knife on his waistband.

We reach the truck with minimal falling and Grizzly opens the door.

I nudge Kat to wake up enough to get in the middle seat, mostly because her friend is terrifying and I'd rather lay my head against the window instead of getting the side eye from a man nicknamed after a bear. "No, son-" he says, "I'd like to talk to you. Why don't you sit in the middle?" I sigh, but nod. I get in the warm truck then help Kat get settled.

Three times, I try to get her to lean against my arm, but finally she just rests her head in my lap, contorting her body to twist two separate ways at once. Kat was asleep again the second she touched her head to my lap. I look down at her as I wait for the ranger to get in the truck and start it up. I brush her hair from her face and when she doesn't stir I tug it from her neck and let my fingers trail down the side once.