Gay teen Jack is hiding out in a bully’s car in the hopes of retrieving his backpack when he’s joined by another stowaway. Brittany, who wants to be called Brandon, is a transgendered classmate also on the run. When the bully crashes his car, it’s the start of a journey that will bring Jack and Brandon together in the hopes of finding a new future.<br><br>Along the way, they meet Buster, a dog that saves their lives; Alvin, who is heading to Denver to sell his car and offers them a ride; and Ducky, a loud-mouthed but loveable woman who is apparently more than just Alvin’s friend.<br><br>When a tornado hits, Jack and Brandon have a chance to prove their mettle and show what they are made of. But is there happiness at the end of their journey?

Breaking into Cars

So that’s what was supposed to happen. But not for three days. First we ate pizza and talked and talked. Of course, what we wanted to hear was what had happened to Elvis. Busted was fine, at least he was after he scarfed down whatever pizza we let him have, that is, weren’t watching closely enough. When he was done, he burped, took the kitten in his mouth and walked into the parlor and curled up under the piano, prompting Elvis to say, “We used to have one, but it fell off the piano.” He gave no explanation for this comment and I figured it had to be one of those old people things. We followed the dog into the parlor and made ourselves comfortable, helping Elvis prop his leg up on the couch. He was sipping on some “medicinal’ whiskey, as he called it, when he started his story.


Chapter 23