Warning

May contain sensitive material including adult language and situations, strong sexual content and violence

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Chapter Eleven – Interlude

Union Jack is back with a hole in his head
He's gettin' badly burned every time
He's laughin' at me and dancin' on my sneakers
And his sixties songs are blowin' up my speakers
I say you got no respect
Respect for authority
You're just playing your dirty tricks
And then come cryin' to me
Hit and run

-Another Hit and Run
Def Leppard


Matt headed west on back roads for an hour or more until they found themselves on 31, north of Traverse City. He’d gone what he thought was the opposite way that someone from Walloon Lake would travel. He then followed the highway north through Charlevoix and into Petoskey where Roxy begged them to stop at a department store so she could buy some necessary items. Steve happily gave her forty dollars for whatever it was she needed.

Roxy had lost the disguise a few miles after they left, feeling overly warm in the coat and quite sure she would be busted if they were stopped in any event. When she had taken off the outfit, it had become evident why she needed supplies. The best of the news was that she had on jeans, though rather baggy, and sneakers that could pass for cool in a pinch. Her plaid button up blouse with ruffled sleeves looked like it came out of the forties. Her hair was styled like a farm maid with a large curl on each side of her face. She wore only spots of very red blush for makeup.

“I’m sorry I look like hell.” She apologized.

“You look like a dream come true to me.” Steve told her.

“Fucking nightmare is more like it.” She insisted, but gave him a kiss for being sweet. “Just wait here.” She said, getting out of the car. Sherry went with her. “Roxy will be right with you. ‘Angela’ is fucking dead.”

The guys sat in the car and listened to tunes for most of an hour before the girls appeared again. Steve couldn’t believe his eyes. Roxy looked totally different when she came out of the store than she had before she went in. Her hair was completely redone with Aqua Net in the style he was familiar with. Her makeup was top notch and she wore a very tight necklace like a collar. She had a ripped shirt that appeared to have been a Doors concert tee and her jeans had been cut into a very short mini skirt. Bandanas decorated her wrists and an abused pair of fishnet stockings ran the length of her long legs to her sneakers, the only part of the ensemble that hadn’t changed.

“Let’s get the hell out of here.” She said, hopping in the car.

Matt took some back roads to a nearby area known as Thunder Mountain. From there, Steve directed them on trail roads until they came to a small area near a stream that was literally in the middle of nowhere. They left the stereo cranking as they set up tents and started a small fire. They had no beer but Matt surprised them all with a fifth of Kessler he had stolen from his mom before they left that morning. They were soon passing the whiskey bottle and a pair of doobies.

“So what are you guys going to do?” Matt asked after a while.

“Tomorrow is the concert.” Steve reminded him.

“Yea, for sure.” Matt returned. “I mean after that. You can’t exactly bring Roxy home to live with you.”

Roxy put her head down, silently. She was obviously saddened by the predicament she had brought upon Steve. He put his arm around her warmly.

“Well,” he said looking from Roxy to Matt and then back to Roxy. “We can’t stay here can we? I’ve been thinking about something.”

Roxy looked at him with sweet eyes, waiting.

“Remember when you said I should check out the metal scene in L.A.?” He exchanged a glance with Matt. Matt had also suggested that Steve find some better musicians to play his songs. Matt lifted an eyebrow. Steve turned back to Roxy. “What do you say we go together?”

“Oh!” She was shocked. “Do you mean it?” She hugged him tightly and then gave him a kiss.

“If there’s no hard feelings?” He looked at Matt again.

“None here.” Matt said. “But you better come back here famous!”

“That settles it then.” Steve said taking a pull of whiskey. “Tomorrow night, we get the hell outta Dodge.”

“California.” Sherry said dreamily. “You two are so lucky.”

“You’ll tell Sean for me won’t you?” Steve asked.

“No problem.” Matt promised. “He’s as good as married anyway. I think it’ll be a relief to him.”

“And will someone tell Julia we’re sorry we won’t make the wedding?” Roxy asked. “She wanted me to be in it.”

“Just take care of yourselves, you two!” Sherry exclaimed before hugging them both.
They finished off the joints and the whiskey, and they were all well buzzed. They paired off and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows for a while before Matt and Sherry crawled off into one of the tents. Steve and Roxy were left alone by the small fire. After they had necked a while, Roxy looked at Steve and he looked back knowingly. Together, they crawled off into their own tent.