He woke up and looked at his phone. It was 5:58 Monday morning, and the day's first sunbeams were rising in the sky. Rachel lay beside him, and as she slept, her ribcage moved slowly up and down.

Tyler got out of bed, and walked quietly down the stairs. His grandma's door was still closed, and he stepped into the bathroom. When he came back out he saw the cat, sitting by her bowl, waiting impatiently. He forked a can of food into her dish, and went back up to the attic.

He sat in the chair, and stuck in his hearing aid. For a few minutes, he watched Rachel sleep. As birds chirped outside the window, she breathed, and her yellow hair fell over the pink of her shirt.

She turned over, and opened her eyes. Sitting up in bed, she asked, "What time is it?"

"Just after six."

"Is your grandmama...."

"She's asleep."

"When do you have to be at work?"

"Seven," he said.

"I don't have to be there till eight."

"We could do something," Tyler said. "Go out to breakfast."

"I don't know. I feel like...." She bent her knees, and pulled them close to her body. "I feel like screaming or something."

"Well scream," he said. "Get it all out."

She glanced at the window. "But people would hear.... They would think I was being murdered or something."

"Scream into a pillow."

"I don't know...." She stood up. "I feel like I want to go. I want to go, I just want to move."

"Well, let's go somewhere, then. Let's just leave."

"But we can't –"

"Yeah, we can," he said, and took her hand. "Why not?"

************

A few minutes later, they stepped out the door, and Tyler locked it behind them. Rachel's car – well, her brother's – was parked on the street, and they crossed the grass to the curb. "Oh look," he said, as he opened a door. "You left the keys last night." The key ring dangled from the ignition, and the doors had been left unlocked. Rachel got into the driver's seat. "And I took Christian's car without asking."

"Well, good thing no one stole it," Tyler said, and laughed.

She started the motor, and they drove down the street. The city was waking up, and they passed a few cars. Tyler rolled down his window, and Rachel flipped on the radio. A rollicking country-rock song blasted out of the speakers. "Oh dear," Tyler said. "I don't think this is Christian music." 

"I guess we're going to Hell, then," said Rachel, and turned up the noise.

She turned onto one of those little country roads, and corn fields grew on both sides. They passed a few cows, and far in the distance, a yellow airplane took off. "That looks like one of those old biplanes," Tyler said, and Rachel told him, "I think it's a crop-duster. You know, they spray crops."

"So insects can't eat them?"

"Mm-hmm."

The car accelerated, and Tyler looked into the clouds. The weird thing was that the sky really was that big – well, bigger – you just couldn't usually see so much of it. It was usually blocked by houses and trees. The corn fields came to an end, and there was nothing but wild grass at the sides of the road. "Does this belong to anyone?" Tyler asked. "Is it anyone's property, or is it just, like, the earth?"

"I'm not sure," she said. "I don't know if there's any way to tell."

They came to a crossroads, and had the choice of turning left or right. But instead Rachel drove forward, onto a field of unplowed land. "You know," she said, "there are no police this far out. I don't think there's even a speed limit. There's like zero chance of getting pulled over."

"But if I did get pulled over," he said, "I'd have to report it to my probation officer."

"Well...." She laughed. "You're not driving. I am."

"Okay, then," Tyler said. "Let's live life to the fullest."

They kept going, and the tires bumped over mounds of earth. They were quite literally in the middle of nowhere, and there were maybe a few trees in the distance. "I just want to drive," she said. "I just want to go."

He adjusted his seatbelt. "Then do it."

The car stood still, and Rachel shifted gears. She kept one foot on the break, and turned the steering wheel as far as it could go. "You ready?" Tyler nodded, and Rachel hit the gas.

The car spun in a circle, and dust blew up at the windows. The tires drifted, and for a few seconds, it was like they left the ground. Tyler had a feeling, like they were flying, like they were the only people alive - like they'd figured out how to transcend reality. 

"That was cool," he said, and Rachel said, "Let's do it again."

So they did it again, and he had that feeling, like a roller coaster, only better. Better, because he and Rachel had the power. When the car spun to a stop, she grabbed his arm, and they breathed hard. "I feel like screaming," Rachel said. "Like I just want to scream."

"Do it, then," Tyler said. "There's no one else here."

She leaned forward onto the steering wheel, and took a few breaths. A tiny sound came from her throat, but then she said, "No, I can't."

She looked through the windshield. "What did your parents do..." she asked. "Were you allowed to, like.... What did your parents do when you were younger, if you like said any dirty words?"

Tyler laughed. "Well, it was a weird thing. My mom usually didn't care, but my dad would tell me not to. Then I'd remind him about how often he cussed.... Of course, when I was just with my friends, the most abject filth would come out of our mouths. When there were no adults around."

Rachel giggled. "I guess you didn't have to set an example," she said. "You weren't a pastor's child, so you didn't have to set an example for everyone else."

"And you did?"

"Yeah, I was always told to."

"Well, that's kind of messed up," he said. "If you think about it."

"Yeah," she said. "I guess so."

She opened the door, and left her seat. Tyler got out on the other side, and circled the car to stand beside her. They could see to the horizon, and it was just cloudy enough to look directly at the sun. "Sometimes I wish I could just be myself," she said. "Instead of what everyone else wants me to be."

"Well, do it then," he said. "Starting right now, just be yourself."

She pulled her hair away from her face and looked at the view. "What if I said whatever I wanted?" she asked. "What if I said the word 'fuck'?"

Tyler laughed. "Well, you just did."

"What if I said it again?"

"Well, do it. Scream it."

"I can't scream."

"Sure you can."

She looked around, as if some human had suddenly crept up from behind. Then she did something – actually covered her mouth with her hand – and screamed into her palm. Tyler took her hand away and said, "Do it again."

And she braced herself against the car, and did it again. Screamed as loud as she could, and screamed the word fuck. And then a string of other profanities came out of her being, and echoed in the air. Tyler had to laugh, because he'd never heard anything so filthy in his life. He didn't even know half the words she'd said, and he thought he knew them all. When she was finished, Tyler couldn't stop laughing, and he wrapped her in his arms.

"I guess you got it out of you."

They stood in place for a few minutes, and she leaned into his chest. "I can be safe with you, can't I? I don't have to wonder if you're being honest or not?"

"Yeah, of course," he said. "I'm probably too honest. I always have been."

Her hand ran down his arm, and they clasped their fingers together. They stood, looking at the world. And Tyler wished they could stay there forever, but he finally had to say, "Guess I should get to work."

"Yeah... you're going to be late."

"Yeah, I guess so."

They let go of each other, and got back into the car. Rachel circled again, and then drove back out to the road. As they headed back to town, Tyler realized that he didn't have his phone... or his gloves... or his water bottle. "I better go home first, though."

"Okay."

They re-entered Poplar Bluff, and then drove back to Rosella. Rachel parked in front of the curb. "Do you want to talk?" Tyler asked. "At lunch time?"

She nodded, and he leaned over and kissed her cheek. He left the car, and as she drove away, he hurried inside. "Where've you been?" his grandma shouted, as he sprinted up to the attic. He grabbed his phone and went back down. "Can I drive today?" He grabbed the keys from the living room table, and ran outside without waiting for an answer. He sped to work, parked and rushed through the front door. "You're late," Lee said.

"I know."

But it was worth it.