Seeing the buildings sprawled on the horizon, Benny decided it was time for a new topic and asked, "What town is that we're coming up on?"

"Sanderson," Mark told them. "If anybody's gotta take a piss, this'll be the time. I gotta stop for gas."

"Yes, mother," Julie answered.

"Damn, Julie, you came on this trip just to break my fucking balls, didn't you?"

Julie met Mark's gaze in the rear view mirror and blew him a kiss, then giggled sweetly.

Benny wanted to melt when she puckered her lips, and his heart sang out when she laughed, her shocking blue eyes dancing with merriment. "Julie's a fucking savage," he said awkwardly. He thought it would be a witty comment, but it fell flat and he was the only one who laughed. He looked to Julie for approval, but she looked back with bemusement, then she giggled out of pity and tussled his hair.

"Oh, Benny," she sighed.

"Well, I can't wait," Brenda said unabashedly. "I've been holding it since Van Horn, and I feel like I'm about to burst."

"Whoa, TMI," James said.

"Oh shut the fuck up, asshole," Brenda said, not without affection. "It's not like you didn't know I piss. It's basic biology and shit."

"Yeah, well, I didn't need that mental image."

"Then don't picture it."

"Too late, I've already imagined you taking a whizz. Next time you try to seduce me all I'll be able to think about is a bunch of urine spraying out of your vagina."

Julie and Brenda both laughed at that, before Brenda finally told him, "Urine doesn't come out of my vagina, doofus. And don't say TMI. It's not my fault if you don't understand the female anatomy."

"Yeah, whatever, your pee-hole then," James said, smiling good-naturedly, "and I understand enough about the female anatomy to make you scream, mamacita."

"James!" Brenda cried, blushing brightly.

"Yeah, that's what she said," Benny joked, and laughed alone again.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Mark asked.

"I mean that's what James makes her scream," Benny clarified, and floundering, he tried to save the joke by mocking Brenda and screaming, "James!"

"Dude, just fucking stop," Mark said, but at least he was chuckling now.

Brenda punched Benny in the arm, and Julie suddenly broke into an uncontrollable bout of laughter for no apparent reason. Benny wanted to believe she was laughing at his joke, but he could see that she was high as a kite and going on a trip. Either way it warmed his heart to see her so jolly. "What's so funny?" he asked, but she was laughing too hard to reply. It was infectious, and soon he and Brenda joined in.

"I think they've lost their minds back there," James told Mark, and that just made the three of them laugh even harder. They were still laughing when they entered Sanderson's city limits.

It was little more than a wide space in the road. They had traveled nearly halfway through town in the space of about fifty seconds when they came to what may well have been the only gas station in a sixty mile radius, with a sign that proudly announced the cheapest gas in town. Except they were missing the "g", so when Julie, who had stopped laughing long enough to regain the power of speech, read it aloud, she read, "The cheapest ass in town. No wonder you wanted to stop here, Mark, now you can finally get laid." This sent her into another fit of laughter, and again Brenda and Benny joined her.

"I don't know what you motherfuckers are laughing at. Everybody knows you and Benny are the only virgins in this van," Mark retorted, before getting out to pump gas.

Julie didn't appear the least bit affected by Mark's scathing retort, but she was a virgin by choice. Every guy in school had practically thrown themselves at her, and she somehow stayed single. Benny just didn't seem to have much to offer the fairer sex, but he still appreciated being lumped in with Julie. It was nice to think they might somehow lose their virginity together, no matter how far fetched that idea might be.

Brenda climbed over Julie and staggered from the van, clutching herself. "Oooo, you're gonna make me piss my pants, Julie, you bitch," she complained, laughing like a loon. With that she headed for the convenience store.

James hopped from the passenger seat and said something about needing a drink, leaving Benny and Julie alone in the van. "You don't need to piss?" Benny asked.

Julie's laughter was tapering off to a few sporadic giggles, and she shook her head.

"Yeah, me neither. I got an iron bladder," Benny said.

Julie raised her eyebrows. "What about rust?"

Benny was puzzled for a moment, then he understood. "Uh, yeah, I have to drink a quart of oil once a month." Julie guffawed loudly at that, much to Benny's delight.

"Nice."

"So is it true? You're really a virgin?"

"Yup," Julie said, unflinching.

"Why? I mean, do you think you won't like sex?"

"I dunno, I guess it's just too much drama, you know? Like who needs it. And there's the religious thing, but now Mark's got me questioning that. Why are you a virgin?"

It stung a little that she didn't even have to ask if he really was one, and he wondered if she was just trolling him. It should have been obvious why he was a virgin. He gestured to himself and gave her a look that said, really?

"What? You're not bad looking. You're telling me you can't get anyone to shack up with you?"

