"Alright, we've got about twenty minutes before we need to set back off to beat the traffic," Donovan Walters explained to his family, "there's a restaurant in that truck stop, so we can grab a quick bite and stretch our legs until then. Is that alright with everyone?"
"I could certainly do with a quick break," Theresa Walters agreed, giving her husband a grateful smile.
Katie and the rest of her family voiced their collective agreement, each just happy to get out of the SUV for the first time in a good few hours. Hopping out, Katie was immediately struck by the pungent scent of diesel and oil, exacerbated by the sheer number of trucks and heavy haulers that lined the rows of truck lots that surrounded the reasonably large diner situated at the direct center. But the smell wasn't unbearable enough to take away from the relief she felt from being able to stretch her legs, shaking off the stiffness she felt deep in her joints.
The Walters family's annual outing started without a hitch, with their extended trip from their enclosed town to one of the national parks playing out as it had done every year since Katie and her sister Anna were kids. Their mother Theresa had packed out the family's SUV with everything they could possibly need for the almost two hour journey to and from the park.
It was a tradition for the family to make the trip, a means of bringing all four members of the Walters family together, even if it was just for a day. Though it had once been a fun little getaway from home, Katie increasingly viewed it as more of a grievance, something that took her away from her friends and her creature comforts, just to visit a national reserve that she knew better than the back of her hand. Spending a day out with her parents and sister was something far from what the eighteen year old considered time well spent.
Her family could comfortably describe themselves as being a part of the upper-middle class, with her mother and father both respectively running and operating their own successful businesses, earning more than enough money to afford all the luxuries in life. Katie and Anna both attended the well renowned St Frances Academy, a private school that catered to families of privilege and wealth. Costing just over thirty thousand dollars a year per student, the academy was certainly out of reach for the typical American family, along with the advantages that came with enrolling, particularly when it came to networking and making connections with its well-connected alumni.
It wasn't lost on Katie just how privileged she was in life. She possessed a wardrobe packed with clothes that would have seemed obscene to anyone outside her social bubble based on the price tags that came with each individual garment. Rather than a modest amount of pocket change, the family credit card was open for use whenever she desired it. Being a daddy's girl came with a number of benefits, letting her acquire whatever she wanted, but unlike her sister Katie never took advantage. It didn't hurt that her academic overachievement earned her a near constant wave of admiration and adoration from her parents.
Her sister received equal treatment, though her use of it couldn't have been any different compared to Katie. Anna had always possessed a rebellious streak, using every opportunity that presented itself to contribute to her party girl nature. On more than one occasion, Katie spotted Anna clambering out of the back of a luxury Uber ride, heels in hand as she attempted to sneak back into their house well after her curfew. Somehow, much to Katie's amusement, Anna always managed to avoid being caught in the act, even when she displayed the signs of a heavy night of drinking.
As much as Katie preferred a quiet day out shopping with her friends, or a night studying in her bedroom, she couldn't help but envy Anna's ability to lay her way out of any situation. Despite Anna not being as academically inclined as Katie, she had always managed to clinch passing grades in her classes, a fact that allowed her frequent nights of partying to fly under the radar.
Katie knew her parents always viewed her as more sweet natured and straight-laced out of the two of them, one that could always be relied upon to not try and sneak a boy up to her room for anything other than a session of tutoring. She more than earned such a reputation, having spent days on end before any upcoming exams with her head firmly planted in textbooks and example essay papers, along with a near perfect attendance record.
There were times where Katie wished that she could have been more like her sister, to allow the stress of school and the expectations that both her parents and teachers had of her to just slip away, to have a night of fun for the sake of it. She had her fair share of experiences with her ex-boyfriend, but nothing that came close to the excitement she envisioned when she imagined slipping out of her bedroom and entering the unknown for just one night. There was a certain thrill in imagining herself being with someone she barely knew, engaging in meaningless sex just for the cheap thrill that came with it.
But no matter how much she wanted to have a night where she could let loose -- forgetting any of the worries she had about maintaining her straight 'A' record and hammering out college applications -- she could never find the courage to go ahead and take the leap.
Even when Anna made the offer to help sneak her out once their parents had settled into bed for the night, Katie still couldn't take the plunge, always finding unconvincing reasons to stay at home. Envy was a constant when she spied on her sister's return, with Anna occasionally arriving back home in the cars belonging to the boys at their school. It didn't help that Katie's free time after the school day was either split between an arduous session of training with the cheerleading squad or engaging with activities she knew would be a good way of padding out her college applications.
