By her twentieth birthday, there are a few things Valarie Ricci knows for certain.
She knows that her waitressing job barely covers the costs of living out of a beat up old van. She knows she's stuck in the dead end hometown her high school friends...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
They found a place to stay wedged somewhere near Québec, New Brunswick, and the American border. Well, Alice did. Valarie was practically slipping in and out of consciousness by the time they pulled into the parking lot of a small motel, her eyes drooping with exhaustion. After cutting the engine, Alice placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and said something about getting a room. Valarie was vaguely aware of nodding or grumbling in response before the hand was gone and it was just her and Ithaca in the van.
Between the eye-watering yawns and brain fog, Valarie managed to find the dog leash stashed under her seat, and soon she and Ithaca were walking along the grassy shoulder of the parking lot. The cool night air made it easier to stay awake alongside the small but invasive suspicion that she was about to get kidnapped or something.
The wide, empty spaces of farmland criss-crossed by roads and forests cued the Psycho violins going off in her head as she walked. Even the semi-steady flow of traffic travelling along the adjacent road made her feel small and anonymous. Each passerby was a reminder that nobody knew her here. She was alone.
She made sure not to stray too far from the motel. They walked along the same stretch of grass until Ithaca had done his business and seemed relatively well-exercised. When they got back to the parking lot, Alice was leaning against the rear of the van, staring down at her phone, and absently swinging a ring of keys around her finger.
"You got a room?" asked Valarie.
Alice slipped her phone back into her pocket, face partially concealed by the darkness as she turned away from the light of the motel. "Yeah," she said. "I already put some of our stuff in the room. I wasn't sure how long you'd be gone for."
"Right." Valarie cleared her throat, trying to not act as uncomfortable as she felt. "What about Ithaca?"
Alice shrugged. "What about him?"
"Well, do they let dogs into their rooms?"
Alice paused. "I didn't ask. I figured we would just sneak him in."
"What if we get caught?"
She shrugged again. "Then maybe we pay a fine. It's not like the dog is going to make a mess or anything. I don't see what the problem is."
"It's just..." Valarie struggled to form the right words. "Like, it's kinda a shitty thing to do to whoever has to clean the room afterwards, no?" It wasn't what she meant to say. "It's fine, you know? You have the room, and I can stay in the van with the dog. It's a nice night, and there's nobody around. We should be fine."
Alice took a half-step closer, her weight shifting back on one leg. She frowned and said, "No."
"I can make my own decisions."
"No."
"No?" Valarie's tone grew sharper.
"I mean, yes... but no," Alice said, as if it clarified anything. "I'm not going to stay all alone in a motel room, and you're not going to hang out in this creepy ass parking lot all night."
