Sweet Cheeks

Birdie, a run-away teen on a mission to find adventure, hitches a ride from Hank, a scruffy handyman who uses his van as his office. The van is old, dirty, and the only things clean in it is a collection of souvenir coffee mugs. Birdie doesn’t like all the questions Hank asks but accepts Hank’s offer of a juice box. What harm could it do? But when she falls deep asleep, she begins to get suspicious of Hank. Especially when she discovers that she was so deep asleep she didn’t notice when he stopped at the store to get himself a coke. Birdie begins to panic. She realizes she might have made a mistake taking a ride from Hank. She tries to talk him into stopping, but he refuses, claiming that it would be too dangerous for her. That some weirdo might pick her up. While they converse, Hank manages to instill more distrust and fear in Birdie. Soon she sincerely regrets getting into his van. Birdie finally convinces Hank that she needs to find a restroom. But instead of a restroom, he pulls over to the side of the dark road in the middle of nowhere. She gets out of the van and runs as if her life depends on it. Birdie spots a house in the distance and sprints to it. Sobbing, she races for it and bangs on the door. The door is jerked open and Birdie falls inside. She tumbles to the floor, looks to her right. There is a pile of souvenir coffee mugs. She turns to her left to find a case of juice boxes. She looks toward the door to see Hank arming a complicated security system. Looking around she realizes there are bars on the windows. Hank locks a deadbolt and puts the key in is pocket. He turns to her and says, “Hello, sweet cheeks. Welcome home.” In the van, Birdie’s phone receives a text that reads, YOU WIN. PLEASE COME HOME! YOU CAN GO TO THE CONCERT WITH YOUR FRIENDS. LOVE, MOM AND DAD. The light of the phone fades away.