Inheriting their looks from their mother, Katie and her sister rarely went a day without hearing one or two comments being directed at them based on their appearance. It was something she had built a thick skin in response to, accepting that she possessed a beauty that could send men wild, viewing it as more of a blessing than a curse. There was always great amusement that came from having a mother that captured attention wherever they went, with Katie being present on a number of occasions where some cocky guy would try his luck, flirting with her mother brazenly despite the gold band wrapped around her finger. Despite her father not being the jealous type, Katie's mother always made sure to keep such encounters a secret, a fond memory between her and her daughters.
Anna shared her feeling of relief, slamming the car door shut behind her. The pair followed their parents as they set off in the direction of the old diner, jogging lightly to find refuge from the chilly air. In the spirit of sisterly competitiveness, Anna and Katie smirked at one another, turning their journey towards the diner into a race of sorts, dashing past their parents, ignoring their amused protestations. Katie grinned as she reached the door and grasped the vertical metal handle, aware that her slightly longer legs provided her with a significant advantage over her sister.
"Not fair, those legs are almost as tall as I am," Anna rolled her eyes, stepping inside as Katie held the door open for her and their parents with a smug grin. "And they're wasted on you."
"I'm sure that if you had legs like these you would spend more time with them in the air with one of your boyfriends lodged between them," Katie whispered, following behind Anna as she searched for an empty booth while their father put in their orders.
"And you wouldn't be wrong," Anna laughed and slid her body into a worn, red leather bench seat tucked inside a vacant booth, with Katie dropping into the one opposite. "If you have them then you should show them off instead of hiding them behind those baggy jeans you always wear. I promise you that if you came to one of my parties you'd have to spend the entire night fending guys off."
"What's this I'm hearing about parties?" Theresa asked light-heartedly, taking the space next to Katie. "Anna, you're not trying to corrupt your sister, are you?"
"That's exactly what I'm trying to do, but she sure as hell isn't making it easy," Anna shared an innocent smirk with her mother, unzipping her jacket as she settled back against the ruined leather seat, "it feels like I'm trying to teach a nun how to gamble."
"And that's exactly what we admire most about her, she keeps her head down and focused on her school work," Theresa said with a playful voice. "Your father and I don't have to worry about her being distracted by a sex-addled boyfriend."
"Boyfriends in Anna's case," Katie snickered, just about avoiding a kick from her sister beneath the table, watching as her father headed back towards them, carrying a tray filled with steaming hamburgers and cartons of fries, along with a set of cokes.
"The waitress was a little more surly than I was expecting, I just hope the food makes up for it," Katie's father explained, setting the tray down on the table as Anna moved the condiments aside for him.
"After the journey we just went through? A stale old sandwich from a vending machine would make up for it if it meant getting out of the car," Anna grumbled, devouring her meal in spite of her self-imposed diet.
"Well, we're only about an hour away from home, it'll just be smooth sailing from here on out," Katie's father replied, taking an innocent sip from his can of coke. "Hopefully."
The Walters family continued their light chatter as they consumed their meals, with any negative memories of the last few hours quickly being forgotten. Katie and Anna in particular looked at one another in mirth whenever they spotted a trucker entering the diner and glancing in the direction of their booth, paying particular attention to their gorgeous mother. The minutes quickly ticked by as the contents of the tray depleted, until the four of them were left with the small scraps that remained.
As Katie drained the last drops of her coke, she took the opportunity glance through the condensation-coated window and assessed the forecourt of the expansive truck stop. Unsurprisingly, she mainly caught sight of the numerous haulers that rolled in and out of the heavily weather-worn old truck stop, illuminated by the floodlights that lined the outer edges of the fencing, along with a red flashing neon arrow advertising the site to those passing by along the highway. Trucks would roll into the sections of the forecourt that were left in virtual darkness, allowing them to reverse into any available spaces and park up for the night.
But looking a little closer, she spotted a number of figures moving along the overnight parking lot, stopping at each truck before being ushered on by its occupant. What caught her attention in particular were those figures who were instead invited into the cabs, temporarily illuminated by the interior lights when they climbed up to the open doors. Though her view of them was brief, it wasn't difficult for her to see just what sort of clothes they were wearing, or the lack thereof. They disappeared into the cabs belonging to interested truckers, hidden from sight once the lights faded away entirely.