"Julie, I know you're a really nice person, but come on. Be real. I'm short, I'm chubby, my nose is too big, my teeth are crooked, and I have no game."

"See, that's your problem."

"Yeah, that's my problem."

"No, silly, I mean you're too insecure. Insecurity is unattractive. All that other shit only matters if you think it matters."

"Yeah, whatever. That's easy for you to say. You're perfect. I mean look at you." Benny realized he was making Julie uncomfortable, so he retreated a little. "Sorry, it's just, you know, it's different for you. You don't know what it's like."

"Maybe," Julie smiled and squeezed Benny's shoulder, "but try not to be so hard on yourself. Besides, being a virgin isn't so bad. Who needs sex, anyway? We got our hands." She winked and giggled, and Benny's cock nearly exploded.

"Yeah, we do," he said awkwardly.

"Aha, so you admit you jack off! Who do you spank it to?"

Benny's tongue went dead in his throat, all the blood rushed to his head, and he had never been so terrified. What was he supposed to say to that? At least ninety-nine percent of his fantasies involved Julie, and he couldn't remember the last time he had masturbated to anyone other than the spectacularly beautiful and bubbly brunette sitting across from him.

He was still trying to come up with a name when Julie cackled gleefully and slapped her thigh. "Relax, I'm fucking with you, Benny." Cracking up, she said, "Holy shit, you should have seen your face. You went red as a tomato."

Benny laughed nervously. "Fuck you. That was fucked up."

When Julie was able to get her laughter under control, she looked genuinely contrite. "Aww, I'm sorry. That was pretty fucked up," she conceded.

"What was pretty fucked up?" Brenda asked, returning to her seat.

"I was asking Benny who he thinks about when he chokes his chicken."

"Why is that fucked up?"

"Because he thinks about Julie, dumbass." It was Mark now, climbing into the drivers' seat.

"God damn it, Mark, what the fuck?" Benny complained.

"What? It's true. No sense denying it. The truth will set you free," Mark said sanctimoniously.

"What about you?" Julie asked Mark. "Who do you think about?"

"I'm like a fucking monk," Mark answered. "I'm clean. When I'm not getting laid, that is."

"The truth will set you free, my ass," Julie sneered.

"And you?" Mark asked. "Who's your muse, Miss Perfect?"

Julie smiled and blushed a little before replying, "A lady never tells."

"Get the fuck outta here with that shit. You ain't no fuckin' lady," Mark called back.

"Alright you bitches, who wants a beer?" James had now returned, and he held up a case of Bud Light.

"My man," Mark said, and offered James a fist bump before accepting a brew.

When James turned and tossed a can into the back seats, Julie snatched it from the air with surprising deftness, then handed it to Brenda and raised her hand to call for another. She caught the second with equal ease, and popped the top and took a swig.

"Julie, you're the coolest," Benny said, before turning to James and accepting a beer of his own.

"Julie?" James asked, feigning offense. "What the fuck, I'm the one who brought you the beer!"

Benny laughed. "Alright, you're pretty cool too."

"You just don't have a pair of knockers," Mark told him.

"Whatever. Julie's tits aren't even that big," Benny blurted out, immediately regretting it.

"Oooohhh, burn!" Mark shouted.

Julie, to her credit, was completely unfazed. "I thought you said I was perfect," she quipped, a half smile on her lips and an eyebrow raised.

"You are," Benny blabbed. "I mean, you're well proportioned." And you have an amazing ass, he nearly finished, but he bit his tongue.

"Good save," Julie said with a giggle.

"Benny, you just need to stop talking," Mark advised. He put the van in gear and pulled out of the parking lot. "And we're off," he called, and raised his beer in a toast.

"To being young, dumb, and full of cum," James added, and raised his own beverage.

"To being well proportioned," Julie said.

"To beer and weed," Benny toasted.

"To lifelong friendships," Brenda finished.

They sipped their beers in relative silence for a few minutes, and once they were well outside of town, Mark cranked up the volume on the radio as Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb started to play. "It's time for round two," he called out, and he produced another blunt like a magician. They resumed their previous rotation, only this time no one needed to coax Julie into taking her turn. Each of them smoked without speaking, enraptured by the unique sounds of what many consider to be rock's greatest artists.

The blunt was over halfway gone and had returned to Mark's possession when the song ended. He was fiddling with his phone, looking for more music to maintain the ambience while holding the burning Swisher with his other hand. He held the wheel steady with an elbow, and just saw the dead buck in the road before running right over the top of it. Both his phone and the blunt went flying as Mark struggled to correct the fishtail they were suddenly in and regain control of his van. After a bad moment where it seemed they were about to roll, he succeeded.

"Goddammit!" Julie shouted. "You almost killed us, you fucking asshole!"

