Jeffery cruised down the barren California interstate in his pristine 1990s Corvette with the top down. Naturally, it had a clean, glossy finish that would reflect your image better than a mirror. It was a robust red with custom silver rims that shone with glory in the midst of the mid-day sun, and the interior was up kept with the finest care and attention to precision a man could offer. The car was in perfect condition, but Jeffery had a tendency to abuse the gas pedal, seen as he was shooting down the highway going 90. The wind howled around him, brushing through the sticky smooth seams in his gelled back hair. Like a wind tunnel, the breeze pressed hard against his youthful face, pushing his cheeks in and accentuating his jagged bones. He was a young man of about twenty seven, still fresh out of his years at college down in Florida, four years that took a mental toll on him as his brain was taxed in every aspect of his life as he tried to free himself from the chains of stress.
The sweet metallic gas pedal was his cathartic release he so frequently desired to get out of his head, out of his mind, out of control. His foot eased down on it, accelerating him up to 100 as he approached a slight curve in the road. He made no efforts to slow down, but rather, speed up. The rubber burned on the scorching pavement, because even though it was about 75 degrees out, the mid-day sun had a way of absolutely burning the pavement up and burning your good conscience up. He pushed harder. The tires emitted a low screech as they skidded across the road, but Jeff remained in control. His hands wrapped tightly around the vintage black leather on the steering wheel, harshly worn away with his hands strangling it time after time. He cut the wheel out of the turn, and drifted into the right lane perfectly. He cruised on.
His time was often devoted to driving the west coast, and he was addicted to the succulent scents and sweet sweat that would occasionally drip from his brow on a particularly hot day, or when he would finally hit the adrenaline rush he always craved. His stomach churned for it, his brain always sending signals that this is what he wanted, what he needed. He had merged off of the interstate, and was now coasting along a fantastic rocky cliff, a perfect blend of clay and mocha colors that was complemented by the brilliant sunshine. The road was still wide, and the road was still empty. The road was still his. The car's engine roared with life like a lion protecting his pride, but Jeffery was no lion. The car pushed and viciously pumped the gas into the cylinders to explode and rev with life, and all Jeffery had to do was keep pushing down. It was simple. That's why he appreciated it. His stress kept creeping up on him, but as he felt the overwhelming noxious anxiety approaching his brain, he batted it back down with the pedal, stomping it to go faster and get away.
Oceanic waters wafted up to his car powering down the road, and provided some sort of relief to him. The refreshing waters reminded him of childhood when his father would take him down to Florida for vacations during summer time. He would play in the coarse sand and make these grand castles before knocking them all down, just for the sole reason of building them back up again. It seems like that's all his life has been. Getting knocked down, and having to muster all of the strength in his being to put his foot down and stand back up. He would slosh in the beautiful cold waters and relax under his umbrella on a beach towel with his father. He knew since those days that he would want to go to college in Florida. Then he got to college and broke under his anxieties and the weight of the world on his shoulders, trying to support a shattered family. When he was finished playing in the sands and relaxing in the waters, his father would take him to the boardwalk or a local strip near the beach to get some hot dogs or chips. He would think to himself that the people in Florida are weird. They were all in this extravagant paradise where the sun was always shining and the beach was always there to play on and the waters could carry all your troubles away, but all the adults attended to their business and never batted an eye at what was around them. He would sit down at a table outside on of the shops and pop his chip bag open with excitement. He always started with the chips; they were the best part of the meal. He'd gently rest them on his tongue to savor the taste before snapping down with his teeth. Unknown to him, these chips were probably the most accurate representation of his youth. Such a wonderful taste at first, then they would be chewed on and crushed. He found himself in his car again, gritting his teeth with a viciousness and angst, sweaty palms slipping on the worn leather wheel. The speedometer cautiously read '80', but his mind was going 100 and leaving his body in the dust. He was beginning to panic. Have to escape. Find a way. He quickly turned the radio on, ready to hear anything that would bring him back down.
He travelled down the stretch a couple more miles. His tank was on about half, so he figured that he could keep up this pace for a while. Still nobody on the roads. About 5 miles down, Hotel California came on. He was always a big fan of The Eagles- his father used to always play it on their long road trips down to Florida together. He began to slip into a dream state and he drifted out of reality, coasting down the road in a self-absorbed cruise control. He could see himself riding down the dark desert highway in the song, warm smell of colitas rising up through the air. His imagination began to fabricate this exuberant world as he checked into the hotel and wandered through the clean narrow corridors and gorgeous courtyards. He wandered into a court with multiple grape vines twisting and mingling along a tall lattice fence, opposite of a large balcony landing that overlooked the ocean. The sun burned dimly now as it was falling below the horizon, blending the sky into a passionate orange and red as it slowly set into a cool maroon night time. The ocean's harsh roars and crashes were devolved to a subtle white noise at the landing. In complete serenity, he walked back into the hotel, and found himself in the dining hall. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

His anxiety began to creep up on him as he felt a cold sweat run down his neck. A man sat in the corner of the room watching his panic, but he remained silent. Jeff thought he looked a lot like his father once did. He scrambled and sought out the exit, and ran and ran and ran down the twisting corridors that were becoming more complex and confusing and suffocating. He burst from the hotel with sweaty palms and boiling blood as his sick twisted fantasy exploded from his mind. He was safe in his Corvette once again. He lost track of time, but he was still speeding along the rocky cliff that wrapped around the jagged mountain. Jeff felt drunk with power as he thrust down the pedal. Pain kept him sober through these times and he pushed all of the violent thoughts swirling out of his head. The tank was nearing on empty. In a sincere reflection, he thought about who he was and his disastrous life. His life crumbled more and more through college and he was convinced he couldn't go lower than rock bottom. He thought about his father, and he was suddenly the only thing that echoed through Jeffery's hollowed mind. His father appeared to be a good man, but beat Jeffery's mom when he was young. He continued to fight these memories down and repress them. His father seemed to escalate every day, steadily becoming worse until his mom left without any notice, never to be seen again by them. Jeff grew up with his father alone, who would take him on vacations and buy him luxuries to still try to be a good father....but Jeff knew better. He understood money couldn't fix his childhood or buy him happiness. But maybe it was just enough to get him by. Clutching the wheel, he accelerated down the hot crumbled road as his mind began to melt down his spine. The beautiful red Corvette streaked along and peacefully hummed. He saw the guard rail coming up fast directly in front of him on this sweet California highway, and he bathed in the incandescent sun. Jeffery understood what it meant to be alive. And in the blink of an eye, he drove the car straight off the cliff, and never looked back.