In December 2008, a Southern Humboldt blogger began posting fictional tales of the marijuana culture. Some people were appalled. Most were enthralled. For three months her stories gripped the online community and then, abruptly, she was gone. Even though SoHumBorn pulled her blog, for months her stories were available in the cached version but eventually they, too, were swallowed into the dark abyss. Recently she gave me permission to revive them. I’ll be doing one each Sunday for awhile.

This is the last story.  When it is finished, I will have republished all her previous works. Today, is the middle.  Next Sunday I believe will be the end. You can read parts 1-3 here.

pt.4

Kaitlin opens the passenger door and scoots to the middle.

The young man pops his head in the truck.

“Where’re you headed?” Emily asks.

“Any where you are.”  His smile is charming and they can’t help smiling back.

Flirting with him will certainly lighten up this drive.

He climbs in and closes the door.  “I’m KC.”  He offers his hand and names are exchanged in the trucks little cab.

Emily pulls back onto the highway and Kaitlin can’t resist asking.

“Why are you hitchhiking?”

“I came up with a buddy to a party last night and he hooked up.  Next thing I know, he’s takin’ off with the chick and I’m crashing on some couch that smells like ass.”

The girls laugh

“Bummer” Kaitlin sympathizes.

“Yeah, what ever happened to bro’s before ‘ho’s?”  This cracks all of them up.

They drive on down the highway slipping into a comfortable banter.

Sensing that he won’t be averse to the idea they offer to burn one with him.

“Hell ya! Spark it up”

Kaitlin pulls out their headstash.

“Man, we’re out of papers.” she says frowning at the empty pack.

“I’ll stop in Willits and pick some up.  I want another SoBe anyway” Emily says.

They are only minutes from mini marts and McDonald’s of the town.

They pull into Willits and Emily stops at the first gas station after the light.  Inside she grabs the green tea and heads for counter looking for the display of rolling papers.  When she gets to the checker the plump, thin haired woman asks her.

“Is that all?”

Looking around the counter one last time she asks.

“Where are your rolling papers?” The plump ladys eyes narrow, and her mouth turns down, suddenly giving her face a look like a female Jabba the Hutt.

“See that across the street?”  Emily looks blankly out the window not quiet getting how this fits in with her request.

“That’s a High School and we don’t sell papers.”  Emily’s cheeks feel hot.

“Cool…” Is all she gets out.  After paying for the SoBe she goes back to the truck.  When she opens the door Kaitlin holds her hand out for the papers.

“That chick was a frog faced bitch!” Her outburst causes a brief burst of laughter from Kaitlin and a surprised

“What?” from KC.

She gets in the truck while continuing her little rant.

“She’s all like ‘See that across the street? That’s a school and we don’t sell papers.’ Like I was some kind of moron!  Stupid bitch!”  The anger covers her sense of humiliation.

“Oh. Fuck her…” KC laughs.

“We can stop at the Headroom.”

They park in Willits and get papers after showing their I.D. They spend a little time looking at pipes and clothes then get back on the road.

Once they’re south of Willits, Kaitlin once again pulls out the little bag of buds.

“Want me to twist?” KC offers.

“Sure.”  She passes the bag to him and he begins breaking it up on a CD case as they drive along.

They are still making fun of the gas station woman when Emily glances in her rearview mirror. Her stomach tightens at the sight of the black and white.

“5-0 Kaitlin!  Put that shit away.”  She whisper as though he might hear her.

KC wads everything up in the zip lock and quickly tucks it in his sock.

The CHP car slides up beside them as Emily steadfastly looks straight ahead.

Under her breath Kaitlin is chanting

“Please, please, please, please….”

He doesn’t pass them.  Instead he drops back and pulls in behind the truck

pt.5

She knows it’s coming, but when the lights come on she feels a wave of nausea.

“Oh shit…”

With shaking hands she pulls the truck over to the side of the road.

Sitting there waiting as the officer gets out and walks to her truck, her mind plays out this whole foolish scenario.  She can see now how idiotic this plan had been.

The “buyer” was probably a cop, or sick/freak rapist.  There was no happy ending here.

She’s eighteen and she’s going to prison.  Probably getting her parents busted too.  All for a car, a fucking stupid used car.

His face is stern when he gets to her window.

“You know why I pulled you over?”

“No Sir.”  Her heart is doing sick cartwheels.

“Your passenger isn’t wearing his seatbelt.” he says gesturing toward KC with his chin.

He head whips around, and confirms his statement.

Of all the stupid, stupid things, this is why she’s going to prison!  In her mind she is kicking herself for picking him up.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry.  I didn’t notice.  We just picked him up hitchhiking, and I thought he buckled up.  I’m really sorry.” Without realizing it she is pleading.

“You picked him up?”  He tilts his head and looks in the cab of the truck at the young man.

“Where?”

“Just before Willits, Sir.” The uniform and terror bring out the “Sir”.

“Stay right there miss.” He strolls around the back of the truck muttering into the radio clipped to his shoulder.  At the passenger side he looks at the young man.

“Could you step out of the vehicle please?”

“Sure.” KC gets out and stands looking at the officer.

“You got any I.D. on you?”

“In my pocket sir.”

“Let’s see it.” KC produces a wallet and hands the officer a driver’s license.

“Got an warrants son?”

“No Sir… I don’t think so.”

The officer speaks to the radio again then stands listening, and trying as hard as she can, Emily still can’t understand the static filled reply.

“You shoulda been honest son.”  He takes hold of the young mans arm.

“Lets step back to my car.”

The girls watch in shock as the cop escorts KC back to his car.  He places the young mans arms behind his back and hand cuffs him.

“What’s going on?”  Kaitlin asks.

“I think he’s getting arrested.”  Emily is watching in her side view mirror, to scared to turn her head.

They can’t hear what’s being said, but they watch in horror as the cop begins to pat him down and empty his pockets.  When the cop finds the bag of weed in his sock an airy

“Oh shit…” escapes from Emily.

They watch the cop hold it up in front of the boy and look back at the truck while speaking.

“Oh God!” Kaitlin whispers.

The cop puts the boy in the back of the car and heads back for the girls.

Emily’s experiencing her first bout of true terror, and for a moment she considers driving away and making a run for it, but fear has her paralyzed, and she just sits there as the officer comes back for her and Kaitlin.