"There was a motherfucking deer in the road," Mark said defensively.

"Dude, the blunt," James cried.

Brenda burst into laughter. "I nearly shit myself and James is up there worried about the blunt," she said.

"Fucking priorities," James told them.

"Pull the fuck over before you go looking for that shit, please," Julie insisted.

"Aye aye, captain," Mark agreed.

As the van slowed and moved onto the shoulder, Benny spared a glance at his crotch to make sure he hadn't wet himself. His heart rate was through the roof, and it was all he could do to keep his composure. He wasn't even entirely confident he hadn't screamed like a little girl when they went over the animal carcass.

Julie chortled and asked, "You worried that iron bladder failed you?"

Benny looked at her like she was a wizard, and found himself speechless. How did she know that's why I looked down? he wondered.

"Relax," she said. "We all probably pissed our pants a little bit."

"Speak for yourself," James told her. "I'm chillin. Just wanna get back to hitting that blunt."

"Yeah, right, you're such a badass," Julie said sarcastically.

The van had rolled to a stop, and James was focused on finding the smoke. "There," he told Mark, pointing. Mark reached between the seat and the side panel and after a brief struggle came back up with their stogie. He gave it a quick puff before handing it to James.

"Alright," Mark told them, "now we can resume our fantastic voyage," and he piloted the van back onto the highway.

It wasn't until 3:30 in the afternoon, a little over two hours after hitting the deer, that the engine died. They were about thirty miles from Camp Wood and their intended destination, on a sparsely traveled Ranch to Market road.

"What are you doing? Why are you stopping?" James asked.

"I'm not. We're fucking breaking down," Mark answered.

"Are you serious?" Benny asked, his heart sinking.

"Shut the fuck up. Don't even play with that shit," Julie added.

"I'm not playing, I'm dead fucking serious."

"Unbelievable, we're like forty-five minutes from the camp grounds," Julie complained.

"We were forty-five minutes from the camp grounds," Benny corrected. "Who knows when we'll get there now," he said miserably. This was it. He had been so sure something would go wrong. He had known there was no way he would be able to spend a week with Julie. They would go home early - no camping or swimming in bikinis or drinking all night.

"What're we gonna do?" Brenda asked.

"Does anybody got a cell signal?" Mark asked.

"Jules and I left our phones at home," Brenda said.

"Yeah, we didn't want any distractions," Julie confirmed.

"Same," James told them.

Benny had brought his phone, because he wanted to snap a bunch of pictures of Julie, but when he pulled it from his pocket and looked at it he saw zero bars. "I got nothing," he said.

Mark glanced at his own phone, then asked, "Does anybody know anything about fixing cars?"

"Do I look like a fuckng mechanic to you?" Brenda responded. They all exchanged looks after that, but nobody offered any help.

"Well, I guess we're walking back to Del Rio," Mark decided.

"We my ass," Brenda said. "It's your van, and this is probably because you ran over that fucking deer when you weren't paying attention. You walk your ass back. We'll wait here with the beer."

"Babe, we might not find anybody to come work on it today," James said.

"You want me to walk forty miles down the road because this asshole doesn't know how to drive?" Brenda asked.

"Relax," Mark said. "It's just until we get a signal, or we might even hitch a ride."

"What happens when you get a signal? Who the fuck are you gonna call? And if you think I'm getting in some stranger's car, you're crazy," Brenda said.

Mark looked at James, and James only shrugged. "Let her stay with the van. My .357 is loaded and under my seat, and she knows how to shoot. Besides, somebody should stay and make sure we don't get jacked anyway."

"Alright, fine, stay here and get fucked up," Mark conceded. He looked at Julie and Benny and asked, "You two love birds coming?"

Julie looked at Brenda apologetically and said, "I'm sorry sweetie, but I'm not down to sit in a van on the side of the road with a bunch of empty beer cans, a bag of weed, and a loaded pistol. If a trooper drives by that's a felony waiting to happen."

"Don't worry, gorgeous. I'll be fine," Brenda assured her.

"Wudduya say then, love bird?" Julie asked Benny with a smirk.

Benny knew it was sarcasm, but he felt a tingle when Julie called him 'love bird'. "Let's do it."

Julie and Benny climbed out and stretched for the first time in hours. First Julie pressed her palms against the small of her back and leaned backwards, then she held her hands high above her head, doing wonderful things with her white denim vest. Her breasts expanded and thrust forward, the fabric rising up and exposing the entirety of her of soft white belly, which was now pulled taut, stretching out her vertical slit of a navel. Benny couldn't help but stare, and he didn't even care that Julie caught him.

Mark and James vacated the front seats and evidently felt compelled to take at least a cursory glance under the hood. "Well?" Julie asked when they were done.

