Read Online The Attraction by Douglas Clegg - Free Book Online Page B

as the sun went down in a blaze of pink and gold glory, Josh felt pretty good.
    “This is an adventure,” he said, leaning back against Bronwyn’s knees.
    “Some adventure,” she said.
    “Nope, he’s right,” Griff said. “My uncle told me to have a lot of adventures in college. This could be cool.”
    “When we’re completely dried up and burning up in the sun, we won’t call this an adventure,” Bronwyn said. “We’ll call it the last day of our life. And I’m never making it to L.A. I can tell you that.”
    “You’re kidding, right?” Tammy asked. “We’re not in any real trouble here. I don’t think.”
    Bronwyn shrugged. “Okay. I guess I was exaggerating. I have three packs of Merits left, so I’ll live.”
    “Until the cigs kill you,” Griff said.
    “Years from now I’ll regret smoking. But right now, I regret nothing, as they say.”
    Ziggy kept looking out in the purple darkness. “I wonder if there are wolves.”
    “There aren’t wolves,” Josh said. “I don’t think. Maybe coyotes. But we don’t have to worry about them.”
    “Yeah, coyotes, rattlesnakes, big black scorpions the size of my wang,” Griff said.
    Josh made a sound in the back of his throat.
    Griff shot him a look. “Yeah?”
    “Your wang always seems to come up, if you’ll pardon the expression.”
    Griff grinned. “He needs a breath of fresh air now and then.”
    “Yuck.” Bronwyn coughed.
    Tammy laughed. “Oh, good grief, get a sense of humor, you guys. Hey, this is like Girl Scout camp.”
    “Time to make a few brownies, then,” Griff said, heading off into the darkness to do his business.
    Bron and Josh both groaned at his gross joke.
    “Damn, that reminds me,” Bronwyn said. “Anybody bring toilet paper?”
    “I have a ton of tissues in my backpack,” Tammy said. “In the trunk.”
    “Good. I hope it’s a ton that will last all of us through tomorrow. Damn. I wonder how far it is to the nearest town.”
    “Hey!” Josh said, leaning forward and sitting up. “Naga. That was the name of the town. We can’t be more than, I don’t know, ten, fifteen miles. It was on the map.”
    “The map you lost?”
    “I didn’t lose it. It fell out of my back pocket. I guess when I fell on that little bastard.” He grinned, glancing at Ziggy who kept his eyes on the fire.
    “If this town is that close, why can’t we see it?” Griff asked from a distance. “I mean, I don’t see lights anywhere out there.”
    “I bet it’s north of here. I bet we’re south of where we thought we were. I bet it’s over those hills,” Josh pointed up to the ridge of hills that seemed to have an aura of indigo against the ever-dimming sky.
    “Maybe other cars will come by. Or truckers.”
    “Like Ely,” Bronwyn said, remembering the truck driver who’d given them a lift.
    “Yeah, you guys were lucky. He was cute,” Tammy said.
    “He was not cute,” Griff said, coming back into the campfire circle. “He was a redneck.”
    “I hope you washed your hands,” Tammy said.
    “With sand.” Griff grinned.
    “Nope, Ely is high on the lustometer,” Bronwyn said.
    “God, I’m all out of brewsky,” Griff finished the last of his beer.
    “Lustometer?”
    “Yep. Some guys are high on it.”
    “You got some weed to share, Zig?”Griff asked.
    “I thought we said no pot,” Josh said.
    “Ziggy broke that rule at least two thousand miles ago. I bet you scored some in El Paso. Did you, Zig?”
    Ziggy grinned. “Maybe. Maybe in Oklahoma.”
    “Oklahoma? They grow weed in Oklahoma?”
    “Maybe somewhere along the road. We stopped in a lot of places. I ain’t sayin’.”
    “I knew it!” Griff laughed, clapping his hands together. “Come on. We’re all screwed here. Might as well enjoy it.”
    “I’m not into grass,” Josh said.
    “Tight-ass,” Griff said.
    “You don’t have to smoke it,” Bronwyn said. “Just make sure none of us gets too happy.”
    They all got high. Josh eventually joined in,