I drove the car as far as it would take us. It was just me and my girlfriend Bethany. On that day so long ago, I had made a decision for the both of us: we would flee our hometown, find a nice apartment elsewhere, and press the reset button on our lives. I knew it would be hard, but I had done it for her. I'd tell you now why we were on the run, but the walls will speak in my stead later, if that makes any sense.
Bethany had her ideas on how to handle our situation, but I didn't listen to them. None of them satisfied my goals of escaping my tainted reputation and protecting her, so I told her to pack up all of her things, and we headed out on the highway come the crack of dawn. She complained at first when I told her about the plan, but she was quiet afterwords; especially on the road. All she did was stare out the window at the vast desert spread out in all directions. I occasionally glanced at her to make sure that her chest still rose and fell. At one point, I covered her hand with mine and said to her, “I know you're upset about this, but don't worry. I'll make sure everything works out. I promise.”
She glanced at me, and it was during this brief exchange of our eyes that I saw the dispirited expression chiseled on her face.
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