"It definitely looks like there's an engine in there," Mark said with a shrug, and Julie giggled at that. Benny found himself in love with her ability to laugh at their misfortune, her good cheer remaining stubbornly resilient.

Mark gave the key one last turn, and they could hear the engine cranking but never catching and running. Julie commented that, "It's a good sign. It means the battery and the starter are working, at least, so it's probably not electrical."

Benny wondered why that was a good thing, but he didn't want to sound ignorant so he held his tongue.

James went back to the van to talk to Brenda, and after a short, muffled conversation, he told them, "I'm gonna stay here with Brenda. Y'all go on ahead."

"Yeah, sure, why not?" Mark said, trying to sound aloof, but Benny could tell it bothered him more than he wanted to let on. His best friend chose the company of a girl over him.

"Bye, slut! Make sure you use a condom!" Julie smiled, waved, and blew her friend a kiss, in stark contrast to Mark's thinly veiled bitterness.

"Don't get murdered by a serial killer!" Brenda called back.

And with that, Julie, Benny, and Mark headed down the road. In fifteen minutes of walking, only two vehicles passed them. Mark stuck his thumb out both times, but neither of them so much as tapped the brakes. "Why don't you flash your titties at the next one?" Mark suggested to Julie.

"But my titties aren't even that big, remember?" she said teasingly, giving Benny a wink and melting his heart.

"That's true, but some guys prefer well proportioned to big," Mark countered.

"How about I just stick out my thumb and shake my ass a little," she compromised.

"Give it a shot," Mark agreed.

Nearly five minutes passed before a shiny red F350 came cruising toward them, and Julie did as promised. Her cute little thumb jutted out from her tiny fist and she arched her back, again flashing a bit more of that pale skin on her soft, perfect midriff, and very subtly pushing out her flawless, round buttocks, which she gave a glorious wiggle. Benny never even glanced at the truck; his attention was fixed solely on Julie, all the blood rushing to his pecker.

Her strategy seemed to work, as Benny noted when Julie broke her pose and started trotting along the shoulder. The F350 had pulled over. "Fucking score!" Benny shouted, his spirits lifted. Perhaps their trip could be salvaged after all.

In the cab of the truck was a young man with messy black hair, tanned skin, and sharp green eyes. He wore jeans and a tee shirt that said "kiss my ass". Beside him was a lovely blonde with dark blue eyes and pale skin, sporting cut-off jeans and a plain white tank top. They both looked to be in their early twenties and were exceedingly attractive.

"Y'all have some car trouble," the man asked them when they approached.

"My van broke down like a mile up the road," Mark answered.

"Let's go have a look," the man offered. "Hop in back."

The three teens happily complied, none of them suspecting any nefarious intentions. The man did not betray their naivety, taking them to the van and stopping to inspect it as agreed upon. When they pulled up and exited the vehicle, the man introduced himself and his girlfriend. "I'm Jeremy, and this here's Beth."

Julie, Mark, and Benny all took turns shaking hands and stating their names, and James popped out of the van looking a little flustered. "You guys came back quick," he muttered.

"Hope we didn't interrupt anything," Mark said, sounding a little too satisfied with himself. "This is Jeremy. He's agreed to lend us a hand. Grab him a beer, will ya?"

James nodded and did as Mark asked. He didn't even seem to mind too much that his privacy had been disturbed. He appeared to be as encouraged as Benny was to have found help so quickly.

Jeremy popped the hood and asked Mark to crank the starter. The engine responded much as it had previously, and Jeremy just nodded and laid down on the pavement to look at the undercarriage. Whistling, he said, "Holy hell, if I didn't know any better I'd say you hit a deer."

"We sorta did," Mark told him. When Jeremy stood up and looked quizzically at the mostly unblemished bumper and radiator, Mark clarified, "Well it was already dead, we just sorta ran over it."

Jeremy nodded again. "Well your fuel line's busted. I got some tubing back home that'd likely do the trick." He took a swig of beer, then asked, "Y'all like to party?"

"Fucking A right we do," Mark confirmed. "You wanna smoke a blunt?"

"I guess I probably do. Why don't y'all hop in and I'll take y'all back to the ranch. It's about a forty-five minute ride. We'll have some drinks, smoke some bud, snort some coke, then I'll bring y'all back here and fix you up."

Mark was beaming, as if he'd found his soulmate. "Now you're speaking my language," he said.

Julie flashed an easy smile and agreed readily enough, "Sure, why not?"

James looked torn, but he ultimately chose pussy over drugs, deciding, "You all go on, I'll wait here with Brenda." Mark no longer seemed to care, nodding absent-mindedly.

Benny was going wherever Julie was, so he quickly confirmed, "I'm in."