Outside the train station sits a classic Ford f-100, 1965, in a teal blue color; the paint of the car is chipped, as you can see the copper giving it vintage vibes. It’s clearly old, but surprisingly, it is taken care of very well.

“Yup, this bad boy is mine.” Says Sunny with a smile, patting the side of his truck. Maddie nods, taking a few steps to get off the road. “Yup,” Maddie mimics Sunny, “and old.” Replies Maddie.

Sunny cranks his neck and laughs nervously, “Well, now you say that, this truck isn’t really mine. You could say- funny enough- that this car is stolen!”

Maddie's face drops. Time freezes for a second, and then it rewinds. Suddenly, her eyes are flooded with memories of a dark forest, red, and a beautiful mountain view, all brought to her by Amar. Perhaps it is Sunny, because his face is eerily similar to Amar's (if Amar were white). She tries to get out of the past, to convince herself that she wasn’t crazy. This is the main reason why she left. This is the problem, and it caused her pain.

Sunny’s attention is drawn to Maddie’s worrisome expression and her rapid breaths. “Hey, uh, I was just joking. It’s my mom's truck. She got it from her pop's- the guy was a real hard worker, or at least that’s what mom said. I stole it for the night to pick up my friend, but you know...he bailed on me.”

Maddie immediately calms down, her erratic breaths changing to even ones. Maddie shoots a glare at Sunny, which triggers Sunny to cringe (badly) and lean against his old truck- seemingly trying to hide. Maddie sighs and walks over.

BARK!

The sound of barking can be heard from the far east. Echoing through the nearly empty city road

“Huh?”

Maddie turns around only to be met with a furry companion. “Ack!” She raises her arms up and closes her eyes. Seconds pass, then nothing…nothing but laughter. “Huh?” Maddie lowers her arms and looks over at where Sunny is. He was lying on the ground, with a dog on top of him. “Hahaha! Gosh, big guy, you should be careful. You could have gotten someone hurt or yourself.” Sunny says, petting the stray dog. Huh, a dog is petting a dog. Maddie thinks.

“Hey, stop petting the stray. We have somewhere to go.” Maddie responds, walking over to the truck and hovering a hand over the car handle. “Come on, get this thing open, and let's get going," she demands. Sunny gets up and brushes off the dirt from his pants. Plastering a fake smile towards her, Sunny opens the door, but it is obvious to her that he is disturbed by the demand.

They get into the truck, buckling their seatbelts. Sunny whips out his keys- throwing them up in the air and catching them with a bright smile- and starts the engine, backing out of the parking lot.

“So, where do you wanna go?” Sunny asks.

Maddie points at distant peaks. “To the point of Rushmore.”

                                                                             30 minutes later …

Sunny keeps glancing at Maddie's way, always giving her a small smile. Gosh, desperate much... Maddie thinks. She doesn’t bother to engage; instead, she focuses on the nice scenery of the mountains, their tops kissing the clouds, cutting into them like daggers.  Rivers carve through the peaks, winding and flowing inversely to the classic ford. They rise, high and mighty, towering over everything before them. The trees are stationed soldiers on the mountainside- colorful and strong, providing a sense of security. Above, the night sky is a deep shade of blue, sprinkled with stars that shine brightly in the night.

“Beautiful…” Breathes out Maddie.

Sunny grins, “Yeah, I know. My pop and I used to come here for fishing trips.” He says, ending his sentence with a sad sigh, but his smile remains. “Since when?” Without thinking, Maddie questions him, which results in her biting down on her own tongue.

“Since I was 7 years old. He thought it would be best for me to learn how to survive, to teach me actual values. I didn’t mind. It just gave me a chance to play in the woods, without my brothers and sisters on my back.” Sunny responds, pausing for a second before continuing. "I...have a big family. 4 brothers and 3 sisters. I’m the second oldest. My brother, Brian, is the oldest and is in college. Which leaves me to handle my younger siblings and my mom. She is a stay-at-home mom with her own little business! Selling cakes and all.” Sunny rambles on about his life. This exhausts Maddie out, someone talking her ears out isn’t quite pleasant.

She values peace and quiet, especially in a place like this. She prefers to enjoy the scenery in peace. Maddie often finds herself overwhelmed when conversations become too personal or detailed; it’s none of her business anyway, especially when she's not in the mood to engage. The constant chatter disrupts her thoughts, making it hard for her to relax and enjoy the drive.  

Gosh, when does he shut up… Maddie thinks as she rolls her eyes. She rolls down the window, rests her right arm on the car door, and lays her head on it, feeling the cool air against her face and the rush of wind filling her ears.

During Sunny's rambling, Maddie stops paying attention to him; no, rather, she is paying attention to the mountain wall that has small plants sprouting, trying to cover the rocky wall. In response, he drives in silence for a bit, but eventually puts on the radio as background music.